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Autism is a common diagnosis effecting 1 in 68 children. But understanding the diagnosis can be difficult, which is why Lee Health pediatric nurse practitioner Sherri Campbell says the sooner a child is screened, the sooner a diagnosis can be determined. “Our goal is to find them before they are three.”

And while Autism can be caught early, she says Asperger’s syndrome can be harder to detect. “I think the average age of diagnosis for Asperger’s is usually 8 or 9 years old because they speak on time. They might just be little socially awkward,” said Campbell.

The thing that sets Autism apart from Asperger’s syndrome is children with Asperger’s don’t have intellectual disabilities or language disorders, whereas, children with Autism generally have difficulty with communication and social skills,” she said.

But the two conditions can look very similar. “They both have issues with repetitive and restrictive behaviors, and that would be like opening and closing cabinet doors for 30 minutes or a preoccupation with light switches,” explained Campbell.

In fact, Asperger’s syndrome is now qualified by health experts as the higher functioning level of Autism. “Asperger’s, people still use the term, but in 2013 the diagnostic manual that’s put out by the American Psychological Association, they did away with it as a diagnosis. Now people still use it, but it’s inaccurate because Asperger’s is Autism,” she said.

 

 

Asperger’s syndrome explained for children

 

Autism affects 1 in 110 children. The majority are boys. Symptoms may show up before the age of two. The extent can vary greatly but the approach to treatment should be the same.

“The highest potential we think is going to be made by the kids that get the treatment early on,” says Sherri Campbell nurse practitioner with The Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida.

Determining the type of social disorder is crucial, from a severe, classic autism to the milder Asperger’s syndrome.

“Under the autism spectrum disorder one of the subcategories is Asperger’s syndrome that’s the one that I think is often missed early on,” says Campbell.

A distinguishing feature between the two is speech.

“Asperger’s syndrome there is no speech delay so those are the kids that really might look a little odd with their behaviors or social skills but they really move along nicely in school sometimes and are age appropriate with their development but they just have some socialization issues,” says Campbell.

Classic autism is linked to late speech and less developed social skills.

“If I was really looking for some issues I would look for a lack of eye contact that’s one of the classic hallmarks that associate with autism and that can be seen fairly early on,” says Campbell.

Lee Memorial Health System offers free, monthly screenings for autism. It covers a standardized, developmental checklist, to help parents get a head start on therapy.

“The children with Asperger’s, sometimes they’re not diagnosed until middle school but the children with speech delay in classic autism are easy to identify as early as 18 months,” says Campbell.

The bottom line: if you have any concerns about your child’s development, acting early can make a difference.