Clarifying the Boundary Between HFA and AS

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To me, the people with high-functioning autism seem to have a largely different set of problems and difficulties than people with Asperger's syndrome. People with HFA have problems with oral expressive language and basic self-help skills (dressing themselves, preparing their own food, using the bathroom). For aspies, these problems are not significant. The HFA's IQ tends to be somewhat lower (i.e., not ret*d instead of tending towards average or better intelligence).

I should like to say that, if possessing enough money and having a means of transportation, the aspie could make it to the grocery store or clothing store to buy their groceries or clothes successfully; they may come off as odd to the clerks and cashiers and may not enact the socially expected roll of temporary best friend of the cashier (or may overcompensate in a naïve and childish but nevertheless unsuccessful fashion); the aspie may be socially anxious, confused by unfamiliar shelves or aisles but nevertheless able to trudge on. Our HFA friend, on the other hand, would declare, as if by fiat, an inability to do such things because of the complexity of the steps involved or sensory overload.

In other hands, an aspie can function at the rudimentary survival level but fails with the finesse of subtle social communication; the HFA fails at achieving a modicum of independent living.

Actually, the official discrepancy between the two is far smaller than that. Your assertation that HFAs have trouble with daily living skills and AS persons don't is a gross fallacy. Many people with AS can be quite disabled and confused by rudimentary daily living skills.

In fact, there's a lot of debate about the interchangeability of the two terms. The main difference is usually agreed to be the age of language development, in which AS children reach all their expected developmental milestones in this area, where as HFA will have a significant delay in developing language skills.

I cannot agree with you about the functioning or the intelligence part. It all depends upon the training a person receives in their lifetime. As a person with high functioning autism, I am considered a "genius" by some of my peers. I also drive by myself, can work independently, go to school, etc. I have an A.S. degree in electronics engineering technology, graduated Nuclear Field "A" School in the Navy (I was washed out in Nuclear Power School for my behaviour), and taught myself computers and programming at an early age.

In familiar situations, I can present as neurotypical but "odd." Unfortunately, I have zero fashion sense and great difficulties in interpreting body language. I stim a lot more than people with Aspergers syndrome. I also live at home with my mom and step dad, but I do contribute my fair share of the living expenses. To think that people with High Function Autism are less intelligent than those with Apsergers, one only has to look at the likes of Temple Grandon, or ALPHAWOLF, and me as well as others.

to be fair, the person said IQ, not intelligence. We know IQs suck at determining intelligence and intelligence is varied and subjective, etc

"the aspie may be socially anxious, confused by unfamiliar shelves or aisles but nevertheless able to trudge on."

hehe. Yeah, afraid of going into a building or location for fear of looking weird with gestures and facial expressions, or posture.

EDIT: But as others said I don't see a difference.

AS is part of Autism, it's on the spectrum.

IMO there is no difference between what most people here call Asperger's and High-Functioning Autism. There is no world-wide standard for either so you could say the difference is Asperger's likes peanut butter and HFA doesn't, and no one would be able to prove you wrong. Ideally what I would like to see is the total elimination of the words "classic" autism, Asperger's, and PDD-NOS, and instead replace them with LFA and HFA to determine what amount of outside help would be nessesary. For example someone with LFA would get more assistance with housing than someone with HFA because someone with HFA would be more able to live on their own. Someone with LFA might recieve 3 occupational therapy sessions a week while someone with HFA might recieve only 1.

Alas I am only one person and cannot change the world, but hopefully if I push this hard enough, the people who do make decisions about standards (Hello DSM5!) might actually come around and make a standard that agrees with the european version (can't remember the name of it now).

I think this is the problem with trying to define on a straight line something that is actually multidimensional. It won't work. If you are even going to begin to estimate 'function' you have look at the many component that make up an individual.

There is no clear dividing line between HFA and AS. Distinct differences in adults with HFA and AS can be found in some individuals, while no differences can be found in other individuals. As for the rest, what the above posters said.

Not only can you not say one is more or less functional than the other, you can not say that for NLD or PDD-NOS or any other arbitrary cookie cutter labels.

I took my last IQ test just before leaving high school in 1958. I scored quite high, but was told by a person whom I liked and trusted, "A high IQ score doesn't mean you have enough common sense not to pee on your boots." I've always remembered that and watched myself carefully to ensure I was not "peeing on my boots."

AS or not, I functioned well in my chosen society for over 60 years before I even knew there was such a definition as ASD. Had I known, I would have done a few things differently, but, not, perhaps, better.

Pops

My son said to me, just this morning, that if a child's parents are too nice, the child will never be able to leave home or get married. I thought this was a fairly decent insight for an eight-year old to make.

I know what he means. If a person with a disability is coddled and handled too carefully, despite their cognitive abilities, they are more likely to grow up less able to function regardless of the label. It is best NOT to cater to a child that has normal intellect but suffers from anxiety and all the other issues concerning ASD's. They learn to depend on others too much. They develop avoidant behaviors and with age and become more dysfunctional in their behaviors.

(this was spawned out of my son's own concern about what it means to be disabled, or special needs and what will happen to him when he's older which he's grappeled with recently...he's concluded with the statement above)


equinn

I think it's true of any child. Disabled children are just more likely to experience that kind of thing for a more protracted period, because of lack of understanding about our abilities.

On the other hand, doing absolutely nothing to help someone deal with a problem doesn't work either.

I've been in both situations -- overprotected and underprotected, and I'd rather be underprotected if I had to choose. But I would rather be neither. Underprotection has its advantages above overprotection, but it's also pretty brutal and has instilled in me a sense that I am lazy if I can't keep up, even if I'm under circumstances where no 'sane' person would try to do whatever I'm doing at all.