When national autism experts announced a proposal to remove Asperger’s from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (to be published in 2012), many Asperger’s and autism advocates were left scratching their heads. What might this mean for parents and children who fall on the autism spectrum?
According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), the manual is used to help diagnose patients based on their symptoms. Asperger’s has been considered a separate diagnosis from autism due to the fact that “most Asperger patients are higher functioning,” says Billy Edwards, a board-certified behavior analyst.
A change in this differentiation “impacts how a patient’s diagnosis and treatment is coded for insurance companies,” he says. “In Texas, our legislation passed in 2007 provides insurance coverage for kids (ages) birth-10 who need behavioral therapy for symptoms under the umbrella of the autism spectrum, including Asperger’s. However, only 15 states in the U.S. have similar legislation.”
So, because Asperger’s can be considered a higher-functioning form of autism, it’s unclear whether insurance companies in states without protective legislation will cover necessary therapies, says Edwards. Texas children should remain covered, he adds.
“Researchers should also consider that there can be a stigma associated with the diagnosis of autism—a stigma that might prevent those with higher-functioning symptoms from getting the help they might need,” Edwards details.
The APA will post the final proposal for the manual in late January 2010 on its Web site, www.apa.org; until then, weigh in on this issue at www.autismspeaks.org.
