Asperger's Syndrome versus Autism?

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They are pretty much the same thing, but I think that there are some clear differences that are worth discussing.

Similarities:
1. People with both disorders are commonly socially isolated, and they often have issues with making friends.
2. People with either disorder are known to struggle with interpreting facial expressions and body language.
3. People with either disorder often struggle with interpreting jokes and sarcasm as they are often 'tone deaf'.
4. There are genius's with Autism, as there are with Asperger's Syndrome.
5. The lack of inborn social skills are common in both.
6. People with either disorder may struggle with making eye contact.
7. People with both disorders might have gifts like no other that deserve recognition, when they don't receive any just because of the fact that people with both disorder are commonly ostracized.
8. Sensory issues
9. People with both disorders often say inappropriate things at the wrong time.
10. Tantrums are common in both.
11. Obsessions
12. People with both disorders are common targets for bullying.
13. People with either disorder might rely on repetitive routines.
14. People in both parities will avoid change.
15. Crying and laughing spells.
16. Motor coordination deficits
17. Empathy exists in both labels, they just have issues with expressing it and may not understand the feelings of others through social cues.
18. Behavioral problems are common in both.
19. Sometimes people with both disorders will have issues with communication.
20. Flat tones and flat faces are common in both.
21. People with Asperger's Syndrome may have some issues with expressing themselves, just like Autistic people.
22. Anxiety
23. ADHD, Tourette's Syndrome, Schizophrenia, Epilepsy, learning disabilities and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder are common co-morbids with both disorders.

Differences:
1. There is no verbal delay in Asperger's Syndrome, and people with Asperger's Syndrome often have a decent vocabulary.
2. Obsessions are said to be more common in Asperger's Syndrome, which is why it can be hard to distinguish the difference from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Asperger's Syndrome.
3. The intelligence quotient in Autism can be from the profoundly intellectually disabled range to the genius range, while it ranges from the dull normal range to the genius range for Asperger's Syndrome.
4. People with Asperger's Syndrome often have more tools to work with, so it's more common for them to overcome their deficits.
5. Despite the fact that underachievement in school often exists in Asperger's Syndrome, there is no academic delay (unless they have another learning disability). Autism is commonly a learning disability on top of the other deficits that it links to.
6. Depression is more common in Asperger's Syndrome than it is in Autism.
7. Nobody is faking it in Asperger's Syndrome, but they often come off as being neurotypical since they might look normal and they may be able to speak normally. While Autism has no physical features, you can generally tell that they're Autistic from how they often are unable to speak and how they often struggle even more with non-verbal cues and with social cues. However, it can be difficult to tell the differences between High Functioning Autism and Asperger's Syndrome.
8. People with Asperger's Syndrome can often live normal lives and have normal jobs. While it's possible for this in an Autistic person, it's less likely since there are a ton of severe cases where people have cognitive and verbal delays.
9. There's no delay in independent living skills in Asperger's Syndrome as there commonly is in Autism.
10. People with Asperger's Syndrome may want to approach people and may try to make friends, but they often come off as awkward which holds them back. Autistic people want friends, but they often lack the understanding of how to do things like greet people.
11. Self harming is a symptom of Autism, and while it can be in Asperger's Syndrome, it's a lot less common. Neurotypicals self harm as well though.
12. Echolalia is common in Autism.
13. Autistic people often do not respond to their own names (sometimes because of sensory issues, and sometimes due to the fact that they don't understand how to respond appropriately).
14. Autism links to more severe sensory issues than Asperger's Syndrome does.

They aren't exactly the same if you ask me, but they are definitely related to each other. I think of Asperger's Syndrome as a bit like a 'Type 2 Autism' like they describe the different types of Diabetes.

Thank you for posting all of this information, i had been pondering the diagnostic criteria between the two for a couple days.
It is helpful to have it all organized on here.

I have HFA; my friend is diagnosed Aspergers. He also has had cognitive and learning delays/disabilities from elementary school through high school.
His IQ would be in the normal to below normal range. He has also been diagnosed Schitzoaffective in the past by the VA hospital (military) prior to his Aspergers dx.

However he has typical Aspergers traits. Normally since they say that Aspergers do not have learning or cognitive delays, its confusing on exactly how they diagnose and i was wondering about that.

