HFA and AS?

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Hi i was just wondering what really is the difference between High Functioning Autism and Aspergers?

From my knowledge and experience there is very little, if any differnece between the two, apart from the fact my mum once said those with High Functioning Autism usually have greater speech and language problems in early childhood.

Is that right (or wrong) or is there more to it than that?

Thanks
Gassy

Your mum is right.

The ONLY difference is language delay. By that they mean if you can't say single words by 2 years of age you are HFA, if you could then you're aspergers.

Bare in mind that some pyscologists don't differentiate between HFA and Aspergers and even if a language delay is present they would give the diagnosis of AS. It depends on the diagnositc tool they use. The most commonly used one DSM-IV, for example does not include HFA as a possible diagnosis so anyone who "ticks the boxes" could only be aspergic, not HFA.

My official diagnosis is HFA but i was very borderline. My paed notes said i had no speech at 20 months, for which he referred me to a speech therapist but when i was seen again at 26 months my speech was fine so it was;t exactly clear cut whether i counted as having a speech delay. My pysologist was comtemplating giving me a split diagnosis but said he appreciated i liked things to be definite so settled on HFA

Hope this helps

Officially, AS requires both single words by the age of 24 months and communicative phrases by age 3.

Besides that language criterion, the two hugest diagnostic guidelines also say that those with AS usually have a special interest and that it would be unusual to have motor mannerisms (rocking, spinning, flapping hands) or being overly preoccupied with parts of for example toy rather than playing with it normally.

They allow a lack of special interest/a preoccupation with parts of object and motor mannerisms, but the wording is meant to urge the professional to use another dx because AS seems unlikely if those things are present.

Another definite criterion is that a person must had normal self-help skills (such as dressing and toilette training among others), normal adaptive skills (most of what's necessary to live independently) and normal curiousity about his or her environment (not being withdrawn, not being uncommunicative, not ignoring language or people and so on) to be diagnosed with AS.

In reality, all these are often disregarded and AS is dxed anyway and thus they're all not particularly meaningful in differentiating between HFA and AS.

My mum thinks there isn't really a difference. I'd agree that the main difference is probably the language delay parts.