What is the difference between these conditions?

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Autism
Asperger Syndrome
Social Anxiety/Social Phobia
ADHD
Introversion
Giftedness
Schizoid Personality Disorder
Avoidant Personality Disorder

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The reason for this thread is that I think I might have one or more of the above conditions, but I'm not entirely sure. How do these conditions differ from each other, and where is the overlap?

People with ADHD don't have rituals or routines they must follow and they don't get upset with change, they also don't have social problems nor communication and they also don't have obsessions.

Asperger's is autism but the difference is it's milder than autism and there is no speech nor development delay except in social skills. That's the way it's supposed to be anyway but lot of doctors don't follow the criteria so they diagnose them with AS anyway even though they are HFA or lower functioning.

People with social anxiety also don't have routines and rituals and they also don't get obsessed like we do and they do know what is socially appropriate to say and they can read people and pick up on cues but they just get nervous around people because they can't stop worrying what they might think of them.

Introverts, they can read people and pick up on social cues and they don't have obsessions nor have routines or rituals they must follow.

Giftedness, same as above.

Avoidant personality disorder, same as above.

Schizoid personality disorder, same as above.

A term used that used to be called Kanner Autism and was previously used exclusively for individuals who exhibited autistic behaviors and had significant speech delays. The term is now applied far more broadly, and has become a spectrum.


Considered to be at the upper end of the autistic spectrum, those with AS have many seemingly autistic traits, however have no clinically significant speech delay, must have at least average intelligence, and do not have a lack of curiosity about the world around them.



People with social anxiety/phobia are just that. People who become anxious at the thought of being in a social situation, or actually being in a social situation. Not all people with this condition have AS, and not all people with AS have specifically social phobia. People with social phobia often worry excessively what others think of them. A person with AS may not realize or care that others might think things of them.



People who can't pay attention to things and have a lot of energy. They tend to be impulsive and self destructive.


These are generally people who are quite and prefer to be by themselves for various reasons. Many people with AS may be introverted but not all people with AS are introverted.


People who are very smart.


This is a complex schizophrenia spectrum disorder characterized by blunted emotions and a limited range of emotions. People with SPD, whether they appear introverted or not, usually prefer to be alone. This preference may stem from an ability to connect to other individuals, or a strong mis-trust of other individuals. People with SPD may spend an excessive amount of time daydreaming and frequently fantasize about a world where they have normal social relationships. They often prefer this fantasy world to the real world as the control they have over this world eliminates trust issues they frequently encounter in the real world.


As far as I know, these people deal with conflict and fear of failure through avoidance.

ADHD is more like an attention surplus. It's not an inability to pay attention to anything, but a difficulty choosing where to direct your attention.

Approximately 75% of people diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorders also meet the criteria, although I think ADHD with autism is a bit (not entirely) distinct from ADHD without autism.

Wrong. They do have social problems but not as intensely as AS/autism and in a different way. Inattentive and impulsiveness can make you say some silly things. People don't like it when you say silly things and will exclude you. The silly person realises this and begins to become anxious or depressed over the silly things they say and avoid saying silly things but can't because they are impulsive and all.

I think most of those disorders overlap and really to know the difference you just have to look at the diagnostic criteria. Autism and ADHD have an age of onset. Many of the personality disorders can be developed later in life and introversion and giftedness are not disorders at all. Giftedness is an IQ above a certain number. Introversion is someone that can get energy from being alone and not around others. In fact, other people drain their energy and they much prefer being on their own.

Note: It's late at night, hence my poorly thought out post.

Social problems doesn't always necessarily mean if you're quiet. ADHD people can have social problems, but in different ways. They may have more social confidence, but they still might misinterpret things or miss social cues. I have an ADHD friend, who is very loud and confident, but you can still guess that she has a condition. She finds it hard to understand other people's moods, feelings, and body language. Once she was talking to someone who looked very upset about something else, and she wouldn't let up, and even I stood there and thought, ''I don't think this person is at all in the mood to speak to you or anyone.'' And later that day I found out that this person's brother had died, so I was right - I did know better that this person looked really upset and disturbed about something, and my ADHD friend was just talking to him as though he was meant to be on top of the world. Even if you are in a cheerful mood and you can see someone else's upset, you would ask them if they're all right first. This is just one of many examples - you don't know the half. I think I would rather be me really - at least I'm quiet enough to think before I speak.

Funny, I have diagnosed AS and Dyspraxia, and I feel anxious about other people all the time and I avoid social situations, yet I worry excessively about what others think of me - which is why my social anxiety has flared up within the last 2 years. What is this?