Is Asperger's the same as high-functioning autism?

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My daughter was DXd with HFA but I can vouch for some of the classic stereotypes for HFA are not correct in her case.

- Empathy; my daughter is highly sensitive to how people around her are feeling. If she hears a child crying she becomes depressed and unhappy herself.
- Imaginative play; my daughter has given every toy she has owned a name from the age of 2. Currently she re-enacts stories from her favorite books and uses fluffy toys or plastic as characters in a detailed re-enactment. In addition she creates her own stories by improvising observations from real life and fiction.

I agree with Wavefreak's premise - if you meet a person with autism - you have just a met "one" person with autism. We are all unique.

i say they are different.
although AS and HFA are very simular in external behaviour, the internal reasoning behind several symptoms are different.
for example; both me (and my AS friends) and my HFA friends usually avoid going too deep in social interaction, but for the AS ones; it's becouse interaction is draining and hard; whereas the HFA ones just dont care and want to be alone (the AS ones hate being alone; but have to be to recharge...)

I wish people would stop doing this. Whether or not you want to be alone or socialize or both are personality traits, not symptoms.

I find interactions draining and hard and I much prefer to be alone and usually don't care.

While I can't cite any particular sources just now, I have read many disputes and arguments on this. What I found, is that HFA & Asperger's is one in the same. Some "authorities" on the subject will say that HFA includes delayed speech, while others claim not. Personally, I call mine HFA, and I spoke early and have what they say is above normal intelligence and problem solving/analytical skills. My symptoms are hatred of being touched/space invaded, and I am very bothered to the extreme by any changes to routine, or seeing out-of-place things like burned out light bulbs among rows of lights in restaurants, etc... And above all, I cannot detect or exhibit body language or facial expressions. Hence, I was always an outcast in schools, and had no "normal" friends. As far as functioning scholastically in school, no problem at all. Same in the business world, as long as whatever I do is on my own mostly.

Charles

Verdandi, I agree with you that different diagnostitions would probably classify HFA where they "feel it should be put".
I asked my counselor about the AS vs HFA diagnosis to see whether or not they were different, and she told me the terms were " used interchangeably".
I have started telling family and friends that I have HFA instead of Aspergers, because I usually wind up pronouncing Aspergers as Ass-Bergers, myself!
Since there is a definate diagnosis for Asperger Disorder and Autistic Disorder in the DSM-IV ( I'm NOT forgetting PDD-NOS); but not for High Functioning Autism, what she told me makes logical sense to me!

I don;t think it will remain definite. The current proposal for DSM-V is for a system of classification using severity scales based on developmental delay. Current Aspergers would be absorbed under one of these of scales by May 2013.