Friday 24 April 2015

DSM-5 impacting on autism numbers

"Consistent with previous reviews, the majority of included studies indicated between 50 and 75 % of individuals will maintain diagnoses."

That was one of the conclusions reached by Isaac Smith and colleagues [1] following their systematic review of studies comparing DSM-IV and DSM-5 criteria for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and what the changes mean for eligibility for the label.

Authors further reported that: "the greatest decreases [were] among high-functioning populations with IQs over 70 and/or previous diagnoses of PDD-NOS or Asperger's disorder" when it came to those not fitting the latest autism description in DSM.

I've got little more to say on this topic over what has been discussed previously on this blog with DSM-5 in mind (see here). The newly appointed catch-all category of social communication disorder (SCD) remains a label to watch, not just with respect to how many people will be diagnosed and what level of services/support will be offered, but also with the idea that the broader autism phenotype (BAP) might also gain some clinical recognition.

Music: Nirvana - Drain You.

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[1] Smith IC. et al. The Effects of DSM-5 Criteria on Number of Individuals Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review. J Autism Dev Disord. 2015 Mar 22.

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ResearchBlogging.org Smith IC, Reichow B, & Volkmar FR (2015). The Effects of DSM-5 Criteria on Number of Individuals Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review. Journal of autism and developmental disorders PMID: 25796195

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