Aspergers no longer exists?

[DaughterOfKali]

Someone just told me that they have taken the Asperger diagnosis out and are just calling it a part of autism spectrum. Does anyone have any links to the validity of this?

[DaughterOfKali]

Got it: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123527833

[GoestoShow]

.

Edited by GoestoShow - 1/6/11 at 8:32am

[DaughterOfKali]

I do hope they make that change. It will mean more children can get the services they need in public schools.

[Sweetmama26]

I thought that asperger's was always under the the autism spectrum? At least here where I live it always has been :S I'm confused.

[HarperRose]

I just got in a huge argument with my cousin & aunt over my use of "autism" in describing Max's AS instead of specifying ASPERGER'S. It was really ridiculous. They're of the opinion that I should specify that Max has Asperger's and I'm wrong to just use the umbrella term of "Autism" for him.

Then I had a friend tell me about this thing of changing the DSM.

[DaughterOfKali]

In many schools/states, kids with Aspergers couldn't get special ed services from that diagnosis. Doing away with the term and just calling Autism Spectrum means they will be able to get those services by law.

[Sweetmama26]

I feel lucky to live in canada where any child under the spectrum gets services paid for regardless of what their diagnosis under the spectrum is.

[KatWrangler]

This is what John M Grohol PsyD said in his blog post yesterday. He is going to post more today.

http://psychcentral.com/blog/archive...e-dsm-v-draft/

Autism Spectrum Disorders
As we first noted back in November, Asperger’s Syndrome is slated for the chopping block in the DSM-V. Instead, all the autism-related disorders — including Asperger’s — will be placed into a general category known as Autism Spectrum Disorders. Asperger’s will probably be known as something similar to “mild autism” in this new category in the DSM-V.

[KatWrangler]

Here is his November blog he is referring to.

http://psychcentral.com/blog/archive...gers-syndrome/

[KatWrangler]

http://www.psych.org/dsmv.aspx

Note: The new DSM5.org Web site, which will include proposed revisions and draft diagnostic criteria, has been rescheduled for launch on Wednesday, February 10, 2010.

[RiverTam]

The DSM-5 committee is recommending that the diagnostic categories for autism, Asperger's, childhood disintegrative disorder, and PDD-NOS be folded into one diagnostic category called "Autism Spectrum Disorder." These changes have not taken effect, and the new DSM is not due to be published until 2012. They've released the proposed changes for commentary by clinicians and researchers.

The proposed new criteria are here:
http://www.dsm5.org/ProposedRevision...on.aspx?rid=94

The rationale is here: http://www.dsm5.org/ProposedRevision...n.aspx?rid=94#


They're proposing eliminating the diagnostic category for Rett's disorder completely. The rationale for that is here:
http://www.dsm5.org/ProposedRevision...n.aspx?rid=95#

[DaughterOfKali]

2012 is a long wait.

[KatWrangler]

I thought I read 2013, not 2012 when the final will be out.

[KatWrangler]

It is May 2013.

http://www.dsm5.org/about/Pages/Timeline.aspx

The DSM-5 Task Force and Work Group members have spent much of the last two years formulating their proposed draft criteria. This includes conducting literature reviews, performing secondary data analyses, and soliciting feedback from colleagues and other advisors. Although DSM-5 will not be published until 2013, the revision experts have several important tasks ahead of them in finalizing the development of this volume. Below is a summary of the DSM-5 timeline leading up to the May 2013 deadline.

[RiverTam]

Yep, you're right. Sorry. They moved it back.

[sbgrace]

Wow. I don't know that all pdd-nos kids are going to qualify for dx. with that new criteria. My son would have when he was dx'd but I'm not sure he would in 2013. What bugs me about that is that a child with even two of section one and one of section two is going to be affected in pretty significant ways by autism stuff imo.

But over-all I like the idea of umbrella terms. I think the distinctions in the various dx. right now are w/out a difference. Levels of severity matter more in terms of functioning.

[PikkuMyy]

I just wanted to mention that at the bottom of the NYT article, it states that children who have traditional autism qualify for services in CA and TX but those with PDD-NOS or Asperger's don't. That's not true in CA, at least not in the Bay Area, where the IEP diagnosis box contains the phrase "autism-like condition" and children who are clearly on the spectrum with any of the variantions qualify.

[sbgrace]

Indiana has autism insurance law that insurance must provide for therapies related to autism as they do any other medical condition. All dx's are covered including PDD-NOS and Aspergers.

[RiverTam]

Originally Posted by sbgrace

But over-all I like the idea of umbrella terms. I think the distinctions in the various dx. right now are w/out a difference. Levels of severity matter more in terms of functioning.

In the rationale for creating one term, the committee described the current distinctions between autism, Asperger's and PDD-NOS as akin to "cleaving meat loaf at the joints."