Why and How Asperger Syndrome Will Disappear
With the American Psychiatric Association’s new Diagnostic Manual (DSM-5) due to come out sometime this year, the diagnostic term Asperger’s Syndrome will begin to disappear.
In an attempt to streamline the umbrella term of Autism Spectrum Disorder, the discrete subcategory term of Asperger’s will no longer exist, except in the minds of proponents of the term.
Personally I liked the term and it has meaning to me and many others, both professionals and those with the syndrome.
Instead of Asperger Syndrome, high functioning individuals with the core symptoms of autism (now defined essentially as repetitive behaviors and perseverative interests combined with sensory issues) will probably receive an “autism spectrum” diagnosis. It’s also likely that they’ll receive some sort of yet-to-defined extra term such as “without intellectual challenges.”
I’d love to hear from those who have an opinion on this one way or another.
On the DSM-5 site, you still have a couple of weeks left for you to register a comment on this.