Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Psychiatric Group To Revise Autism Diagnostic Criteria
A 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.