I am re-posting an article that addresses the new DSM-5 criteria. I hope you will find it as helpful as I did.
DSM-5 & Autism: Autism-Speaks Study Clarifies Impact of New Criteria
A new study finds that the estimated prevalence of autism under the new DSM-5 criteria would decrease only to the extent that some children would receive the new diagnosis of social communication disorder (SCD). Funded in part by Autism Speaks, the study appears online in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Overall, the researchers found that 83 percent of children who received a diagnosis of autism under the DSM-IV would still receive the diagnosis under DSM-5. The remaining 14 percent would switch to a diagnosis of SCD. These results help answer questions raised by a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study published last week. (more…)