Psychiatric Group To Revise Autism Diagnostic Criteria
AÂ panel convened by the American Psychiatric Association is proposing changes to the definition of autism for the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. About 25% of individuals diagnosed with autism under the previous guidelines would no longer fit the new criteria. As a result, many individuals who rely on government programs could lose those benefits because some of those services depend on an official diagnosis.
- "New Definition of Autism Will Exclude Many, Study Suggests" (Carey, New York Times, 1/19).