Asperger’s and autism are now officially the same diagnosis. Since 2013, what was once called Asperger’s syndrome has been folded into a single, broader category called autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The American Psychiatric Association made this change in the fifth edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5), and the World Health Organization followed suit in 2022. So while the two terms once referred to separate diagnoses with different criteria, they no longer do.
That said, the story is more nuanced than a simple yes. Understanding why they were once separate, why they were merged, and why some people still use the term “Asperger’s” helps make sense of the conversation.
How Asperger’s Was Originally Different
Under the previous diagnostic system (DSM-IV), Asperger’s disorder and autistic disorder were listed as two distinct conditions. The key dividing line was language and cognitive development. To receive an Asperger’s diagnosis, a child had to show no significant delay in language, using single words by age 2 and communicative phrases by age 3. There also had to be no significant delay in cognitive development, self-help skills, or curiosity about the environment.
Autistic disorder, by contrast, could involve substantial delays in speech, intellectual development, or both. Both diagnoses shared core features like difficulty with social interaction and a tendency toward repetitive behaviors or intense, narrow interests. But because people with Asperger’s typically spoke on time and had average or above-average intelligence, the condition was often described informally as “high-functioning autism,” even though that was never an official term.
Why the Diagnoses Were Merged
The separation between Asperger’s and autism looked cleaner on paper than it was in practice. Clinicians found that the boundary between the two was unreliable. Two different professionals could evaluate the same person and land on different diagnoses, not because they disagreed on the person’s traits, but because the categories themselves were blurry. The APA noted that trying to draw a firm line between Asperger’s and autism was like trying to “cleave meatloaf at the joints,” meaning there were no natural divisions to cut along.
There was also a structural problem with the old criteria. The DSM-IV treated social deficits and communication deficits as separate symptom areas, but researchers found that these two things are so deeply intertwined that splitting them was artificial. In some cases, a single behavior could be counted in both categories, inflating its diagnostic weight. The DSM-5 collapsed them into one combined domain: social communication. The other domain, restricted and repetitive behaviors, remained on its own. This two-domain structure was considered a better reflection of how autism actually presents.
What Replaced It: The Spectrum Model
Rather than sorting people into subtypes, the DSM-5 uses a single autism spectrum disorder diagnosis with three levels of support. Level 1, described as “requiring support,” is the closest equivalent to what used to be called Asperger’s. People at this level can often manage daily life independently but have noticeable difficulty initiating social interactions. They may respond in unusual ways to social cues, seem less interested in socializing, or have repetitive behaviors and fixed interests that sometimes get in the way of everyday tasks.
Level 2 (“requiring substantial support”) and Level 3 (“requiring very substantial support”) describe people who need more help with communication, daily living, or both. The levels aren’t permanent labels. A person’s support needs can shift over time or vary depending on their environment. The system is meant to describe what someone needs right now, not to define them.
Global Alignment
The change isn’t limited to the United States. The World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases, 11th edition (ICD-11), came into effect on January 1, 2022, and it mirrors the DSM-5 approach. Childhood autism and Asperger’s syndrome from the previous ICD-10 are now combined under a single autism spectrum disorder category, with no subgroups retained. This means that across both major diagnostic systems used worldwide, Asperger’s no longer exists as a standalone diagnosis.
Why Some People Still Use the Term
Despite the diagnostic change, the word “Asperger’s” hasn’t disappeared from everyday conversation. Many people who were diagnosed before 2013 consider it part of their identity. They grew up understanding themselves through that lens, built community around it, and may describe themselves as “aspies.” For them, switching to “autism spectrum disorder” can feel like losing a label that helped make sense of their experience.
Others prefer the broader autism label, viewing the spectrum model as more accurate and more inclusive. Some also avoid “Asperger’s” because of the troubling history of Hans Asperger, the Austrian pediatrician whose name the condition carried. Research published in 2018 revealed his cooperation with the Nazi regime’s child euthanasia program, which has made the term uncomfortable for many in the autism community.
There’s no single right answer on terminology. In clinical settings, the official diagnosis is autism spectrum disorder. In personal conversation, people use the term that fits their experience. Both reflect the same underlying neurodevelopmental profile: differences in social communication and a tendency toward focused interests and repetitive patterns of behavior, occurring across a wide range of support needs and abilities.