The New York Times is reporting that the American Psychiatric Association is considering changes to the defintion of autism – which may leave many who currently are diagnosed with the disorder, or the related Asperger’s Syndrome, out in the cold. They will no longer fit under the new definition. That, in turn, could mean that many people will be left without funding or insurance for treatment.
The decision to change the diagnosis of Autism is the result of ballooning statistics over the past couple of decades. According to the Times, some estimates have one in 100 children diagnosed with some form of autism.
The APA has appointed an expert panel, which is likely to change the definition of autism in the latest Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The question is, how much will they change it. And how many people will it affect?
Read the full Times story here.
