City Doctors Weigh In On New Definition For Autism
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More than a million children and adults in this country are estimated to have autism, and now the American Psychiatric Association is revamping just how an autism diagnosis is reached, leaving some families and advocates concerned that they could lose the support they need. NY1’s Kafi Drexel filed the following report.With so many people impacted by autism, there is a big concern that tightening up the definition will cause them to lose their diagnosis and with that, access to services and medical coverage.
But the Psychiatric Association and doctors responsible with making changes say that's the exact opposite of what they are trying to do.
“We're not trying to exclude people. We are trying to be clearer. It does mean that clinicians may have to take more time and be more careful to see if a child meets more of the criteria,” says Dr. Catherine Lord of NewYork-Presbyterian Columbia/Weill Cornell.
Right now, children and adults diagnosed with autism fall into a number of different subcategories, including Asperger's syndrome.
To clear up confusion, doctors want to give all of those categories one label. It would just be called Autism Spectrum Disorder, or A.S.D.
“I work with many, many children and families and parents, and they don't really understand the names and what they mean. There are certainly people many people who do understand thoroughly, but I would say it is more common to be confused by all of these labels, and it’s more helpful to parents and families to have one category,” says Dr. Melissa Nishawala of the New York University Child Study Center.
Doctors currently examine a wide range of behaviors to reach a diagnosis.
The Psychiatric Association proposes breaking those down and looking at a few common characteristics, like social and communication issues and repetitive behaviors. The idea is to rank those behaviors from mild to severe instead of saying "yes" or "no" to a specific disorder.
Doctors working on this issue say giving everything on the spectrum the same label may actually help expand coverage and services for people who don't meet all the classic symptoms. In some states, for example, you can only get services if you have autism, but not Asperger’s or other related disorders.
The Psychiatric Association is expected to finish work on its recommendations by the end of this year.