Autism is a condition which affects the way an individual communicates with the outside world, often; severely autistic people have little or no speech, are unable to interact with the rest of the world and they have great difficulty in communicating, understanding and reasoning with others. Autism affects behaviour and can result in tantrums, extreme anger and swings of emotions. Often, due to frustrations or anxiety, people with autism will hit out or may hurt themselves. A good description of autism is to say that the individual is locked into their own little world and are very sensitive to the world around them and often find it a scary place because they are unable to be a part of it.
Asperger's Syndrome is a high functioning form of autism, which means that although some of the symptoms of the above are true, the individual with Asperger's Syndrome often leads a much more active life and is able with help to do ordinary things like everyone else. For example, getting a job, going out socially, getting married and having a family, travelling and many other things. Obviously this will take a lot more effort for them, but usually with the right support and help this is possible.
If you could put autism on a ruler, the person with Asperger's Syndrome would be at the further end away from zero, because they are that much more able and more likely to overcome some of the difficulties which they face. Some of the symptoms of Asperger's Syndrome are: problems with communication, not being able to understand body language, socializing with others, frustration, anger, anxiety, mood-swings, obsessive behaviours and broken routines. Coping with change and working within large groups can be difficult, also coping with stressful situations and coping with other peoples’ emotions and feelings; especially if they are angry or upset.
There are quite a few positives about having Asperger's Syndrome though, generally speaking people with this condition have a higher I.Q. and are usually more intelligent than the average person. This of course results in the fact that they have good memory skills, good language skills, are very articulate in speech and have good attention to detail. Also, they are often very imaginative, artistic, creative and musical, are conscientious workers and are honest.
I would say that although there are difficulties in being on the autistic spectrum, there are also a lot of positives and it is worth trying to tap into what you are good at and what makes you happy. Most people with Asperger's Syndrome struggle to keep up with the pace of life and what is going on around them, but with help and understanding these problems can be eliminated.