AlfredRI48 wrote:
ImeldaJace wrote:
But since the introduction of the DSM V in the US, Aspergers and classic autism no longer exist as diagnoses and were replaced with the term "Autism Spectrum Disorder," although this change did not occur in the rest of the world.
So basically if I went and got a professional diagnosis, the answer would be I have Autism Spectrum Disorder even though all my symptoms point to Aspergers and the fact there was no speech delay?
Exactly. Now all types of autism spectrum disorders including what were formerly classic autism and Aspergers Syndrome are all merged into one disorder. In the US Aspergers doesn't "exist" anymore. The symptoms and everything do, but the name or the label "Aspergers" does not exist anymore. The same with "classic autism." So it is not now possible to receive a diagnosis of "Aspergers" because the same set of symptoms now has another name.
Since I was formally diagnosed before the debut of the DSM V, I was diagnosed using the DSM IV criteria and terms which means that my formal documentation lists my diagnosis as Aspergers. But since the DSM V, I technically have Autism Spectrum Disorder, even though my original diagnosis was Aspergers.
Honestly, this is all really confusing for everyone. Whenever I'm filling out paperwork and I have to list my diagnosis, I'm often unsure of what to put. My doctor now writes Autism Spectrum Disorder, but I tend to write something along the lines of either "Autism(Aspergers Syndrome)" or "high functioning autism" or a combination of the two, because the change over is just still so new and there's not really a firm understanding of the sheer breadth of the spectrum in regards to the severity of symptoms and level of functioning.
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"Curiosity killed the cat." Well, I'm still alive, so I guess that means I'm not a cat.