Would you say Asperger's/HFA is a minority on the spectrum?

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I keep hearing that the classic lower functioning kind of Autism makes up the majority of cases on the spectrum and Asperger's is in the lower percentage. Do you really believe this to be true?

I couldn't tell you without seeing the statistics.

I think that's true according to current stats. But lots of people with HFA are not diagnosed. I would guess for every aspie diagnosed there is probably at least another who's not diagnosed.

I'd have said it was more evenly spread, but that it's easier to spot Classic autism than Aspergers, so that gets diagnosed more easily / often.

I agree with this

It depents were you make the cut-off.
From 40th to 80th (and also partly 90th) the majority of diagnosted autistic ppl were in fact LFA and also the diagnostic criteria were seen a lot more strict. Nowadays also diagnosing "milder forms" on the autism spectrum the numbers of ppl dx with an autism spectrum disorder have rissen and ppl on the higher end of the spectrum are clearly the majority now,
It has a lot to do how you define the diagnostic cut-off.

I've a book about HFA and Asperger's from the 90th at home where they write that an AS or HFA diagnosis means "poor outcome" and ppl with better outcome you diagnose another disorder like schizoptype PD for example. Nowadays we dx differently, but the fact that it's a spectrum was already known back than actually.

I agree with this. I think there's also probably a lot of people who aren't seeking a diagnosis for their aspergers because they're a lot older now and they've gotten along fine without a diagnosis, some also haven't even heard of aspergers. When society thinks of autism, they think of LFA, and they don't understand it's a spectrum. Once there's more awareness for the spectrum then I think more people will get a diagnosis.

Low functioning or Classic Autism used to be the majority back in the 70, 80, or 90s. This is because Aspergers didn't exist or it was rarely diagnosed.

Now in the last 10 years, especially in the last 5 years, HFA has become the majority of diagnoses. This is because more and more people are being diagnosed with Aspergers. (Even if some are misdiagnosed) People would have likely never been diagnosed with Autism if they lived during the 60s or 70s, are now being diagnosed with HFA or Aspergers. This is the reason why the Autism rate is going up because more people are being diagnosed. (mainly those with HFA)


The problem is some people think they have Aspergers just because they may have some nerdy traits. Not all people who are nerds and jerks have Aspergers. Theres a good chance you're a legit aspie if you're already officially diagnosed. Those who speculate they have Aspergers and don't have an official diagnoses have a higher chance of not really having Aspergers.

That's a really sweeping statement, and shows you're also not thinking things through.

Because....everyone who is officially diagnosed was once UN-diagnosed. As in, not yet diagnosed.

Either they themselves, or someone in their life, had to make that first observation -- "Hey, something seems worth looking more closely at here..."

Someone around YOU had to "speculate" about your neurology in order to start the evaluation wheels in motion.

So why can't you stop and think for a moment that people now, who maybe grew up in the generation that didn't even recognize HFA, might be onto something if they're starting to speculate that they have the traits and need to get evaluated?

While a certain percentage of those speculators will of course find out that no, actually they are not on the spectrum, and.or have another condition in fact, still there may be many who turn out to be correct in their suspicions.

In fact, I notice from reading these boards, that many fully, officially diagnosed people here, particularly the adults who only go diganosed in adulthood, first of all suspected it themselves, and that was what prompted them to seek a specialist for confirmation.

Thus, it's pretty unfair of you to be so incredibly dismissive out-of-hand.

I see that you are only 18. Consider yourself fortunate to be part of the newest, youngest generation whose people -- parents, teachers, family doctor and school counselors, etc, are "right onto" things like noticing autism spectrum disorders these days.

What you need to be aware of is that before VERY recently, high functioning autism was completely overlooked, for generations.

There are now people of my age -- I'm 51 -- who are only now realizing that a lot points toward it for them. It's not our fault that our childhoods in the dark ages, the 1960s and 70s, had no such diagnosis.

Just because we are only now surmising that what may be wrong with us has a name that nobody in our generation gave it, doesn't mean we are automatically to be dismissed as "not legit" until we obtain that diagnosis. You are young, you were readily paid attention to for this. We are older and in the UK some people have to wait two years and even pay funding to be diagnosed.

Statistically, some "speculators" are going to be correct, but you're just going to reject that possibility outright unless or until they come to you with that piece of paper in their hand? That actually makes YOU a bit of jerk. You're a spoiled brat.

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Yeah, there are far more HFA/AS than LFA. When LFA was the only thing called ASD in the 1980’s, the prevalence was 1 in 10 000. With the added conditions of AS, HFA and PDD-NOS, the prevalence became 1 in 100. Surveys have shown that the number (1 in 100) is the same in all age groups, so there is nothing new causing these cases, (like the vaccines some will have you believe to be responsible).

