Is HFA really that similar to Asperger syndrome?

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I have been looking up the differences between High Functioning Autism and Asperger Syndrome and while those two conditions sound similar,it also sound like as if the the way they function overall in society and how they deal with social situations are different.For example,people with High Functioning Autism are considered as being socially aloof and have little to no interest in socializing or dating,while people with Asperger Syndrome want to be social,and want to date, but more often than not struggle with social interaction.Also it seem that people with High Functioning Autism tend to struggle with verbal IQ,while do well with performance IQ,while Aspies do well with Verbal IQ but not so good on performance IQ.It also seem like people with HFA are supposed to have a speech delay/impairment, while people with Asperger are not supposed to have a speech delay/impairment.I think there are other differences,but those are the main ones.Is High Functioning Autism really that similar to Asperger Syndrome or should it considered as a separate condition with separate needs?

I don't think it is useful to draw boxes like that. Everyone is unique. Especially if you are on the spectrum. Instead, you need to figure out your own strengths and weaknesses and decide what works best for you. We can tell you what works best for us. Some of us can even tell you what is most likely if we feel like doing that. But only you will know what works for you.

As an analogy we know that roughly 10% of the population is gay. But you are kidding yourself if you think you know someone's sexuality just by looking a them. A lot of gay people hide their sexuality. And I think some just don't know. Elton John is gay. He had a failed marriage trying to prove he was bisexual. He's gay.

Aspergers is considered a form of High Functioning Autism.

High Functioning Autism is considered autism without intellectual disability. Aspergers is “There is no clinically significant general delay in language (e.g., single words used by age 2 years, communicative phrases used by age 3 years).”

Language development before age three is irrelevant if you are a teenager or an adult.

Wanting to socialize is not a diagnostic criteria for autism and aspergers. Not wanting to socialize could a matter of personality, other conditions, and negative associations due to repeated failures at it.

I'm not saying everyone on the spectrum is either high, moderate or low-functioning, but there ARE some people that ARE higher functioning than others.

I would say every case should be evaluated on it's own merit and viewed as unique and different,every case of autism is different and should be seen as so.Labels are a distraction to understanding individual needs.

This general idea true for all personalty traits and conditions. Some people are a little bit shy, some people are very shy, there is stage 1 cancer and stage 4 cancer etc. There is no reason Autism should be different. But somehow with autism a lot of people interpret this to mean severe autism is a different condition then Aspergers type autism.

Well this question may be irrelevant, at least in the US where Asperger's Syndrome is no longer an "official" diagnosis. Anyway here are some of my views on this.

So I believe I've said previously that autism (or at least "lower" levels) is defined as a set of symptoms without any reference to underlying causes, in contrast to some organic diseases for which the cause is well known and a diagnosis is clearly either right or wrong, and any two diagnosticians can be expected to give the same diagnosis. Whereas I believe that often the same person may get different diagnoses from different specialists, and in addition, it might matter whether the patient may stand to become eligible for government benefits if they receive the "right" diagnosis.

To be more specific, you have a category of people that experience Sensory Integration Disorder which causes them to exhibit symptoms that are recognized as autistic. If such a person manages to function, e.g. live independently and support themselves despite their sensory issues, then we say they're "high-functioning". OTOH the sort of people who don't have significant sensory issues (although they may exhibit enhanced sensitivity to certain things) but still have autistic behavior (for example showing evidence of "mind blindness") were more likely (when it was a legitimate diagnosis) to be diagnosed as having Asperger's Syndrome.

A thoroughly uninformed opinion to which some may disagree, but just a personal impression not an agenda that I'm trying to push.

maybe aspegers is like a VW, and HFA is like a Citreon. Two cars that are outwardly similar, but very different under the hood.

As you are close to my age, I can't help thinking that what you have in mind is a VW beetle (as opposed to, say, a Tiguan) and a Citroen from 40+ years ago, but to be clear are you visualizing a 2CV or a Déesse? Did the former have an air-cooled engine like the beetle?

It's tough b/c there are many traits and a person can be mild to severe in any number of these. Here's a link that is interesting for discussion. But it's still 2D, personally I see ASD as the people in an outer layer of a 3D sphere. I am towards one side of the sphere with my high energy, hypersensitivity (etc), extroversion and intellect and then my AS-like BFF is towards another (opposite in some traits but shared in others) with her flat affect, hyposensitivity, introversion and intellect.

https://neuroclastic.com/2019/05/04/its ... 6j5wr17Vfw

One major reason that the diagnoses are merged, or are being merged, is because in practice clinicians weren't using them differently. People who technically met the criteria for autism but not Aspergers were getting Aspergers diagnoses, and so forth.

