How is Asperger’s different from Autism?
Autism is the more severe form of problems with social interaction, restricted behaviors and areas of interest, and impaired language skills. For example, while a child with Asperger’s Disorder may have difficulty interacting with others socially and forming friendships, a child with autism may often avoid direct eye contact with any individual, dislike physical touch including the experience of hugs or loving touches, and may not develop verbal skills (a more severe expression of impaired social skills). According to the present diagnostic criteria, people with autism usually experience significant delay in the acquisition of language skills (e.g., the child did not use single words before the age of 2; communicative phrases were not used until after age 3). Cognitive skills are also often impaired. In contrast, people with Asperger’s Disorder should not have experienced delay or impairment in cognitive or language skills. Miller and Ozonoff (2000) summarized the differences between a
