Are Asperger's Syndrome and autism closely related?

Answer 1

It is uncertain.

Some people who diagnose or work with people with Asperger's Syndrome describe Asperger's Syndrome (AS) as high-functioning autism (HFA), while others of them think there is a difference. The following is a list of suggested differences between Asperger's Syndrome and high-functioning autism.

* Children with AS might seem normal in family situations and have extreme stress when family is not present. Children with HFA have difficulty in all situations, including those with family. * Children with AS are more likely to form attachments to family but not to strangers, while children with HFA tend to withdraw from everyone. * People with AS want friendships, whereas people with HFA do not care. * Children with AS might have precocious language development while children with HFA do not and might even have delayed language development. * People with AS usually do not have repetitive, stereotyped patterns of behavior except for the all-absorbing preoccupation with a special topic about which an extensive number of facts might be memorized, whereas people with HFA are more likely to engage in repetitive behaviors that draw attention such as head-banging, hand-flapping, and chewing. * People with AS are more likely to exhibit motor clumsiness. People with HFA are more likely to have average or above average motor skills. * People with AS are more likely to be diagnosed as teenagers or adults while people with HFA are more likely to be diagnosed as children because of the slight differences in symptoms. * People with AS might be more imaginative than people with HFA.

Answer 2

Both Asperger's Syndrome and autism are pervasive developmental disorders, otherwise known as autism spectrum disorders. It is assumed that they have very similar genetic causes. Before Asperger's Syndrome became known as a condition, some children were labeled as having high-functioning autism when they would now be diagnosed as having Asperger's Syndrome. There could be a difference between high-functioning autism and Asperger's Syndrome, as some specialists have tentatively suggested, but more research would be necessary to determine that. The diagnostic criteria for autism and Asperger's Syndrome have more characteristics that are similar than are different, although some are more common or more severe in one condition than the other.

Answer 3

No, they are not the same condition, but they are related disorders, and thus are similar. Both autism and Asperger's Syndrome are autism spectrum disorders. For a link to a question comparing both, see the Related Question section below.

It is possible that what is known as high-functioning autism is the same as Asperger's Syndrome, but some people argue that they are different. For a link to a question listing possible differences, see the Related Question section below.

Answer 4

Asperger's Syndrome is a form of autism which excludes clinically significant intellectual disability and delayed speech. Some also include clumsiness in the description, but there was never agreement on that.

The ICD-10 calls it "A disorder of uncertain nosological validity", and it has been removed completely from the DSM 5. A new patient might be told they have an "autism spectrum condition" in the U.K, or an "autism spectrum disorder" in the U.S.

Answer 5

Yes and no.

Firstly it's important to understand that functioning labels like 'High-Functioning' are considered to be offensive, they are terms given to Autistic people based on a persons judgement on how much that Autistic person can act like a Neurotypical person - it's a means of assigning value and basing our value in how much we act like we're neurotypical rather than autistic. It's ableist.

Asperger Syndrome was a separate diagnosis to Autism - the difference was that those with Autism had developmental delays in childhood, but this wasn't enough to say it was a different condition to Asperger Syndrome...more that people diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome just happened to develop at a different speed or in different ways to those diagnosed with Autism. Often people would be told they or their children had Asperger Syndrome purely to avoid stigma of Autism diagnosis.

Asperger Syndrome and 'High-Functioning Autism' are not interchangeable - there are plenty of people who are diagnosed as being Autistic who function better than someone who is diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome, and plenty of people with Asperger Syndrome who see lower functioning at certain points in their life. Autism is a spectrum, it effects us all differently and to different severity throughout our lives - to make different diagnosis based on how well we function at one point in our lives makes little sense, and thus the two diagnosis are now merged into the single 'Autism' diagnosis.

Answer 6

There is no such thing as Asbergers. It is a common spelling mistake of Asperger's.

Answer 7

Asperger's Syndrome and autism are both autism spectrum disorders, but they are at different parts of the spectrum. The two conditions have very similar symptoms.