stephanoclarkson - I have always distinguished between these two syndromes. It seems to me that Asperger's syndrome is closer to autism. For example, I learned from http://www.domkallarmighannes.com/ that Symptoms are usually detected early in life. If you are a child with Asperger's syndrome, you may notice that your child has difficulty making eye contact. You may also see that your child is awkward in social situations and has difficulty answering or talking to people. People with Asperger's syndrome will also miss social cues that are obvious to others, such as facial expressions or body language.