What distinguishes Asperger's Disorder from classical autism is that its symptoms are less severe and language delays are absent.
Aspergers in kids disorder may only be mildly affected and often have good language and cognitive skills. To the untrained observer, a child with Asperger's Disorder may seem like a neurotypical child who behaves differently.
Children with autism are often seen as distant and indifferent to others. This is not the case with Asperger's Disorder. People with Asperger's Disorder often want to fit in and interact with others, but often don't know how. They may be socially awkward, fail to understand traditional social rules, or show a lack of empathy. They may have limited eye contact, appear not to participate in a conversation, and may not understand the use of gestures or sarcasm.
Their interests in a particular subject may border on the obsessive. Children with Asperger’s Disorder often like to collect categories of things, such as rocks or bottle caps. They may be proficient in knowledge categories of information, such as cricket statistics or Latin names of flowers. They may have good rote memory skills but struggle with abstract concepts.
One of the biggest differences between Asperger's Disorder and autism is that, by definition, there is no speech delay in Asperger's. In fact, children with Asperger's Disorder often have good language skills; they just use the language in different ways. Speech patterns can be unusual, non-bending, or have a rhythmic nature, or be formal, but be very loud or shrill. Children with Asperger's Disorder may not understand the subtleties of language such as irony and humor, or they may not understand the reciprocal nature of speech.
Another distinction between Asperger's Disorder and autism concerns cognitive ability. While some individuals with autism have intellectual disabilities, a person with Asperger's Disorder by definition cannot have a "clinically significant" cognitive delay, and most have average to above average intelligence.
While motor difficulties are not a specific criterion for Asperger's, children with Asperger's Disorder often experience delays in motor skills and may appear clumsy or clumsy.
While motor difficulties are not a specific criterion for Asperger's, children with Asperger's Disorder often experience delays in motor skills and may appear clumsy or clumsy.