How to distinguish HFA and aspergers?

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HFA has language delays but Aspergers does not.

You don't have either - You have PDD-NOS. PDD-NOS is not Asperger's or Classic/Kanner's autism - It is PDD-NOS! It means you did not meet the full diagnostic criteria for either Asperger's or Classic/Kanner's Autism, but are still diagnosed as having an ASD. Regardless of sub-category, we all have ASD. PDD-NOS seems to be viewed as the poor relative sometimes, but it is a diagnosis in it's own right even if given by a process of elimination. Ok, so it's a slightly nebulous catch-all for people who are obviously not NT but do not meet the full criteria for any other diagnosis but it is still absolutely your label to claim and give some much needed dignity to. It has just as much legitimacy as the other sub categories of the spectrum. If you want to know specifically which diagnostic criteria you did not fit to a significant enough degree for another diagnosis then it's best to direct that question to whoever diagnosed you (or find their original diagnostic report). If you think it may be wrong you can then have that reassessed if it is upsetting you. Your confusion and feelings are totally valid and should be supported, it's just a matter of asking the right person the right questions. I hope you can find what you need, please post back if you find out.

HFA vs. AS classification is probably not critical for adults, so I would focus on individual's unique of traits.

For children, classification is useful for addressing HFA language delay issues and other social or non-social issues that are likely more pronounced in HFA as a group vs. AS as a group.

Edit: I was speaking in communicative phrases (sometimes) by age 4. Though would still repeat phrases or answer nearly every question with "yeah".

No.

Asperger's is now counted as a FORM of high functioning autism (and really always was). There are others with autism who are high functioning who do not fall into the "Asperger's" catagory.

The fact that in the States the term "Asperger's" isn't officially used any more (supposedly) to specify that form of high functioning autism doesn't mean it's now felt Asperger's differences aren't there.

Yes, we still have Aspergers societies here in Melbourne Australia with an explicit requirement for AS diagnosis for membership, This is largely a social distinction where there is continued consensus among parents of AS kids to form exclusive parents groups.

The issue of speech delay in ASD the new DSMV requires - Deficits in nonverbal communicative behaviors used for social interaction, ranging, for example, from poorly integrated verbal and nonverbal communication; to abnormalities in eye contact and body language or deficits in understanding and use of gestures; to a total lack of facial expressions and nonverbal communication.

This infact puts the emphasis on communication deficits not speech. This confounds the perception of speech delay as many Aspies could speak well from early on but had significant communication deficits as children.

This was most definitely me. I spoke earlier than NT, hearing children despite an ASD and being profoundly Deaf. I absolutely had and still do have very significant communication problems despite having expansive vocabularies in numerous languages both spoken and signed. There is a world of difference between speaking and communicating.

I never spoke until I was 18 months old but I think that was because I was born crossed-eye and right after I had the surgery done to correct the crossed-eye. I started talking.

For ASD in DSM 5, there is no specific speech delay criterion like there is in DSM IV, but verbal communication problem is just on spectrum of communication problems in general.