Why is "Asperger's" considered a form of Autism?

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Let me expand on that a little.

You should note that the majority of all cases with CDD present exactly like those with classical or AS in later childhood and adulthood.

What's different about them is just that they regressed after age 2 after seemingly normal development. Onset is after age 2 and usually between ages 3 and 4 in the great majority of cases. It would be highly unusual if the onset was after age 4.

On another note, many parents and even the DSM state that easily regression around age 2 is common in an estimated 20% of the spectrum who will be diagnosed with autistic disorder/classical autism.

Both those with CDD and classical autism (regressive type) had seemingly normal development before the regression took place. As do those with AS, if you remember..

What's even more important to keep in mind is that here's no one observing the development of those with CDD, classical and AS prior to their onset of symptoms. They (those with classical and CDD) may have shown mild or even obvious autistic symptoms before their regression and nobody might have taken notice of it. Most people also do not take notice of the obvious autistic symptoms prior age 3-4 in those with AS either though the social and language peculiarities are already present.

I'm not convinced that CDD, AS and classical autism are entirely different.

Asperger's and autism are syndromes. That means they are a set of traits. That's all. We've no reason to think autism is one thing. Sometimes like with AIDS (the S being for syndrome) there's a single cause (or, basically one cause, though the HIV virus has variations). But there's no guarantee that's the case. Having a single label doesn't make autism or Asperger's each a single thing. And having two different labels doesn't make them two different things. There really is good reason to consider Asperger's a form of autism. The reasons can't be covered in a message board post. But it includes, people who have classic autism do commonly when they grow up, wind up indistinguishable from those who were verbal Aspie children.

I rock sometimes and I flap when I'm excited or nervous.

Based on what I have read/heard.....

NORMAL progresses normally until about two, and then slows down, and slows down only a little around 8.
CDD MIGHT progress normally(who REALLY knows?) until about two, and REGRESSES a LOT!
AS progresses normally until about two, and then slows down, but LESS than normal, and prorgession slows down more around 8.

They ALL slow down around 2, but normal is not that much, and AS is less, and CDD actually backtracks.