Man måste fråga sig, vad är normalt och vad är inte normalt?: en kvalitativ studie angående yrkesverksamma tankar kring Aspergers syndrom, dess förhållande till högfungerande autism, diagnostisering och prognos

Sammanfattning: What compelled me to write this essay was the ongoing debate about DAMP/ADHD between mainly Eva Kärfve and Christopher Gillberg. The purpose of the essay was to ascertain whether there was a similar debate about Asperger Syndrome. My focus was on the causes of the syndrome, how Asperger Syndrome relates to high-functioning autism, how the causes of the syndrome are portrayed by the practitioners to those who have been diagnosed with it and their next of kin, how they view the prognosis of individuals with Asperger Syndrome and their thoughts about the method of diagnosis. To gather the material I have used semi-structured interview guides and qualitative interviews. Five interviews were carried out with six practitioners. I then applied Michel Foucault's thoughts on discourse and power to the material, and utilised two perspectives: constructivism and objectivism. The conclusion was that there was no debate about Asperger Syndrome equivalent to the one about DAMP/ADHD. Even if the research was unclear as to both the cause/causes and how the syndrome relates to high-functioning autism, the practitioners seem to have adopted the researchers' views. They convey the knowledge obtained from the research to those who have been diagnosed, and their next of kin. They viewed the prognosis as generally good but dependent on the environment around the individual. They generally considered the methods of diagnosis good, especially that they strive for objectivity, but also admitted that they are not always successful, and that sometimes there is too much stress, and the investigations are rushed.