Abstract
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) was for many years considered to be one of five pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) as defined in the 4th edition of the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA, 2000). These disorders included Autism, Rett Syndrome, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, PDD-NOS (not otherwise specified), and Asperger’s syndrome. The 2013, fifth revision of the manual (DSM-5) presented a modification in the diagnosis for Autism Spectrum Disorder. It is now being diagnosed as an inclusive disorder of a range of symptoms or autism related symptoms from mild to severe (APA, 2013). It has dropped four of the previous diagnoses and is now only one encompassing disability called Autism Spectrum Disorder. Using the new DSM-5 diagnostic criteria some students who were previously diagnosed as having Asperger’s Syndrome do not fit the new Autism Spectrum Disorder criteria. These students might now be diagnosed with Social Communication Disorder (SCD). This diagnosis meets the symptoms presented by these individuals more appropriately. SCD describes the social difficulties and pragmatic language differences that impact comprehension, production, and awareness in conversation that are not caused by delayed cognition or other language delays.
Highlights
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) was for many years considered to be one of five pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) as defined in the 4th edition of the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA, 2000)
In a systematic review of 25 articles that evaluated samples of DSM-IV-TR and DSM-5 criteria for diagnosis of ASD a majority of studies indicated between 50% and 75% of individuals maintained their ASD diagnosis with the greatest decreases among high-functioning populations with IQs over 70 and/or previous diagnoses of PDD-NOS or Asperger’s disorder (Smith, Riechow, & Volkmar, 2015)
Even though the diagnosis has changed, these students are still present in the classroom and teachers and Speech and Language Pathologists (SLPs) need to know how to best support these students in the educational environment
Summary
In a systematic review of 25 articles that evaluated samples of DSM-IV-TR and DSM-5 criteria for diagnosis of ASD a majority of studies indicated between 50% and 75% of individuals maintained their ASD diagnosis with the greatest decreases among high-functioning populations with IQs over 70 and/or previous diagnoses of PDD-NOS or Asperger’s disorder (Smith, Riechow, & Volkmar, 2015). Failure to satisfy all three criteria in the social-communication domain was the most common reason for exclusion (39%; Young & Rodi, 2013). This diagnosis has many common features with Asperger’s Syndrome These changes affect students who were previously diagnosed as Asperger’s Syndrome and the special education, general education, and Speech and Language Pathologists/Therapists (SLPs) who worked with these students. Even though the diagnosis has changed, these students are still present in the classroom and teachers and Speech and Language Pathologists (SLPs) need to know how to best support these students in the educational environment. This article will discuss how Social Communication Disorder is diagnosed for students and the treatments and interventions used by special education teachers and speech and language pathologists
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