OVERVIEW
Asperger syndrome is a term that many people know, use and identify with — yet it is also one of the most misunderstood. This course sets out what it really means, why the way we describe it has changed, and how you can support autistic people, including those who identify with the term Asperger’s, with respect, confidence and good practice. Asperger syndrome is understood today as part of the autism spectrum: a difference in the way a person experiences the world, communicates and relates to others — not an illness, a behaviour problem, or something to be ‘cured’.
It is important to be clear about the diagnostic picture. Since the introduction of DSM-5 in 2013 and ICD-11 more recently, Asperger syndrome is no longer used as a separate clinical diagnosis — the characteristics it described are now recognised as part of a single, broader diagnosis: Autism Spectrum Disorder. Despite this change, large numbers of people diagnosed under the older system, and many who came after, continue to use ‘Asperger’s’ as a meaningful part of their identity, and this course honours both the up-to-date clinical understanding and the language real people choose for themselves.
