Is Asperger's a syndrome?

Argues that Asperger's syndrome (AS) is a distinct clinical entity by considering its phenomenology and the nature of its boundaries with other related disorders (e.g., infantile autism). Reasons for keeping a distinction between AS and autism are discussed. The autistic spectrum may represent the outcome of variously weighted interactions of primary deficits in language, social skills and play, general intellectual impairment, and neuromotor disorder. Unraveling these processes makes it important to consider the differences, as well as similarities, between such disorders as AS, infantile autism, semantic-pragmatic language disorders, clumsiness, and mental retardation.