Please help, no language delay in Asperger's?

[jen400]

My 4 year old son has been diagnosed with a moderate speech delay, cognitive delay, and motor delay since he was about 2.  He is in a special education preschool where he recieves speech therapy, but no one would tell me why he had these delays.  My cousin has a step-son with Asperger's and she spent about 5 minutes with my son and told me he acts just like her son,and I should have him checked for Asperger's.  I started researching and educating myself.  My son displays 58 of the 60 signs of Autism.  He seems to fall under Asperger's, but I was told there is no language delay in Asperger's, and he is still extremely delayed in speech.  I have an appointment with my pediatrician on Wednesday and I want all information so that he is diagnosed properly.  Could he have a speech delay with Asperger's, or does it automatically put him in another part of the spectrum?  

[sc00b3rt227]

Autism is a spectrum disorder.  It is possible that your son exhibits some habits/behaviors that a child with Aspergers displays.  Your son's form of autism may be more severe or less severe than this other boy.  Doc/Psych use the DSM to evaluate what disorder(s) a person has.  Under this criteria it specifically states that children with Aspergers can't have language delays.   My son for instance is high functioning, but had some language delays.  This meant that he could not receive the Aspergers label.  He also did not have enough delays in other areas to receive a dx of Autism.  He received the dx of PDD-NOS.

Now with that said, in several articles and books on Aspergers syndrome I have found references made that children with Aspergers can have language disorders (co-morbid disorders).  

In a nutshell it really depends on the clinican doing the dx and what they feel the child has.  I would highly recommend getting a multi-disciplinary evaluation conducted (developmental ped, Occupational therapist, speech therapist, psych).