outofplace wrote:
So far as I have read, the only differences are the lack of speech delay that Pixelpony mentioned and an IQ that is average to above average in Asperger's whereas Autism requires a average to below average IQ. I also think that Asperger's does not require stimming for diagnosis, but I am not 100% certain on that.
The only diagnostic difference between AS and autism is speech delay - to have autism you must have had speech delay at 3 years.
The IQ criteria are not diagnostic criteria - you can have any IQ to have either condition, though you are more likely to get an AS diagnosis if your IQ is above average and there are some sets of criteria that include the IQ. Just because a person is non-verbal it doesn't mean they can't have a high IQ, there are autistic people who have found other ways to communicate and shocked the world with their intelligence - this is especially clear now that there is a level of technology that can facilitate alternative modes of communication
Stimming is not a requirement for either diagnosis, repetitive behaviours may include stimming but are not necessarily the same thing and they are in the criteria for AS too where they are more likely to present as rituals and routines.
The differences between the 2 conditions are, and have always been, qualitative and subjective (even the speech delay is actually not about whether or not you could speak but about whether your language development is atypical - which it is for most AS people too) - this is why autism will be the umbrella condition from next year with no distinction between AS and autism in diagnostic terms - PPD-NOS will also come under the umbrella along with a couple of other conditions which we know are closely related.
There are pros and cons to the new criteria but the realisation over the last 2 decades that AS and autism share a common root is the main reason for the change.
I consider myself autistic but I meet the criteria for AS (I was speaking at 6 months old apparently and reading at 2 but my understanding and use of language in certain areas was delayed).