Asperger´s Syndrome in the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, as a manifestation of enclosing practices

Abstract

Critical sociology shows that the human being is a born classifier, and that from these classifications made he can be classified sociologically for scientific analysis. In institutionalized social practices the classifications made by them tend to construct the reality that they seek to describe. In this sense, the so-called "mental disorders" are classified in different manuals that guide clinical and psycho-pedagogical practice, with diagnostic criteria that differentiate one disorder from another. These classifications change over time, as the history of classification manuals has shown. An example of this is about Asperger's Syndrome, a condition that presents characteristics such as difficulties for social interaction, stereotyped behavior patterns and without delay in cognitive development. Within the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V), Asperger's Syndrome is integrated, along with other conditions with diverse characteristics into the classification group called "Autism Spectrum Disorder". From the theoretical perspective of Pierre Bourdieu, the work presents a reflection on the social effects of these types of classifications officially accepted in the DSM manuals.