🧠 How Asperger’s Syndrome Became Autism Spectrum Disorder Level 1 Asperger’s Syndrome was once considered a separate diagnosis — often describing people who were autistic but had average to above-average intelligence and no significant delays in language development. But in 2013, when the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition) was released, the diagnosis of Asperger’s was removed. Instead, it was folded into a broader category: ➡️ Autism Spectrum Disorder (AS