Class Struggles

The motley mix of abilities and disabilities among individuals with autism is reflected in the long list of their diagnoses: there are, among many others, the classic 'autistic disorder', Asperger syndrome — for individuals with strong verbal and cognitive abilities — and 'pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified', sort of a catch-all category for people with developmental delay who don't quite meet the strict criteria for autism.Last week, the psychiatrists who literally write the book on the definitions of mental illness announced their plan to roll all of these conditions into a single category of 'autism spectrum disorder.' It's one of many major changes they aim to make in the encyclopedic Diagnostic Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), expected to come out in 2013.Read more at...SFARI, February 2010.