Criteria for Diagnosing Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-TR) criteria for diagnosing Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) includes the following:
Criteria 1: Deficits in social communication and social interaction, as manifested by all of the following:
- Difficulties in social-emotional reciprocity.
- Trouble interpreting nonverbal cues. For example, may avoid eye contact, misinterpret facial expressions, body posture or gestures.
- Challenges in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships.
Criteria 2: Repetitive behavior, interest or activities shown by at least two of the following:
- Repetitive motor movements.
- Need for routines. For instance, may have difficulty transitioning between activities or adjusting to changes in the daily routine.
- Fixed interests that are unusual in intensity or focus.
- Sensitivity to sensory input. For example, may have challenges with bright lights, loud sounds or certain textures or smells.
Criteria 3: Symptoms must be present in the early developmental years.
Criteria 4: Symptoms cause clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other areas of functioning.
Criteria 5: The symptoms are not better explained by other conditions, such as intellectual developmental disorder. Intellectual developmental disorder and autism spectrum disorder frequently may co-occur, however.
Severity level, is based on the social communication impairments, and restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviors (See level descriptions in the overview section).
Specifiers include:
With or without intellectual impairment
With or without accompanying language impairment