What is the difference between autism, autism spectrum?

Semantics: The diagnosis of autism has broadened. The term has also been softened with euphemisms like "asd" (autistic spectrum disorder). Clinically, the terms are now interchangeable.

DSM-V changes: In dsm-iv, the current classification system, autism refers to a severe disorder usually evident in early childhood, whereas autism spectrum disorder involves an evolution of a range fo disorders autism, aspergers, and pdd as well as a less frequent disorder into a concepr of varying severrity of autism spectrum disorder in dsm-v. See http://cpancf.Com/autismspectrumdisorder.Asp i.

Autism: ASD or autism spectrum disorder is a continum of diagnoses. An easy way to think of it is to imagine a number between 1-100. The severity of symptoms makes the diagnosis on a scale of 1-100. Aspergers is an asd, but so is autism. Intervention is based on what services are needed.

Quite a bit: Traditionally autism was used to referred to patients with severe deficits in communication and social interactions which often kept them in their own world and without meaningful verbal language. Now we recognize there is a spectrum of patients which includes the classic autistic patients but also a variety of patients who have less dramatic difficulties but still enough to impact functioning.

Not much: Autism is currently a diagnosis that meets a specific set of diagnostic criteria. We know that their are a great number of people who do not meet this set of criteria, but still are very much autistic in nature. This is why there is a spectrum of autism diagnoses. This is predicted to change soon to only one diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder; early recognition and early treatment are the key.