Much is said about the autism and Asperger's syndrome and sometimes it seems that we are talking about the same problem since it obviously has many similarities. And it is that Asperger's syndrome is a disorder within autism, however, although they are very similar, they have their differences. You are probably wondering if your child or someone you know suffers from some of these disorders since you have noticed some symptoms in him associated with them or you are simply interested in these topics and it catches your attention that they have a great similarity and you also want to know their differences.
Regardless of the reason you have why you want to know the differences between autism and Aspeger syndrome, In this Psychology-Online article we are going to start by explaining the concept of both disorders, their causes and incidents and to describe in detail what they are and what the differences between the two health conditions consist of mental.
Index
- What is Asperger syndrome and autism
- Differences between Asperger syndrome and autism
- Causes and incidences of Asperger syndrome and autism
What is Asperger syndrome and autism.
To understand the differences between autism and Asperger's syndrome, the first thing to do is understand what each of these mental health diseases consists of.
Asperger syndrome
The Asperger syndromeIt is a condition that is located within the autism spectrum disorders which affects the neurobiological development of the person who suffers from it. The person with this disorder shows to have many difficulties in some areas of his life, which have highly variable levels of severity depending on the particular case.
People with Asperger syndrome have difficulties in the social area since it is difficult for them to act assertively with other people, in the emotional area, it is very difficult for them to recognize their emotions and those of others, so they lack empathy. They are also usually physically clumsy so they act in a stereotyped way and do not show alterations in the cognitive area. In this other article we tell you how to treat a child with Asperger Syndrome.
Autism
The autismis a complex neurobiological disorder that is characterized by a development deficit permanent that affects the person in different areas of his life such as social, communicative and behavioral. The person who suffers from this type of disorder has great difficulties in relating to others, they tend to isolate themselves, in some cases totally rejecting physical contact and prefer to be closed in on themselves themselves.
Have difficulties expressing yourself through verbal and non-verbal language, as for non-verbal they usually have stereotyped and verbally, it is very difficult for them to use language, sometimes reaching silence total or partial. As for the cognitive area, it is common for there to be some intellectual disability.
Differences between Asperger syndrome and autism.
Between the differences between autism and Asperger syndrome we can find the following:
Identification and diagnosis
Autism can be frequently identified and diagnosed at a very young age. Parents of a child with autism can begin to suspect its existence from 18 months of life since generally the alterations in the development that it presents are very evident from the 3 years. On the other hand, Asperger syndrome is usually diagnosed at older ages, for example around 7 or 8 years of age and can sometimes even begin to identify in the adolescence.
Intelligence quotient
Children diagnosed with autism have problems in their cognitive development since it is common for many cases to appear where there is an intellectual disability. On the other hand, when it comes to people diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, they generally do not show no problem in the cognitive area and they may even have an IQ above what normal.
Language
There are also differences in terms of language acquisition in both disorders. In the case of autism, there is an obvious delay in language development and generally the people who suffer from it have a very poor and limited vocabulary, sometimes reaching silence total. Some children with autism can only make sounds. On the contrary, children diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome tend to acquire a vocabulary considered suitable for their age and may even make use of a richer and more extensive vocabulary since sometimes they can use more technical or elaborate words, which is why they are considered to be too cults.
Social relationships
People with both conditions often have problems in social relationships due to their great difficulty in assertively relating to others. However, there is a very important aspect that differentiates them and that is that children with Asperger's syndrome unlike children with autism really want social contact and friendships and are frustrated by their difficulties in achieve it. Autistic children totally or almost totally reject social contact, they do not like to have friendships and therefore they do not feel frustration or worry about not interacting with others.
Physical development
Physical development in children with autism is considered normal, consistent with their developmental age. However, in the case of children with Asperger's syndrome, they show a motor delay which leads to their motor movements being quite clumsy.
Interests
In both disorders, people who suffer from it tend to have an obsessive interest in certain topics. The difference is that in the case of autism, the interest is based on a specific stimulus, however on the case of Asperger syndrome the topics of interest are usually more elaborate and the list of topics is also more wide.
Causes and incidences of Asperger's syndrome and autism.
After having analyzed in detail the differences between both conditions, we will know in a way general the causes that produce them and the incidents for this type of ailments.
The causes of this type of illness are similar. Both disorders are caused by a genetic alteration, as well as by intrauterine and childbirth factors, such as anoxia, which is the lack of oxygen to the fetus during delivery, resulting in neurological development abnormal.
It has also been found that another of the factors that can influence this condition to occur are infections during pregnancy which can lead to deterioration of certain brain structures involved in the development of emotions and learning.
Regarding the number of incidents or people affected by this type of disorder, it has been found that in the In the case of Asperger's syndrome, the number is higher, becoming 2 and 3 times more common than in the case of autism.
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to Differences between autism and Asperger syndrome, we recommend that you enter our category of Neurological disorders.
