Aspergers is to lose its name

[sesley]

http://www.theautismnews.com/2011/05/27/aspergers-syndrome-high-functioning-autism-to-lose-its-name

 

 

I find the difference between Aspergers/High functioning ASD which is what my son is diagnoesed as confusing,so what is the difference?

[puffin]

I thought that HFA was characterised by childhood language delays whereas AS was not

[Lynden]

http://www.autism.org.uk/about-autism/autism-and-asperger-syndrome-an-introduction/high-functioning-autism-and-asperger-syndrome-whats-the-difference.aspx

 

It is just the language delay as far as I understood too. It definitely seems to be better in terms of getting help to have an autism diagnosis as opposed to aspergers - it seems to be viewed as less of a disability, possibly because people class it as 'mild' autism.

 

Lynne

Edited May 30, 2011 by Lynden

[indiscreet]

I hope the American Psychiatric Association can be persuaded to change it's mind.

 

Lyndon says in her post that "it seems to be viewed as less of a disability, possibly because people class it as 'mild' autism." and as an adult who received a diagnosis last year I'm happy with that.

 

Before I heard about AS I had never seen any similarity between my disabilities and autism but as soon as I read an article about AS in women I knew that I was somewhere on that spectrum.

[chris54]

Because both Aspergers and High Functioning Autism are mentioned on my sons original diagnosis, for him at least, the two are used interchangeable dependant on who you are talking to.

 

This change (the dropping of Aspergers as a separate condition) has been on the cards for some time now.

[AdamJ]

Will I default to having HFA or will I need a new diagnosis?

[chris54]

It will only be that the term Aspergers wont be used to describe a separate condition. Aspergers is and always has been High Functioning Autism. If you have a diagnosis of Aspergers then have HFA.

As has been said the difference has always been to do with early childhood speech development. Without any scientific basis, it seems to me that mature people seeking a diagnosis seem to get one for Aspergers, could this be that they and their family have forgotten their childhood development difficulties and therefor say they had no speech delay.

 

Maybe it is (was) seen that Autism is a condition that children have. That if you have reached adulthood without a diagnosis then it must be aspergers.

I dare say that other have a view on this which I would be interested to hear.

[BusyLizzie100]

With regard to my eldest, who has a diagnosis of Asperger's, the paediatrician now just calls it ASD.

 

My second has always had a diagnosis of ASD.

 

And my third, who is definitely high functioning and would probably previously have been diagnosed with Asperger's, was diagnosed with ASD last year.

 

My view is that it's all autism and the ASD reflects the continuum notion.

 

For the record, Asperger's is most definitely NOT a mild form of autism - my eldest son is currently experiencing far more difficulties than either of the other two...

 

Lizzie x

[flash]

my son was DX aspergers in feb this year. school keep telling me he is only mild aspergers - but they dont live with him lol x

[sesley]

1 x dog adhd, 1 dog asd, you must have a very interesting household

[flash]

when pregnant with my youngest i told dr this time i was having a nice calm child, she asked me what makes a calm child. my reply: probably not having me for a mother - even the pets are not NT lol x

[Lynden]

 

For the record, Asperger's is most definitely NOT a mild form of autism - my eldest son is currently experiencing far more difficulties than either of the other two...

 

Lizzie x

 

Just incase it wasn't clear, I personally don't think aspergers is 'mild' anything, in some ways I think it's harder! My son is severely autistic but he doesn't know he's different to anyone else, and doesn't care about 'fitting in' so although in a practical sense it's probably more challenging (still in nappies, still needs help with feeding/dressing etc) we don't have to deal with his emotional worries (yet anyway!). I just meant that the general public perception is that it is 'mild'.

 

Lynne

[philipo]

Just incase it wasn't clear, I personally don't think aspergers is 'mild' anything, in some ways I think it's harder! My son is severely autistic but he doesn't know he's different to anyone else, and doesn't care about 'fitting in' so although in a practical sense it's probably more challenging (still in nappies, still needs help with feeding/dressing etc) we don't have to deal with his emotional worries (yet anyway!). I just meant that the general public perception is that it is 'mild'.

 

Lynne

if i'd have been diagnosed at 5 years old it would have been Autisim.Since I was 48 befored dicovering my HFA/ASD I would say that adults with undiagnosed aspergies develop survival/coping mechanisms that make them appear as HFA.I personally beleive that the 'medical' establishment have spent over 40 years under the delusion that there is autisim and aspergers,where in actual fact autisim and aspergers(as in old style definition)are really the 2 extreme poles of the same disability.i think what they call aspergers is super HFA ,and more debilitating than HFA although personaly I think the seperation should not be made.Many sufferers of ASD's are so happy for any clearer diagnosis,especially after years of torment from the conventional mental health model so tend to cling to the 'name ' of the diagnosis.All in all we should be gratefull that our understanding of the (D)isability is currently progessing at a quicker pace and as ASD'rs we should have great sympathy for all the thousands of people who have been misdiagnosed by the mostly crapulant NHS as,anxiety disorder,non specific personality disorder,mania,bi polar etcc as once misdiagnosed and pilled up by unaware mental health workers they have a very slim chance that another NHS docter would question a colleauges diagnosis.