In theory the difference between them was that people with Aspergers learned to walk and talk at the "right" ages.

In the early 00s I was diagnosed with Aspergers and I was basically a stereotypical Aspie, but in my infancy I had no interest in walking until much later than other children and some language delay. I "should" have been diagnosed with autism, but I was given an Aspergers diagnosis, probably because it was trendy, new, and less stigmatised.

It's a misconception that people with aspergers don't have a delay in speech,they have no technical delay in speech but they have a "semantic pragmatic" delay in speech.In other words they use a lot of delayed echolalia and imitation of other peoples speech,as opposed to actual constructive verbal communication.

I had no delay in speech but I was probably 30 before I was actually puting my real feelings into words and talking about them with other people in a way other people could understand them.In my early years I used a lot of echolalia imitation of other people to just get through conversation and hold a conversation with a person so I could have friends.But I was much older before I actually started puting my real thoughts into words and engaged in substantive communication as opposed to imitating other people just to survive a conversation just to keep a friend.

Most of the early speech you see in people with aspergers is just imitation and echolalia,I used to be able to recite the entire movie "Scared Straight" from begining to end in the exact accents and inflections of all the convicts that spoke,sort of like rain man and who's on first.But I was much older before I was puting real feeling into words and expressing them to people in a way other people could understand.

Most people with aspergers do have problems with speech.

This is the way I understand the Aspergers diagnosis had been used in DSM-4. In DSM-3 they had added the PDD-NOS diagnosis which seems to have been the first autism diagnosis without the autism word. I think they thought they need these terms to transition from the time when only classic autism was being diagnosed. I like the ASD term. If someone wants to avoid the "autistic" term, they can just say "on the spectrum". If they say "what's that" then they need to be educated on the subject .

Lorna Wing, who coined the term "spectrum", came up with four autistic types. I fit the "passive" type quite well and the test at the end the page put me there. I suppose the "stilted" type is what people consider the stereotype AS adult. I believe the AS as a child refers to one with minimal speech delays and strong verbal skills.

Lorna Wing’s Types

At least one of those "boxes" is was a diagnostic criterion. It is certainly useful to differentiate between a child who didn't talk until 5 and a child who started speaking at the expected age. Developmental delay is a huge part of theory about ASD.

I just took the test. Here are my results:


Congratulations, you've completed Which Lorna Wing Type Are You?

Based on your answers, you can see your result below






50%Passive


Gentle, suggestible and easily led, the Passive type shares some similarities with the Aloof type, such as seeming disengaged when attempting to process input and a spikey cognitive profile, though they struggle less than the Aloof type with both issues. They are perseverative thinkers and their passivity may manifest through delayed echolalia. This type are introverts and need time to recuperate after socializing. Emotionally sensitive, passive types may react very visibly and strongly when overstimulated, especially through anger and sorrow.

Passives are usually gentle, generous and friendly, but can quickly become distressed.


20%Active but Odd


Active But Odd is a common personality type among Autistics. In Early development, many active but odd types may fit into Kanner's profile and many into Asperger's. Many make persistent but peculiar attempts at reaching people. May be verbally repetitive. This type is great at rote memory and repetition of large swathes of facts.


20%Stilted


This group almost appears neurotypical. They are often actors and have perfected and practiced the art of passing. They share the same idiosyncrasies as other Autistics and may appear to be slightly "off". This type holds meltdowns in until they get home. They are more concerned with social propriety than other Autistic personality types, and may not have the insight to see their own emotional reactions.


10%Aloof


Aloof is more common in nonverbal Autistics. May appear to be disengaged but really have a very sensory way of processing the world around them. Aloof types may take longer to process input than other types of personalities. Independence may be difficult to achieve. Typical "spikey cognitive profile". Aloof types are deeply sensory and incredibly in tune with their environments.

But personally I think that I am more 15% to 15% stilted to aloof rather than 20% to 10%. Other than that, I think it describes me pretty well.

Boxes may be useful for developing theories on the causes of autism.

But, when it comes to extrapolating to what it means in real life when one is in their 20s and older, is there any real research being done? If anything, the government is only concerned about benefits or supporting those who can't work. I've not heard anything being done for those who have made it to adulthood and who want relationships or friends. You may get help so you can get a job and not need benefits.