"Low functioning or Classic Autism used to be the majority back in the 70, 80, or 90s. This is because Aspergers didn't exist or it was rarely diagnosed."
I am 56 Aspergers existed. I was an just as much Aspie in 1961, 1971, 1981 as I am today. Difference was only a few scientists in Europe were aware of it.


"Now in the last 10 years, especially in the last 5 years, HFA has become the majority of diagnoses. This is because more and more people are being diagnosed with Aspergers. (Even if some are misdiagnosed) People would have likely never been diagnosed with Autism if they lived during the 60s or 70s, are now being diagnosed with HFA or Aspergers. This is the reason why the Autism rate is going up because more people are being diagnosed. (mainly those with HFA)"
I don't know the percentage of low functioning vs high functioning. As for the cause of increased diagnoses nothing has been proven but the above is one theory


"The problem is some people think they have Aspergers just because they may have some nerdy traits. Not all people who are nerds and jerks have Aspergers. Theres a good chance you're a legit aspie if you're already officially diagnosed. Those who speculate they have Aspergers and don't have an official diagnoses have a higher chance of not really having Aspergers"
See nothing wrong with this statement. Self diagnoses brings the possibility of personal bias. A pro especially a specialist is likely to interview family and do much more thorough questioning and would know how to interpret the responses .

" but you're just going to reject that possibility outright unless or until they come to you with that piece of paper in their hand?
Codyrules never rejected anything outright or said self diagnoses is illegitimate.

That actually makes YOU a bit of jerk. You're a spoiled brat. "
Whoa chill calm down. This is uncalled for.

It is normal for the older generation to think the younger ones are spoiled, have it easy etc. I went to two support groups the last two nights. The over 50 group agreed that in many ways despite not knowing about which was tough it was less difficult the 70s and 80s because differences were more respected (scientists were expected to be "eccentric"). The more general adult group like people here had people fear them because they reminded them of Adam Lanza. We never had to deal with anything like that. How much nonsense one deals has to deal with is the product of who we were surrounded by no matter what year.

No matter what degrees of difficulties we faced or are facing the important thing is we don't deserve any of it. We got to stick together and support each other and not tear each other apart

If Autism is truly a spectrum which blurs all the way to 'normal', then like a bell-shaped curve with a fat middle part and a long skinny tail, likely more people on the Spectrum likely would be close to the part defined as normal.

Of course, no such thing as 'normal' anyway and how boring a place the world if they were!

You should be lucky you weren't diagnosed so young like I was. I would have loved to be diagnosed later.

You were most likely immature the same way as me when you were a teen. Besides you should understand, since we both have low empathy levels and crappy theory of minds. I was never dissing anyone anyways.


And I have the right to express my opinion. Even if everyone else think it's crap.

Prevalence estimate from 2003, US:

Yeargin-Allsopp M, Rice C, Karapurkar T, Doernberg N, Boyle C, Murphy C. Prevalence of Autism in a US Metropolitan Area. JAMA. 2003;289(1):49-55.

There are a couple of major pathways for increase in autism diagnosis:
1) Increased diagnosis of high functioning autism
2) Increased diagnostic substitution of autism for mental retardation, with 1:1 ratio observed in California between decrease in MR and increase in autism

HFA/AS is probably still minority on autism spectrum.

If you think about it, there are a huge number of people in their 50's and 60's (like myself and others on this thread), who grew up not even aware of Autism, never mind Aspergers. It was practically impossible to get diagnosed in the 1960's / 1970's, and quite difficult even up to the 90's. Even up to about five years ago it was nearly impossible to get an adult diagnosis because no real adult services existed.

Part of the reason most services were child oriented is that most diagnosis had already been given in childhood! Even now most ASD services are aimed at children, leaving adults sorely lacking in sufficient help and support.

Now that all those children diagnosed from the Nineties onwards are coming into adulthood, the realisation that they still need support means adult services are finally starting to be financed properly This in turn means that those of my generation finally have a better chance of finally getting the diagnosis, help and support we need.

When you think about it, given an average lifespan of 80 years, by the millennium at least half of the Aspergers population would have still been undiagnosed and unaware of their condition Add to that all the HFA/Aspergers that went unrecognised even in the 90's + generations, and you have a huge number of undiagnosed people at the turn of this century

Hardly surprising that the ASD population seems to be rising so fast when those 'Lost' Aspies are finally getting the chance to be diagnosed!

Whether that will result in the HFA/Aspergers population being larger than the LFA population remains to be seen though

Reminder: While it's Ok to strongly disagree with what someone says, it is not Ok to attack them personally for saying it.
Keep it civil, please.