Most Prevalent Disorders
- Autism
- Asperger's
- Rett Syndrome
Asperger's is a disorder that falls under the umbrella category of ASD. Like Autism, Asperger's is marked by a developmental disability that affects the ability of nonverbal behaviors to regulate social interaction, difficulty in developing age-appropriate peer relationships, lack of interest in sharing with others, and lack of social or emotional sympathy with others. This disorder is also marked by restricted, repetitive, and patterns of behavior, interests, and activities that focus on routines, mannerisms, or objects. The main difference between Autism and Asperger's is that Asperger's does not affect language or cognitive development (Hickman, N/D).
Rett Syndrome is a disorder that occurs after birth, almost exclusively in girls, that causes severe impairments to speaking, walking, breathing, and eating. The disease is often discovered in infancy, but is difficult to determine cognitive level of functioning as children have an impairment in communicating. The disorder is not inherited, but is genetic due to mutations on the X chromosome (RettSyndrome.org, 2015).