I was going to add that Autism and Aspergers are on the same spectrum. Some say that ADHD is on that spectrum as well. Down's is a completely different diagnosis.
LADYHAWKE84 5/31/07 9:12 A
THOUSAND—My son is also autistic (he’s ten years old) and his doctor told that while they do suspect that Autism may be genetically related they have not been able to prove it. But it’s been a few years since I discussed his autism with his doctor, so I was wondering if that has changed.
As for Down Syndrome, “it is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of an extra 21st chromosome. It is named after John Langdon Down, the British doctor who described it in 1866. The condition is characterized by a combination of major and minor differences in body structure. Often Down syndrome is associated with some impairment of cognitive ability and physical growth as well as facial appearance. Down syndrome is usually identified at birth.” –From Wikipedia
THOUSAND 5/30/07 8:46 P
My 12-year-old son is autistic so that's where my info comes from is years of doc/psychiatrists/etc.
Autism is a genetically related disorder affecting learning, social skills and understanding what is going on in the 'real world' Autistic kids are often said to be in their own world, they sometimes flap their hands when upset, rock back and forth and many of them enjoy lining up their toys and staring at them rather than playing with them...they don't understand social situations so may yell at inappropriate times, cry for no particular reason, laugh when in pain...my son in particular has a lot of sensory problems, meaning he can't stand loud noises/bright lights/people touching him/tags on clothes/etc. Autistic kids tend to be really good at certain things and not so good at others...my son is awesome at puzzles, reading and math...almost at grade level..
Aspergers is generally when a person has mainly just the social problems of autism and not much sensory/learning/speech problems. They may just have trouble connecting to other people, making friends, being affectionate....
I don't know to much about Downs, but those kids just seem anywhere from mild to severely retarded(but don't quote me on the Down's subject) I do also know that a good majority of Down's kids have heart issues and other health issues which are NOT prevalent in autistic kids.
as for ADHD.. attention deficit hyperactivity disorder...the kids have trouble sitting still, paying attention, etc, but are of normal intelligence and have no social issues besides being a bit hyper...
Hope that helps....
SPARK10 5/30/07 5:32 P
what is autism and how it differs from downsyndrome,adhd and aspergers?
