Classic Autism and Aspergers are they really the same thing?

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I don't particularly care what I'm called as long as it's accurate. The only reason I would feel uncomfortable saying I'm autistic is because I already get enough people disbelieving my Asperger's diagnosis, that to change to saying that I'm autistic (with the pop culture image of what that means and how you are supposed to be behaving) would cause even more consternation. But personally, I could really care less what it is called. Maybe I'm just too old to care at this point LOL

I think lumping it in all together is for the best.

The public thinks Autism is Rain Man and Aspergers is Sheldon Cooper.

To be honest before I began to suspect what was wrong with me all these years I knew very little about Autism.

Since I put together what I have Autism has become my main Obsession.

A lot seem to argue about this, and think there is only one type of Autism, without ranging from mild to severe.
The way I see it, like everything else, Autism range from mild to moderate to severe. I was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, not Autism, and I wasn't diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome for nothing. They assessed me loads of times before being able to give me an accurate diagnosis, then they diagnosed me with Asperger's Syndrome. Why? Because although there was obviously some noticeable difference in my social behaviour, I was still able to interact with other children, and I coped well in mainstream school, needing just some support with my work and to talk to if I had any issues with anything that was making me anxious, etc. If I didn't get this support I still would probably of made it OK through mainstream school, only just fallen behind on my work some, and also perhaps a little less confident in my social and intellectual abilities. Apparently I wasn't ''severe'' enough to be put in a special school, and I didn't want to go to a special school either. I don't think that would have done much good for me. I am not above average intelligent, but I am just around average enough to be able to be taught at the same pace as typically developing children, only needing support from a teacher's assistant/mentor.

Also there's a lot of typical Autistic symptoms I don't have. I can recognise non-verbal social cues, even from a young age (looking back), and I ''get'' jokes and other forms of humour, and all of those things. Also I have always been very verbal, able to express my thoughts and emotions, and I reached all the right milestones at the average stages when I was a baby and toddler (my mum recorded it down in a log thing what all parents are given for their babies).

I was diagnosed with Asperger's but they never took into account the fact that speaking is next to impossible most of the time and when I do manage to speak, it is only fragments.