What to Say Next

Asperger’s syndrome is a former diagnosis used to describe certain characteristics within the broader category of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The diagnosis was first created in 1944 by an Austrian pediatrician, Hans Asperger, who used it to describe children who struggled to reciprocate emotional communication with other children, which led to their difficulty in forming close friendships. The diagnosis was codified in the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) in 1994; it remained in use until the publication of the fifth edition in 2013. This removal was controversial, and some people with ASD, particularly those who were diagnosed during the two decades while Asperger’s syndrome was an approved diagnosis, continue to identify with the Asperger’s diagnosis.

The DSM-V included the characteristics previously known as Asperger’s syndrome in the diagnostic criteria for ASD. Though technically categorized as a disorder, many people with autism prefer that descriptions use the terms “neurodivergent” or “neurodiverse” to illustrate that the mental characteristics of ASD are different from typical neurological characteristics but not inherently “disordered” or in any way worse than neurotypicality. Others who speak out about normalizing autism prefer using person-first language (“person with autism”) that highlights that their ASD diagnosis is merely a larger part of their overall personalities, while some prefer to more forcefully interpellate the term and count “being autistic” as a key form of their identity.