

There has been no shortage of studies on this topic, along with some helpful recent reviews 1. But a key question is whether there are meaningful differences between Asperger syndrome and high-functioning autism, loosely used to describe individuals with good current language and IQ in the average range despite earlier delays. There have been many attempts to define subgroups within this heterogeneous spectrum. It is particularly variable among individuals with different intellectual levels or language abilities. Range of autism:įirst, we propose the term autism spectrum disorder because there is widespread agreement that autism is a spectrum that varies among different individuals and even within individuals during their lifetime. Why then do we in the DSM-5 Neurodevelopmental Disorders Workgroup suggest folding Asperger syndrome - along with pervasive developmental disorder - not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) - into a new category of ‘autism spectrum disorder?’ Our aim is to acknowledge the widespread consensus that Asperger syndrome is part of the autism spectrum, to clean up a currently hard-to-implement and contradictory diagnostic schema, and to do away with distinctions that are made idiosyncratically and unreliably across different diagnostic centers and clinicians.

The term Asperger syndrome has become popular, and there has been a great deal of research comparing those with this diagnosis to those with autism. In 1994, the association first introduced ‘Asperger disorder’ as a diagnostic category in the DSM-IV, the current edition of the manual, and distinguished it from ‘autistic disorder’ by a lack of significant delay in language and general cognition.
#TO PUT DOWN A GROUP SUBSUME MANUAL#
autism spectrum disorder, in the new DSM-5.ĭraft criteria for the new edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), due in 2013, have aroused high emotions, particularly in the case of Asperger syndrome. Updated guidelines: Asperger syndrome, autism and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified will be combined into one diagnosis.
