As of July 2013, the DSM-V has been released, shifting the already complicated requirements for ASD diagnoses.  A child will now be diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder without  subcategories such as PDD-NOS, Asperger Syndrome.  However, it will be organized in two categories: 1) social communication/interaction and 2) restrictive and repetitive behaviors.

My favorite quote of the entire article is “the most important thing we need to keep in mind is that we need to treat the child, not the diagnosis.” How true is that. Even though the criteria is changing, the child is not, and we as doctors, educators, therapists, and parents need to remember that the child, not the diagnosis, is what we need to focus on.

Please read the article and comment below.  How do you feel the new criteria will effect new diagnoses? Do you agree or disagree with the new parameters? What are your thoughts of the increasing evidence that Autism may be genetically linked?

The article was written by Dr. Lisa Dana on September 23, 2013 and posted on Autismnews.com.