Interesting. I think it's quite possible that Autism and Asperger's are different, although similar conditions. I was taught in my Psych class that AS is more or less a sub-category of Autism, but I have always found that hard to believe. I mean, "high-functioning Autism' almost seems like an oxymoron to me. The whole average to above-average IQ in Aspies seems like a good indicator that you're dealing with apples and oranges, not McIntosh and Granny Smith. But perhaps I am just being narcissistic in thinking that.
Maybe it's kinda like bats and birds. Sure, they both have wings and fly, but they're not closely related. They don't share a close common ancestor. I can't remember what this concept is called (and I should know! I was a bio minor). Maybe this is a bad example, but yeah, I do believe that there is a possibility that AS and Autism are not as similar as they have been displayed to be historically.
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The nail that sticks out gets hammered down.