Is asperger syndrome the same thing as autism?

Yes and No: Aspergers is now part of what is called the autistic spectrum, a range of conditions sharing characteristics of autism, but with different levels of severity.

Not really: Asperger's patients are higher functioning, with more developed language functions, more of a "savant" type person. Their problems are more in social awkwardness, mood, and obsessive compulsive thinking than in language deficiency. Both autism and asperger's syndrome are included in pervasive developmental disorders classification.

Core deficits in : Theory of mind, facial recognition, social reciprocity & social communication underlie both. Autistic spectrum disorder is the dsm-v diagnosis for autism, Asperger syndrome (as) & pdd-nos. The neurodevelopmental profile differs. Though any can have an iq >70, those with as have fairly intact language, except for pragmatics & prosody, while those with autism have higher non-verbal abilities.