[stctgion]

In the UK they moved to a single diagnosis in 2013. Before this it was autism and Asperger's. They found however that diagnosing people with the less extreme condition meant that they received less help from schools and local government.

[fjsolwmv]

This is 99% the answer. Politics (government funding, and also private insurance funding) is the tail wagging the dog. Medical community is assigning labels not based on relevant scientific taxonomy, but based on what opens purse strings. Until politics starts to respect science and constituents, doctors and parents and teachers have no choice but twist the scientific language in order to obtain the funding they need to care for their kids.

[UtilityDave]

It is partly what "opens the purse strings" but also what makes a given diagnostic and treatment protocol available.

30 years ago you could be what is called autistic now, and you would have probably been diagnosed Asperger's, or "mentally retarded" actual words of the diagnosis.

For the Asperger's you would probably have been sent on your way, with an 80% chance of divorce, a 20-80% depending on who you trust higher chance of suicide than your neurotypical peers, and zero help. If you were "retarded" you would go on disability and into a group home if your parents couldn't take care of you until you died.

With an autism diagnosis you get treatment, and if you get enough early enough, a 50% chance of being indistinguishable from your neurotypical peers by adulthood.

So, you are right. It is much more about money than scientific taxonomy.

But we made the rules.

If doctors are following them to get best outcomes for their patients, aren't they doing their jobs?

So it comes down to our medical system being a mess.

[JonathanMerklin]

Curious, where are you pulling that "80% chance of divorce" statistic from?