Asperger's and High Functioning Autism (HFA)=Same?

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I notice very often that these two diagnoses are lumped together. Should they be? I notice that most of the posters on this forum write brilliantly, but have an Asperger's diagnosis. If they are the same/similar, at least later in life (this is what I gather from most of the studies on the subject), why aren't there more posters who had an initial diagnosis of high functioning autism (or autism but not aspergers)?

Aspergers is the most common form of high functioning autism (at least as far as I know), and as a result, is likely the most common diagnosis on these boards. Just a guess, though

From what I understand, HFA has never been an actual diagnosis. Prior to the DSM V, I think it was autism, Aspergers, and PDD-NOS. Some say that the difference between Asperger's and HFA is speech delays. Others have said that they are one and the same. Perhaps the best definition is that Asperger's is a type of HFA.

Labels vary in time and space - they are illusory - you are illusory - I am illusory - does your question matter - do you matter - do you exist - I am theoretically born in the UK (Wales) in 1945 - earliest diagnosis savant syndrome by Nursery School Head Mistress 1949 - then childhood autism by a National Health Service General Practitioner 1950 - then witchcraft by Junior School Head Master 1952 - then autistic psychopathy by County Education Authority Psychologist 1960 - then 'probably autism spectrum disorder most likely aspergers syndrome' by a private consultant clinical psychiatrist commissioned by my employer (a Welsh county council) 1994 following a nervous breakdown at work - I have not been able to persuade the National Health Service to confirm the latter despite several attempts, the last being in 2012 - I can assure you I have some kind high performing autism as much by my deeds as my thoughts and my words and I believe it to be aspergers syndrome due to its characteristic interplay of OCD and ADD traits causing chaos in my head unless I call them to task, when they obey as good and faithful servants of my highest self - I had an estimated IQ of 'over 200' in 1960 and scored 'AA-AH6' in an Eysenck attribute distribution E175 numeracy: E155 spatial: E135 verbal in 1975 - so I'd say that's high performin'

from what I know difference is that aspies score high on verbal iq tests, sometimes higher than visual and hfa's score a gap in the higher visual and lower verbal iq tests.

British National Autistic Society Webpage is the best explanation I have seen so far

www.autism.org.uk/18325


High Functioning Autism has always been a colloquial term
In the The DSM IV manual used from 1994 to 2013 Aspergers syndrome was an official diagnosis.
Is the current DSM 5 manual the Aspergers Syndrome diagnosis was subsumed into the larger Autism Spectrum Disorders diagnosis. Aspergers is still used as a colloquial term in areas where the DSM 5 manual dominates
In areas that use the ICD 10 Aspergers remains a official diagnosis
Aspergers is dropped in the beta version of the ICD 11 manual set to take effect in 2017