Autism or Asperger’s Syndrome?

Q: What is the difference between autism and Asperger’s Syndrome?

A:

Children who have trouble communicating, have severely limited interests, and exhibit repetitive behaviors are determined to be on the autistic spectrum. There are many different categories that fall under the umbrella of the autistic spectrum.

Autism
Children with autism generally have difficulties in:

• Social interactions: Children with autism often have trouble starting and maintaining a conversation. Perhaps because of this, children with au-tism prefer to play alone rather than interact with others.
• Verbal and non-verbal communication: Those with autism usually devel-op language more slowly and communicate with gestures instead of words. They also refer to themselves incorrectly (for example, he might say “you want food” when he means “I want water”).

Aspergers Syndrome

Children with Aspergers often have normal language development an cognitive abilities, but struggle with social skills. Here are some areas that Aspergers Syndrome differs from autism:

• Language Skills: Though people with Aspergers have trouble with com-municating and creating real relationships, their language development is on par with others their age. Regardless, their speech patterns might be unusual or their inflections inconsistent.
• Intelligence Quota: While children with autism may have high or low in-telligence quotas (IQ), children with Aspergers almost always have high IQs. Their high aptitudes do not always translate to intelligent perfor-mance, as those with Aspergers often get caught up in irrelevant details and ideas.
  Whether a child has autism or Aspergers, everyday life can be quite difficult. Don’t hesitate to look for help outside of your family – there are great resources out there – books, support groups, and other educational courses.