Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi everyone sorry if I have posted this in the wrong place. I'm just curious as to what is high functioning autism? I have been doing some research online as my daughter has been diagnosed as autistic (no mention of high functioning or aspegers as she is delayed everywhere) and we are now going down the path of getting a EHC as the mainstream school she is currently in isn't able to cope with her needs, even with a 1/1 teaching assistant at all times. As I have been doing some looking around online I keep noticing HFA and Aspergers and wondered if they are considered the same and what's the difference between that and ASD. Just wondered if someone could clarify this for me for future reference. I am fairly new to all this (dd was only diagnosed last December) so sorry if it seems silly. Just trying to understand all the different terminology
thank you
In the past, high-functioning autism was a term that was used to designate a group of individuals who showed classic signs of autism when young, alongside delayed speech, but over time showed enough cognitive and social ability that they appeared different to a 'typical' autistic child. Crucially, they developed speech and increasingly exhibited a desire for social contact.
Recently, as reflected in the new edition of DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of mental disorder), it has been understood that HFA and Asperger's are really the same condition. Individuals who historically were given the label of Asperger's exhibited normal speech development and did not usually show overt autistic signs when very young, which is why Asperger's is often diagnosed at a later age. However, there was no consensus about what is normal speech development,and the cut off between HFA and Asperger's was very arbitrary. Consequently, the two terms have been combined into the more general term Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Asperger's is not usually given as a diagnosis since these changes.
I hope this helps to clarify things.