How many of you are wondering how the new changes in the DSM-V set to be released in May of 2013 will affect your child's services?
Some articles are making you think that children diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome will no longer get any services simply because the name Asperger Syndrome will no longer be used in the DSM-V. Have no fear, your child may still receive services. Just get use to calling it Autism instead of Asperger's Syndrome. There will be some changes to the diagnostic criteria to help clearly diagnose individuals on the spectrum. The name change won't determine their level of functional ability, and they will still the the same loving and adorable child as they were before.
To better understand basics about the Autism Spectrum Disorder you can find simplified answers in this book, Autism: Understanding The Puzzle...
Here are a couple articles you can read if you are interested...
Asperger's dropped from revised diagnosis manual
, Associated Press
Dec. 01, 2012 3:53PM PST
Dec. 01, 2012 3:53PM PST
"CHICAGO (AP) — The now familiar term "Asperger's disorder" is being dropped. And abnormally bad and frequent temper tantrums will be given a scientific-sounding diagnosis called DMDD. But "dyslexia" and other learning disorders remain.
The revisions come in the first major rewrite in nearly 20 years of the diagnostic guide used by the nation's psychiatrists. Changes were approved Saturday.
Full details of all the revisions will come next May when the American Psychiatric Association's new diagnostic manual is published, but the impact will be huge, affecting millions of children and adults worldwide. The manual also is important for the insurance industry in deciding what treatment to pay for, and it helps schools decide how to allot special education.
This diagnostic guide "defines what constellations of symptoms" doctors recognize as mental disorders, said Dr. Mark Olfson, a Columbia University psychiatry professor. More important, he said, it "shapes who will receive what treatment. Even seemingly subtle changes to the criteria can have substantial effects on patterns of care.""
Read More - http://health.yahoo.net/news/s/ap/asperger-s-dropped-from-revised-diagnosis-manual
News Release from the American Psychiatric Association
January 20, 2012Release No. 12-03
For Information Contact:
Eve Herold, 703-907-8640
press@psych.org
Erin Connors, 703-907-8562
econnors@psych.org
DSM-5 Proposed Criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder Designed
to Provide More Accurate Diagnosis and Treatment
ARLINGTON, Va. (Jan. 20, 2012)—The American Psychiatric Association (APA) has proposed new diagnostic criteria for the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) for autism. While final decisions are still months away, the recommendations reflect the work of dozens of the nation’s top scientific and research minds and are supported by more than a decade of intensive study and analysis. The proposal by the DSM-5 Neurodevelopmental Work Group recommends a new category called autism spectrum disorder which would
incorporate several previously separate diagnoses, including autistic disorder, Asperger’s disorder, childhood
disintegrative disorder and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified.
The proposal asserts that symptoms of these four disorders represent a continuum from mild to severe, rather than a simple yes or no diagnosis to a specific disorder. The proposed diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorder specify a range of severity as well as describe the individual’s overall developmental status--in social communication and other relevant cognitive and motor behaviors.
Read More - http://www.dsm5.org/Documents/12-03%20Autism%20Spectrum%20Disorders%20-%20DSM5.pdf
