Locally at least, the tendency seems to be to use "autism" as an umbrella term, and Asperger's/HFA almost interchangeably. My daughter was speech delayed, somewhat, but still met criteria for Asperger's if you considered that she was youngest, a twin, and had no particular need to speak for herself since others were so happy to meet her needs without it. The "manipulative vs speech delay" quandary, I guess. (I use both terms, and oddly, her IEP uses neither, but spells out different aspects of the whole thing under "other health impaired".)
Add that to the wide range of clinicians' opinions as to criteria for "high functioning", and I can understand why there seems to be a need for reclassification. It would be helpful if at least some of the world were on the same page.
