If you are involved in working with children with autism, or you have a child with autism, you may be aware of the term DSM-IV. DSM-IV simply means the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, and defines five pervasive developmental disorders (Autism, Asperger's syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, Rett's disorder and PDD-NOS). In an effort to eliminate confusion for professionals and families, the new system (DSM-V, proposed for 2013) simply uses "autism spectrum disorder" (ASD) to identify anyone who would have received one of these diagnoses in the past. Professionals have been using the term, as such, for several years.
The new diagnostic requirements are meant to include individuals across the entire autism spectrum: those with intellectual disability, those with average cognitive ability, and those who are above average. Instead of using separate diagnostic labels, everyone will be diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder and then symptom severity will be specified. This shouldn't eliminate anyone who was previously diagnosed.
Source: www.autism.com
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