Question if I technical have LFA, because I had speech delay

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Since I had speech delay in the past from my early childhood and communication delays, does that mean that I have Low-functioning Autism than people with Asperger Syndrome? The reason why I asked, is because the old diagnostic criteria for Asperger Syndrome requires that you lack speech delay in order to be diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome.

Prof. Sam Vaknin explained that people with ASD who have speech delay are low-functioning. I am not sure if that is very helpful, because I once had speech delay a long time ago and I can function well in society. He also said that people with High-functioning Autism have no intellectual impairment. But even some people with Intellectual Disability can function well in society as well.

Dont get hung up on labels so much. Unless there is some practical reason for it (like if you're angling to get government services, but need a specific medical label to qualify).

Adults Ive met with HFA diagnosis are indistinguishable from me with my Aspergers diagnosis.

Either they overcame their speech delay, or they were diagnosed later in time than I was -after aspergers was dropped.

Nowadays aspergers is gone, but they split up autism into levels one, two, and three. The bigger the number the more "support" you need- ergo the lower functioning you are.



Also if I had been diagnosed a couple years later (when aspergers had been dropped as an official category)I probably would have been diagnosed as "autism level one" (needing less support than levels two and three)- which would be labeled colloquially as "high functioning autism". Actually "HFA" was never an actual clinical diagnosis anyway.

I’m not entirely sure exactly what would differentiate different “levels” of autism under DSM IV, but if I remember correctly, the key difference between Asperger’s and high-functioning autism was whether or not there was a speech delay, people who had no delay got an AS diagnosis and people who did have a delay got an HFA diagnosis. So a speech delay alone would not mean that one is classified as “low-functioning.” I think I remember something about “with/without intellectual disability” being tacked on to the end, but I’m not certain about that, I’d have to look up how ID would affect a diagnosis. Under DSM V, Asperger’s is not a diagnosis, and ASD is given a “level” diagnosis (1, 2, or 3) based on how much support a person requires, which to the best of my knowledge does not directly take any speech delay or ID into consideration.

I am sorry that I asked, I was a little confused about functioning labels on ASD.

Thank you for explaining.

I am glad it is just ASD with level of supports, nothing else, because a person could have milder form of speech delay and be wrongly diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome, even though they have PDD-NOS in reality.

ASD is more accurate and it can give more support than subtypes of PDD.

You might be entertained by this story about a kid who was slow learning to talk and whose parents nicknamed "the dopey one". He turned out pretty good, though.

It makes sense.

Low functioning Autism is considered Autism with Intellectual disability or IQ 70 or less, so it probably not.

It makes sense.

The "high-functioning" vs. "low functioning" distinction had to do with IQ test scores only, not anything else. I had a speech delay (didn't start talking until about age 4) but ended up doing very well academically, so I wouldn't be considered "low-functioning."

It makes sense.