The Fifth Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) was released at the American Psychiatric Association’s Annual Meeting in May 2013. ASPERGER'S Disorder no longer is a Diagnosis all its own. The symptoms must meet these criteria now. See below.
Must meet criteria A, B, C, and D:
A. Persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across contexts, not accounted for by general developmental delays, and manifest by all 3 of the following:
B. Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities as manifested by at least two of the following:
C. Symptoms must be present in early childhood.
D. Symptoms together limit and impair everyday functioning.
There are also 3 “Severity Levels”
Level 3: ‘Requiring very substantial support’
Severe deficits in verbal and nonverbal social communication skills cause severe impairments in functioning; very limited initiation of social interactions and minimal response to social overtures from others.
Preoccupations, fixated rituals and/or repetitive behaviors markedly interfere with functioning in all spheres. Marked distress when rituals or routines are interrupted; very difficult to redirect from fixated interest or returns to it quickly.
Level 2: ‘Requiring substantial support’
Marked deficits in verbal and nonverbal social communication skills; social impairments apparent even with supports in place; limited initiation of social interactions and reduced or abnormal response to social overtures from others.
RRBs and/or preoccupations or fixated interests appear frequently enough to be obvious to the casual observer and interfere with functioning in a variety of contexts. Distress or frustration is apparent when RRB’s are interrupted; difficult to redirect from fixated interest.
Level 1: ‘Requiring support’
Without supports in place, deficits in social communication cause noticeable impairments. Has difficulty initiating social interactions and demonstrates clear examples of atypical or unsuccessful responses to social overtures of others. May appear to have decreased interest in social interactions.
Rituals and repetitive behaviors (RRB’s) cause significant interference with functioning in one or more contexts. Resists attempts by others to interrupt RRB’s or to be redirected from fixated interest.
What if One Size does not fit all?
Does your child fit the new criteria? Or if you are an adult with ASD, do you? What if those with Asperger’s Syndrome do NOT meet the new criteria above, as I suspect many with Asperger’s won't then what are their options?
Try these diagnoses on for size:
These are just a sampling. See
http://www.dsm5.org for more information.