Heres the criteria for Aspergers from the DSM-IV-TR

[The following is from Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM IV]
(I) Qualitative impairment in social interaction, as manifested by at least two of the following:
(A) marked impairments in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body posture, and gestures to regulate social interaction
(B) failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level
(C) a lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interest or achievements with other people, (e.g.. by a lack of showing, bringing, or pointing out objects of interest to other people)
(D) lack of social or emotional reciprocity
(II) Restricted repetitive & stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests and activities, as manifested by at least one of the following:
(A) encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus
(B) apparently inflexible adherence to specific, nonfunctional routines or rituals
(C) stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms (e.g. hand or finger flapping or twisting, or complex whole-body movements)
(D) persistent preoccupation with parts of objects

(III) The disturbance causes clinically significant impairments in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

(IV) There is no clinically significant general delay in language (E.G. single words used by age 2 years, communicative phrases used by age 3 years)

(V) There is no clinically significant delay in cognitive development or in the development of age-appropriate self help skills, adaptive behavior (other than in social interaction) and curiosity about the environment in childhood.

(VI) Criteria are not met for another specific Pervasive Developmental Disorder or Schizophrenia."

Here is the diagnostic criteria DSM-IV-TR for Autism:

[The following is from Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM IV]
(I) A total of six (or more) items from (A), (B), and (C), with at least two from (A), and one each from (B) and (C)
(A) qualitative impairment in social interaction, as manifested by at least two of the following:
1. marked impairments in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body posture, and gestures to regulate social interaction
2. failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level
3. a lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interests, or achievements with other people, (e.g., by a lack of showing, bringing, or pointing out objects of interest to other people)
4. lack of social or emotional reciprocity ( note: in the description, it gives the following as examples: not actively participating in simple social play or games, preferring solitary activities, or involving others in activities only as tools or "mechanical" aids )
(B) qualitative impairments in communication as manifested by at least one of the following:
1. delay in, or total lack of, the development of spoken language (not accompanied by an attempt to compensate through alternative modes of communication such as gesture or mime)
2. in individuals with adequate speech, marked impairment in the ability to initiate or sustain a conversation with others
3. stereotyped and repetitive use of language or idiosyncratic language
4. lack of varied, spontaneous make-believe play or social imitative play appropriate to developmental level
(C) restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests and activities, as manifested by at least two of the following:
1. encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus
2. apparently inflexible adherence to specific, nonfunctional routines or rituals
3. stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms (e.g hand or finger flapping or twisting, or complex whole-body movements)
4. persistent preoccupation with parts of objects
(II) Delays or abnormal functioning in at least one of the following areas, with onset prior to age 3 years:
(A) social interaction
(B) language as used in social communication
(C) symbolic or imaginative play
(III) The disturbance is not better accounted for by Rett's Disorder or Childhood Disintegrative Disorder

This is from link:
http://www.autreat.com/dsm4-autism.html

Aspergers criteria link for the above post is:
http://www.autreat.com/dsm4-aspergers.html

I think several of the differences are primarily due to diagnostic distinction. Without those distinctions many diagnosed AS would likely be diagnosed as autistic, at least so long as it was understood that autism does not always present with speech delays.

Outcomes for many described as HFA are virtually indistinguishable from adult outcomes for people diagnosed with AS. Not all, but there's a fairly significant overlap. I've seen videos of people who were deemed to be low functioning as children who fit into NT society much more easily than I ever have. The range of expressions is rather diverse and doesn't lend itself to easy generalizations.

They say no two autistics are alike. So i guess everyone will have a variety of different traits or symptoms, stims, etc.
According to this article Aspergers is in the Spectrum. I would say that Aspergers is a form of HFA, however there are forms of HFA that are not Aspergers.

It's odd that they even termed "Aspergers" at all, when they could have just put it into the spectrum to begin with under HFA, it's confusing as to why they termed it knowing that they would rid of it when the DSM-V came out... Evidently prior they didn't have the whole Autism Spectrum so they used Aspergers.

http://www.care2.com/causes/the-end-of- ... drome.html

So many people HFA on the spectrum can vary in degree, to just have the whole "umbrella" of the spectrum from low to high can be easier.

This is excerpt from the article:
Why Does the Psychiatry Profession Want To Remove Asperger’s From the DSM-V?

The “vagueness” of the DSM-IV criteria has led to too many being diagnosed with autism, say some professionals.”

I've heard that people who don't meet the Autism Criteria have been put in Aspergers category. Yet i think it may depend on various doctors who are diagnosing. We have babies and 3 year olds being diagnosed yet sometimes at such a young age, it's so hard to tell that early.

I don't even meet the strict requirement for AS as I have adaptive and self-help skill delays. But, this is a commonly ignored requirement.