What distinguishes Asperger's Syndrome from autism is the severity of the symptoms and the absence of language delays. Children with Asperger's may be only mildly affected and frequently have good language and cognitive skills. To the untrained observer, a child with Asperger's may seem just like a normal child behaving differently. They may be socially awkward, not understanding of conventional social rules, or show a lack of empathy.

Autism is a neurological condition in which individuals experience difficulties in social interaction and communication skills, along with a tendency to show repetitive behaviors or interests. A life-long condition, autism interferes with individuals understanding what they see, hear, and otherwise sense. This often results in serious problems carrying out social relationships and communication.

Dr. Leo Kanner first described autism as a specific condition in a paper published in 1943. A year later in 1944 an Austrian pediatrician, Hans Asperger, published another paper that first described a similar condition that later became known as Asperger Syndrome. These landmark papers were the first attempts to explain autism and Asperger’s.

The degree of severity of characteristics differs from person to person, but usually includes the following characteristics identified by researchers at the University of North Carolina and adopted from their TEACCH web site entitled “Autism Primer: Twenty Questions and Answers.” Delays in language development – Language is slow to develop, if it develops at all, and usually includes peculiar speech patterns or the use of words without attachment to their normal meaning. B.

Clinicians and researchers know that autism and AS have many similarities, but the limitations in our knowledge still prevent an authoritative answer on how the two conditions differ. To some extent, the answer depends on the way clinicians and researchers use the concepts to diagnose, since until the early 1990’s there was no standard definition of AS.

Currently, no single medical test exists that will definitively diagnose autism spectrum conditions. Neither AS nor autism can be diagnosed by looking at a blood sample or performing a brain scan. Although these are physical, neurological conditions, researchers are still looking for genetic or other physical causes that may lead to a definitive test. Short of this, the diagnosis is made on the basis of observable characteristics of the individual.

Asperger Syndrome (AS) is neurologically based and is classified as a pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) or autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It was first identified by Hans Asperger, a Viennese pediatrician, in 1944. Asperger Syndrome was added to the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) in 1994. Related diagnoses include: High-Functioning Autism, Nonverbal Learning Disability, Semantic-Pragmatic Disorder, and PDD-NOS.

Autism was described almost simultaneously by Leo Kanner in the United States and Hans Asperger in Austria. Kanner was interested in lower-functioning children and Asperger in higher-functioning children, but they saw children all along the spectrum, and their descriptions of the condition were very similar. Kanner called it “infantile autism” and Asperger dubbed it “autistic psychopathy.

While autism is difficult enough to detect in young children, it can be very complex to diagnosis in older children especially when the child appears very intelligent and can speak. According to Lorna Wing, an internationally recognized researcher, children on the spectrum: quot;share a triad of impaired social interaction, communication, and imagination, associated with a rigid, repetitive pattern of behaviour..

The simple answer to this question is YES. The symptoms of AS have been recognised in people with other conditions and disorders. Once a single diagnosis of AS is confirmed, it is wise to continue the diagnostic process to see if there is another specific medical condition associated with the AS.

Some clinicians are still debating whether the conditions are the same or not. There are many similar traits but also differences between the conditions. Asperger Syndrome is part of the range of conditions which make up Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Asperger Syndrome is not a learning disability though it can be found as a discrete condition in some people with mild learning disability.

ANSWER: To a person who has Asperger Syndrome, this maybe a difficult question to answer. Personally, I would like to find out what it is like not to have it. In everyday life, it can feel terrible and so isolated to have Asperger Syndrome, even if you are an adult when usually it can be very easy to fit into society. I still feel paranoid sometimes when I am walking down the street the same way that when I was bullied at school.

Asperger syndrome is usually considered a subtype of high-functioning autism. Most of the individuals with Asperger syndrome are described as "social but awkward." That is, they want to have friends, but they do not have the social skills to begin and/or maintain a friendship. While high-functioning autistic individuals may also be "social but awkward," they are typically less interested in having friends.

Both disorders lie on the autism spectrum; there is very little difference between high-functioning autism and Asperger’s Syndrome. People with these disorders are at the more able end of the spectrum; that is, they have average to above average intelligence and have fewer language difficulties. They may speak fluently although their speech may sound overly-formal or have odd intonation.

These are two distinct conditions, but it is possible for a child to have both. They have specific differences, but there are some similarities, and a child can have a dual diagnosis and require treatment for both conditions. These are again, two distinct conditions. The chances of a person with AS developing schizophrenia are only marginally greater than for any individual.

Some children have the features of autism in early childhood and then develop the ability to talk using complex sentences, develop basic social skills and an intellectual capacity within the normal range. This group was first described as having High Functioning Autism. It is most likely to be used as a term for those who had a diagnosis of autism in their early childhood. It is less likely to be used for children whose early development was not consistent with classic autism.

If the term Asperger's Syndrome is used it can avoid misunderstandings in relation to the use of the term autism. Many people have a negative association with the term autism, so it is good to use a different one. When a child is said to have Asperger's Syndrome, the usual response is "I've never heard of that.

ANSWER: I can't remember the exact date, but I believe it was circa 1996. I just popped down the road to the local autism office and Bob's your uncle, a diagnosis was more or less made there and then. An autism diagnosis in the family was also made a year prior to this for my nephew, which triggered off the reason for getting diagnosed myself. Whether you were diagnosed last Tuesday or way back in 1958 it does not have much difference as long as you have been diagnosed.