Similarities Between AS & NLD

The overlap between NLD and AS is significant and many fall into a category that is somewhere on the spectrum between NLD and AS.

  • often struggle in reading subtle social cues and have trouble fitting in with their peers
  • have highly developed vocabulary but have difficulty using language to interact
  • understand the content of the words but often miss the emotional implications language can have
  • language is used to tell others things or speak in a monologue instead
  • usually talk at people, not with them
  • trouble monitoring their speech prosody (tone, volume and the speed of their delivery)
  • do not easily comprehend metaphor, analogy, nuance, sarcasm, and humor
  • sensitivity to sound, touch, and visual stimuli
  • have difficulties with executive functioning (planning, organizing, and integration of thinking)
  • can have Dysgraphia (difficulty producing written words)
  • problems taking action and following through with problem solving
  • have trouble understanding cause and effect and therefore cannot predict consequences