So the December 17th New York Times refers to the DSM, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, now in its fifth revision. Will Asperger Syndrome and “high-functioning autism” be merged? Will sensory processing disorder enter the DSM?
The revision, it’s noted, “will have consequences for insurance reimbursement, research and individuals’ psychological identity for years to come,” and, too, for our cultural understanding of what “autism” is. Perhaps it’d be more accurate to call the DSm (whatever revision), the book of being human, all too human.

So what is autism?
Chances are, if you’re reading this, you know, and are quite prepared to explain at the drop of the hat “what autism is.”
But what if you’re asked:
Why is there this separate term, “PDD-NOS”?
What is child disintegrative disorder and what does that have to do with autism, plain and simple? (as if there is such a “plain and simple autism”)
If a child has Fragile X, that means they don’t have autism……right….no….which?
Does “high-functioning autism” mean “Asperger’s Syndrome” only?
What’s the connection between autism and ADHD? Can you have both?
Can where you are and what culture a child is raised in …read more