Asperger and autism

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I was under the impression that the difference between Asperger's syndrome and HFA is that in Asperger's there is no speech delay while in HFA there is.

I find this discussion very interesting. When I was in elementary school, I was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, but if I got re-assessed now, I would probably be diagnosed with level 2 autism, so it's kind of like I've crossed from one to the other.

You can have high-functioning. classical autism without having Asperger's.

This is IN GENERAL:

A person with Aspergers tends to do well in the verbal realm, and not-so-good in the visual-coordination realm.

A person with classic high-functioning autism does well in the visual-coordination realm, and not-so-good in the verbal realm.

It means that people with high-functioning classic autism tend to be visual learners----and people with Asperger's tend to be more verbally-inclined in their learning.

I mean: "visuo-spatial." The ability to be coordinated in general.

Interesting. I was just diagnosed (ASD), so don't know what I would have been previously. According to my parents I passed all milestones on time (walked early). At 5 mos my mom noticed I was highly focused and could play for hours stacking rings which I did very well for my age. My point is that I talked on time and today am highly verbal - I like to talk (a lot), HOWEVER my internal experience is that it's hard to talk, it's hard to understand people (verbally). My visual processing is "very superior". So by the generalization kraftie shared my instinct is I'd be HFA (even though I talked on time and talk a lot). [some cliché about a lamppost goes here, which means a secret, but a feel like even with my diagnosis there are still secrets]

Some call it a MILD for of autism (mild in the eyes of the beholder ) others describe it as a "between autistic and normal". Thar would probably be the best description, as it varies a lot from person to person. Some are great at masking difficulties and some are quite obvious. Some suffer more or less than others, but the point is, that there is a collection of very typical, common difficulties and traits - common enough to form a syndrome.
In my opinion ASD should be called ASC - Autism Spectrum Condition.

Anyone got a link for the old dsm IV autism diagnostic list in the same format that AsPartOfMe posted the aspie one?

For comparison in the two

Or better still an official guide on distinguishing between them for assessors?

What should be considered:

Until very recently, a person was considered to be "high-functioning" if the person had an IQ of 70 or above.

No 2 spectrumers are the same or have the exact same set of symptoms, and the symptoms you have don't define how high or low functioning you are. What defines your functioning level is how your symptoms affect your daily life.
For example my set of symptoms (as an adult) are very complex, and to other people I come across as a quirky NT, probably because I am sociable, make eye contact, can engage in conversation, can display correct tone of voice and facial expressions, and I can express my emotions like an NT. Even when I get panic attacks, highly anxious or bouts of depression, I can still function as in interact, go to work, do shopping, etc.