The elder of my two sons, D, (he’s 6) was diagnosed last Friday with Asperger Syndrome. We've explained to him that although everybody is different, other people who are similar to him are said to have Asperger Syndrome. After a few false starts (he thought he was going to have to learn a new language for it), he got the idea.
It’s such a shame that so many resources lump Asperger with disabilities. I firmly believe that D is not disabled; he’s just different — and in some ways, better than his peers. The diagnosis put his speech and language proficiency at the level of a child twice his age. He’s highly literate and numerate, scientifically adept and has a wide range of knowledge from the UK party political system to stars and galaxies.
I suppose I'm feeling defensive but, of course, it was we who decided we wanted a diagnosis. I think it'll help provided we're very clear to him that he’s not disabled.