Do you guys actually care about this?

Aspergers Syndrome, as a separate diagnosis, was removed in order to make diagnosis (and getting help) easier (and when I say easier diagnosis, I don't mean, easier to *get* a diagnosis, but easier for the clinician to make an evaluation). There were several different 'varieties' of autism, as it were, and PDDs, and they all had their own diagnostic criteria. Research, over many years, showed that there were so many overlapping symptoms/traits, that it was obvious it was the same condition, with just differing levels of severity/help required. So they removed the individual labels and placed them all under the umbrella term, 'Autism Spectrum Disorder', and simply divided it into levels 1, 2 and 3. I do believe the list of symptoms was reduced a little too, but the qualifying number of symptoms required for a diagnosis was increased. People think AS was removed because of the bad association that Hans Asperger has but it wasn't that. It was simply a streamlining of terms/diagnostics.... 

People that already have an Aspergers diagnosis can either continue to use that term, or change it to ASD, if they want to, but that's their personal choice. I think, to a certain extent, neurotypicals might understand the term "Aspergers", better than they might understand "ASD, level 1". Though, from talking to people, it seems they don't consider Aspergers to be particularly serious. They see it as just someone with a bit of a quirky nature, whereas they see autism as pretty serious. Neither of which, I think, is particularly helpful. I don't really like the term "high functioning", either, because (as Hannah Gadsby jokes), it gives the impression that the person "functions highly"! 

Personally I don't really mind how people label themselves, or me, really. We're all labelled to a certain extent, regardless of whether we like it or not, though most of us are happy with most of our labels,  such as mother, father, grandparent or artist, sportsman, musician or straight, gay, bi...

So long as people are respectful and polite, they can call me what they like! Lol! I'll continue to label myself, "me"....

Aspergers Syndrome, as a separate diagnosis, was removed in order to make diagnosis (and getting help) easier (and when I say easier diagnosis, I don't mean, easier to *get* a diagnosis, but easier for the clinician to make an evaluation). There were several different 'varieties' of autism, as it were, and PDDs, and they all had their own diagnostic criteria. Research, over many years, showed that there were so many overlapping symptoms/traits, that it was obvious it was the same condition, with just differing levels of severity/help required. So they removed the individual labels and placed them all under the umbrella term, 'Autism Spectrum Disorder', and simply divided it into levels 1, 2 and 3. I do believe the list of symptoms was reduced a little too, but the qualifying number of symptoms required for a diagnosis was increased. People think AS was removed because of the bad association that Hans Asperger has but it wasn't that. It was simply a streamlining of terms/diagnostics.... 

People that already have an Aspergers diagnosis can either continue to use that term, or change it to ASD, if they want to, but that's their personal choice. I think, to a certain extent, neurotypicals might understand the term "Aspergers", better than they might understand "ASD, level 1". Though, from talking to people, it seems they don't consider Aspergers to be particularly serious. They see it as just someone with a bit of a quirky nature, whereas they see autism as pretty serious. Neither of which, I think, is particularly helpful. I don't really like the term "high functioning", either, because (as Hannah Gadsby jokes), it gives the impression that the person "functions highly"! 

Personally I don't really mind how people label themselves, or me, really. We're all labelled to a certain extent, regardless of whether we like it or not, though most of us are happy with most of our labels,  such as mother, father, grandparent or artist, sportsman, musician or straight, gay, bi...

So long as people are respectful and polite, they can call me what they like! Lol! I'll continue to label myself, "me"....

that's the best explanation i've read Mr Odd. thank you.