It is important to understand how autism is diagnosed given the changes in the past few years with assessment and diagnosis. This is a clear description of how autism is diagnosed.
How has the Diagnosis of Autism Changed?
Before 2013under DSM 4 (diagnostic and statistical manual) used to diagnosis all mental health issues, there were broadly two main categories for autism: Asperger’s which referred to mild case and even high functioning and those in the Autistic Disorder which referred to moderate to severe impairment. DSM 5 has placed autism on a spectrum with three levels of severity.
All levels of autism require all people to meet all of the three following criteria for a diagnosis:
- Difficulties in social reciprocation, which may include initiating, back and forth dialogue, and expressing or understanding emotions.
- Difficulties in non-verbal communication in social interactions which may include abnormal eye contact and body language as well as struggles to understand facial expressions or gestures in communication.
- Deficits in developing and maintaining relationships with other people, which may include a lack of interest or desire in others, trouble responding in social situations, or sharing imaginative play with others when young.
In addition, DSM 5 requires two of the following four criteria to make a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
- Use of repetitive speech not relevant to the context, repetitive body movements, repeating words or phrases (echolalia), or repetitive use of objects.
- Rigid adherence to routines, ritualized verbal and nonverbal behaviors, resistance to change, distressed when changes in routine occur.
- Very restricted interests with obsessive focus on them or strong attachments to unusual objects.
- Increased or decreased reactivity to sensory inputs such as touch, tastes, smells.
If these criteria are met, the next step is to evaluate the level of severity and assess how much outside assistance the person is likely to need in their daily life. There are three levels of severity.
What are the Levels of Severity in Autism Spectrum Disorder?
Level One: People at level one may need some support, but the level of support needed is quite low. This level is what was previously referred to as Aspergers. These people may have some struggles communicating with neurotypical people. They may struggle to know how to initiate conversation or may appear to have a lack of interest in others, struggle to keep conversations going, and attempts to make friends often fail. Rigidity and inflexibility may cause them some struggles when having to shift tasks or figure out how to organize and plan activities.
Level 2: People at this level often require substantial support and have more pronounced symptoms. They usually have greater delays in verbal and nonverbal behaviors and have greater difficulty forming relationships. They generally struggle with starting conversations and have unusual responses in social situations. They will have much more difficulty coping with change and tend to engage in more repetitive behaviors.
Level 3: These people require a high level of support and struggle with communication and activities of daily living. They may have very limited communication abilities and are very restricted in social responses to others. There is often extreme inflexibility and difficulty coping with changes resulting in great distress.
Early identification and treatment are key to mitigating and reducing severity of symptoms and impairment. If you are interested in getting assessed for autism spectrum disorder by one of our neuropsychologists, feel free to contact IPC so you can schedule an appointment. Please call us now at 763-416-4167, or request an appointment on our website: WWW.IPC-MN.COM so we can sit down with you and complete a thorough assessment and help you develop a plan of action that will work for you. Life is too short to be unhappy. Find the peace of mind you deserve.
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