Asperger’s is no longer a separate diagnosis; it is now part of autism. It once described autistic people without language delay or learning disability, but UK clinicians stopped giving it after ICD-11 in 2022.
They are not two different conditions
This is the part the thin search results get wrong. You cannot compare Asperger’s and autism the way you compare two illnesses, because they are the same thing described at two points in time. "Asperger syndrome" was an older label for one part of the autism spectrum. It was folded into the single diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the DSM-5 in 2013, and then in the World Health Organization’s ICD-11, which came into force across the UK on 1 January 2022 (Autism Europe, on the WHO ICD-11). A UK assessment today gives an autism diagnosis, not an Asperger’s one (NICE CG142).
Then versus now
Read this as a before-and-after, not as a side-by-side of two living diagnoses.
| What you are comparing | Asperger’s (old ICD-10 term) | Autism / ASD (current ICD-11 term) |
|---|---|---|
| Language development | No significant delay in spoken language | Described individually; delay may or may not be present |
| Learning disability | Not present (often average or above-average ability) | Recorded separately if present, not assumed |
| Diagnostic status | Retired; not given by UK clinicians | The single current diagnosis |
| Manual it sits in | ICD-10 (older), DSM-IV | ICD-11 and DSM-5 |
| What support it gives access to | Same as autism, with no re-assessment needed | Autism support, EHCP route, NHS services |
Why you still hear "Asperger’s"
Anyone diagnosed before the change keeps their original diagnosis on their records, and many adults still use the word as part of who they are. That is fine. A previous Asperger’s diagnosis is clinically equivalent to a current autism diagnosis and does not need to be redone (National Autistic Society). The term is also increasingly avoided because of what is now known about Hans Asperger’s conduct under the Nazi regime, and because most autistic people prefer to be called autistic rather than carry a sub-label (NHS Dorset).
Where the law comes from
This page is general information, not clinical or legal advice.