Significant symptom overlap with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is one of the main reasons why many people no longer use the term “Asperger’s” as a diagnosis.
Asperger’s syndrome was once a diagnosis that experts used for a neurodevelopmental condition featuring mild symptoms of difficulty with social communication and interaction, restricted or repetitive behaviors, but no significant language or cognitive delays.
They considered it a pervasive developmental disorder (PDD),
- autistic disorder
- Asperger’s syndrome
- childhood disintegrative disorder
- pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS)
- Rett syndrome
All of these conditions featured similar social and behavioral symptoms.
Asperger’s syndrome is no longer an official diagnosis, but some people still prefer this terminology or self-identify as “Aspies” over the latest diagnostic language.
The main reason Asperger’s is no longer a diagnosis is because it’s difficult to clearly differentiate it from autism spectrum disorder (ASD) reliably or with certainty.
The symptoms of Asperger’s were often indistinguishable from ASD, requiring minimal support, now known as ASD level 1.
Dolly Ferraiuolo, a licensed clinical social worker from Clearwater, Florida, explains, “The decision to remove the term ‘Asperger’s syndrome’ was based on research suggesting that there was significant overlap between Asperger’s and other forms of autism.”
While diagnostic clarity was the driving factor for change, the switch in diagnostic language also considered social sensitivities related to how experts originally named Asperger’s.
“Though the reasons for this change resulted from unclear distinctions between diagnoses under the original ASD umbrella, it occurred around the same time that more information came to light that Hans Asperger, the person for whom the diagnosis was named, was a German medical officer during World War 2 and was a Nazi…
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