Articles like this break my heart… Personally i liked having the high functioning/aspergers catagory in the old DSM before the revised 2014 lumped all autism level into one big autism spectrum. Advocates for the revised diagnostic criteria must have felt that individuals would be better served . For example, children with severe intellectual deficits such as the twins described in this article might face less stigma with a diagnosis of autism rather than Intellectual and Developmental Delay (IDD). The diagnosis of autism seems to open doors to increased services such as ABA in schools or home programs.
I don’t know how the 2014 DSM revisions impacted funding , but I do know this…
The DSM is designed to help physicians assign patients into categories covered by insurance. Then they can order medications designed to address diagnostic criteria associated with those diagnoses…
There are no medications specifically to cure autism . However, physicians may prescribe medications to remediate common comorbid DX such as depression, anxiety ( including OCD) , mood disorders ( to reduce aggressive behaviors), ADHD, sleep disorders and other neurobehavioral challenges people with autism spectrum face…
I question whether changes to the next DSM will increase funding to individuals falling into the category of profound autism… Funding is based on the political and economic climate of the times… But also- some individuals who are nonverbal may appear to be intellectually challenged because they lack a functional communication method…
…I learned this when reading the book Carly’s Voice after Temple Grandin mentioned this book at one of her conferences… Carly went to a nearby computer and typed the word “pain” stunning her family and educators who didn’t know that she learned how to spell …
I also want to add that my own son with high functioning autism, formerly called aspergers who has a biology degree because I provided intensive supports- will probably never be able to hold a job, pay his bills or function independently… Intellectual function is not indicative of financial, social-emotional or daily living skills abilities – even when the mom is an occupational therapist… and lack of government supports has failed my son and family as well as failing families such as the one described in this article …
Like many aged parents i worry about my son’s future, despite having a trust in place that is suposed to pay his bills and for care after I am no longer able to …