Example: I hear that I'm 'High-Functioning' according to my parents but I've been diagnosed as 'Autistic disorder' by my doctor and I've previously thought that I had 'Asperger syndrome' to name a few terms.
Asperger’s is an older, outdated term to refer to a part of what we call today the Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Basically, it’s all the same disorder, but it has different ways it presents itself.
I'm AUDHD, with interoceptive issues, social cognition problems, proprioceptive issues, terrible organisational skills, I have a bad perception of time in the middle to long term. I'm also impulsive, easily distracted, I have mediocre to bad working memory, many many sensory particularities, etc. I think I also have dysgraphia, dyspraxia and dyscalculia.
That's a big whole package right there, and it's actually so much more but that'd take a long time to write everything down.
I'm a few years older than you, and I'm trying to get diagnosed, but either the ASD or ADHD that I seem to have are interfering with my life. I want a diagnosis so that I can try to alleviate the symptoms, and hopefully make my life a bit better.
Apologies if it seems like a daft question, I'm not always good at getting my point across in text, but I'm genuinely curious :)
Mine (as of last week) is Autism Spectrum Disorder Level 1. Asperger's syndrome is the old name for the same thing, mostly ditched because it doesn't make sense to just decide that an arbitrary segment of the same continuum of symptoms needs a whole other name (especially when people on the border between Aspergers and Autism would get a different diagnosis depending on who you asked, because it was so poorly differentiated). Some people also object to the name because Hans Asperger worked with the nazis, but it's mostly because it doesn't make sense as a separate category.
Level 1 can be referred to as "High functioning" or "low support needs". I've seen some people say we shouldn't say "High functioning" any more, but I don't see a real problem with it, and my assessor used the term so apparently it is still used by some professionals. "Low support needs" is also commonly used (and seems more common on up-to-date official material), and some people prefer it because instead of categorizing people according to the function they can serve in society, it thinks about people in terms of how much help they need, which is less dehumanizing and more compassionate. Just like Hans Asperger, there are nazi-related objections as well - apparently the term originates in differentiating "high functioning" people who could serve a role in society from "low functioning" people who would be sent to the gas chambers. Nobody who was personally affected by those implications 80 years ago is actually objecting to the terms today though, so I don't really see why it should matter.
Basically, "High functioning autism", "low support needs autism", "level 1 autism spectrum disorder" and "asperger's syndrome" are all the same thing. The official diagnosis in most health systems is Autism Spectrum Disorder, but you might find it useful to specify that you're high functioning, and if you're talking to someone who isn't up to date on the terminology it may be easiest to tell them you have aspergers, because they might think that "autism" only applies to level 2 or 3 autism spectrum disorder (people who have much more visible symptoms and a lot more difficulty with day to day life, often including intellectual disabilities), which might confuse the person you're talking to.
I just say I'm autistic and have autism spectrum disorder level 1, because I like using the official terms for things and am comfortable explaining if the person I'm talking to has misconceptions, but I think it's fine to use whatever terminology makes things easiest for you. I also use the term "high functioning autism" if I need to explain what Level 1 means.
(While we're really getting into the weeds about terminology, there are people who prefer to say "I'm an autistic person", not "I'm a person with autism", because it emphasizes that autism is a core part of who they are, not something separate that they have. There's also people who prefer the opposite, because they want to emphasize that they are a person first of all, just like everyone else. Some people also prefer to call it a condition rather than a disorder, to show that there is nothing wrong with being autistic. I don't think I've seen anyone who has these kind of preferences actually get mad about it though, as far as I can tell people are pretty accepting of whatever works for you)
I was diagnosed originally at 3yo with Asperger's. As mentioned by folkrav this diagnosis is outdated, 'Asperger's Syndrome' isn't a thing anymore. To the best of my knowledge it's currently all Autism Spectrum Disorder with numbered levels associated with each diagnosis ranging from 1 to 3.
The old Asperger's diagnosis is, AFAIK, translatable to Autism Spectrum Disorder Level 1.
I've been referred for diagnosis, but I haven't had any official diagnosis as of yet. However, all signs point towards yes.
Symptoms and stuff
Sensory issues, mainly related to touch, which go back to when I was about 4.
Infodumping about niche and obsessive interests.
Relating to other autistic people.
Other autistic people assuming I am autistic from my behaviour.
Brilliant memory for things that interest me; crap memory for everything else
I am strangely lucid when drunk, although I have difficulty with coordination and memory.
Face-blindness (in some cases).
I suffer from depression.
I am not the worst at picking up social cues and identifying sarcasm, but only if it is done in the sarcastic voice, in context, or with a tone indicator/explanation.
I tend not to "get" unspoken rules.
I often require explicit instructions to know what to do.
I am LGBTQ+ (see my Pronouns.cc), which is positively correlated with autism. [Source]
My Dad, Uncle, and Grandad are almost certainly autistic, and I see symptoms in my brother.
My cousin is autistic.
I was proficient in my speech and writing from a young age, and it took me about a year to "get" what school was about after I joined. I used to devour books, until the first round of exams took away my time and I started spending more time on the internet.
On top of that, the online tests I've been sent all come back more-or-less positive.
My diagnosis is Asperger syndrome despite me being diagnosed recently, because my country (Norway) still hasn't transitioned to the ICD-11 diagnostic manual yet.
I'm 40 and unable to get diagnosed because I don't have anyone from my childhood that can provide the information required to prove my traits existed back then. Based on online assessments and self reflection, I'd say ASD level 1, no ADHD.
I got diagnosed at age 46 without needing any of that. The psychologists trusted that I was being honest in my self-assessments and self-reflections of my personal history and asked questions about them. The session lasted seven and a half hours and included a whole lot of testing and questions, and I got my diagnosis a month later.
If you are in the US and don't mind traveling to the Dallas area, see about scheduling an appointment with Spectrus Psychological Services.
Informal diagnosis with the official questions for Autism (don't want it written down) and my therapist also pretty quickly told me she's pretty sure I have ADHD as well.
Both was at around 22.
Great to have someone tell me why the world is so strange, but obv the heavy lifting on my life I have to do myself.
I've had a prognosis ~10 years ago. I did not keep seeing the Dr. For life reasons so I never got a full diagnosis, nor do I feel I need one as I do not think it will ultimately change anything