Go from Autism to Asperger's

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It happens. I've heard of cases where a person diagnosed with autistic disorder can progress to the point of an age-appropriate person with AS.

However, I think it's more common for a person with autistic disorder to progress to an "AS-level" at an age-inappropriate level.

Essentially, while they fit the diagnostic criteria for AS, a person who was "born" with AS will be ahead of them, developmentally.
The person with autism who eventually improved will always be a bit "behind" the person with Asperger's.

That's because the DSM criteria is more geared towards children under 10, and because a large amount of psychologists tend to "diagnose as they see them" it isn't unusual for a 20+ year old to be re-diagnosed with AS, despite the fact that they function on the level of an 8-year-old with AS.

I absolutely agree with your opinion and believe in diversity in human beings. I'm really wondering if children that had difficulties in their childhood are now living more independent lives. Have better executive functioning skills. Can read, write, and solve problems now. Have interests and pursue goals. Can purchase something. Can reply to questions. That kind of thing. I'm not even talking about having a family and paying bills as I think having and raising kids is monumental and is such an important life-long responsibility.

However, as an NT mom, I have to say that we do classify and judge NTs all the time. We don't call them "high" or "low" functioning but we classify humans based on money, race, education, their appearance etc. Look at how our society is obsessed with celebraties, money, things, etc. Look at our housing crisis right now and how people bought houses they could not afford. This is just one example of people trying to look "higher" functioning. A doctor is considered higher functioning than a janitor. Yes, it is superficial and does not focus on the individual but it's just a fact of our American society.