Autism and Asperger’s Disorders – One or Two Categories?

Autism and Asperger’s Disorders – One or Two Categories?

The most common pervasive developmental disorders tend to fall into one of two categories: autism disorder and Asperger’s disorder.

Watch the fifteen-minute online video Autism’s Causes: How Close Are We to Solving the Puzzle on autism, which was aired on the PBS NewsHour’s show on April 20, 2011. You may also opt to read the transcript or listen to the audio available on the same web page.

Review the information presented in the video and complete the required readings for this week. Submit a 3- to 4-page paper and respond to the following:

• Take a position on the current debate about whether Asperger’s disorder is a type of autism? The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) moved Asperger’s disorder into the autism category and addressed it as a mild form of autism. There are many critics of this change to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) which placed the two diagnoses in separate categories, indicating that Asperger’s disorder is not a form of autism (American Psychiatric Association, 2000).
  • Should Asperger’s have been labeled as a high-functioning (mild) form of autism, or should it have remained in its own category as a disorder separate from autism? Support your decision with information from academic sources.

References:

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental 
           disorders (5th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishers.
PBS News Hour. (Producer). (2011, April 20). Autism’s causes: How close are
           we to solving the puzzle? [Video]. Washington, DC: Public Broadcasting
           System. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/health/jan-
           june11/autism3causes_04-20.html

Submission Details:

• Support your responses with examples.
• Cite any sources in APA format.
• Submit your document to the Submissions Area by the due date assigned.

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