What happens to my diagnosis?

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I was recently diagnosed with Asperger syndrome. What happens to my diagnosis, when the new edition of the DSM-V (Diagnostic Statistical Manual) comes out?.

Will I lose my diagnosis? (something I do not think). Will I automatically (in my journal), get the "new" diagnosis of ASD?

If you tell doctors that you have asperger syndrome, they will probably just note it as autism.. It's still there, just a different name.

I hear it will automatically be changed to ASD.

What I want to know is that if it automatically changes, what happens with the severity levels?

From how existing severity levels and validation of diagnoses are managed, I assume an ASD's severity level will be ignored until that autistic person gets re-assessed or tested for severity (with GAF or so?) or until a professional thinks it's cool to just rate/change severity level to fit their fleeting impression of the autistic person.

That made me smile. It's like a software update. Years ago you thought you were running an NT server. Then you changed to Aspie 1.0 and everything ran a little smoother. Then you hooked up to the network (WrongPlanet) and everything was great. But too many unlicensed users started hacking in, so AS-Update automatically downloads a new system, ASD, which has better DRM. It happens overnight, so when you boot up (wake up) it should just work, but you may have to check the new severity (security) levels.

The severity levels are not yet official. I assume that some doctors will judge it on a case-by-case basis, and others will simply assign all cases of AS to the "mild" category. The former seems to me to be the most logical approach, as AS can be quite severe.

That's why I'm scared about the autoswapping to just ASD rather than AS. I actively prefer the DSM-5 criteria, and like not splitting it up like it does now, but I'm scared that because I'm currently diagnosed with AS they'll just auto swap me to a "mild" category, despite the fact that I'm solidly not mild (people don't see me without support, so they don't often realize how severe I am though).

No, you won't lose your AS diagnosis.

According to one of my psych professors says people will retain their diagnoses but she suspects that if you apply for new services and such that some organizations may want to reassessed.

How about having a talk with your psychologist about it, to make sure you get recategorized correctly? I understand very well the fear of losing essential services that let you do what you want to do with your life. I'm going to do the same, myself. I don't know where I'd be recategorized--by the level of support I get now, I'm mild or moderate--but the important thing is that I get whatever diagnosis leaves me eligible for educational support, vocational rehab, and the ADA at work. For that purpose, I'm quite sure "mild" would be totally sufficient.

Remember--If you do not have significant impairment, they don't diagnose you to begin with. Significant impairment begins with "Mild". So, the fact that you have a diagnosis at all implies that you need some kind of support, even though for some people that means quite intermittent help, during times of extreme stress; or accommodations they can arrange for themselves with little trouble.

For those of us who are completely independent or at least don't need help with ADLs, that doesn't mean there'll be no reason to diagnose, though. Just like a completely independent paraplegic still needs a wheelchair, a completely independent autistic might still need a quiet apartment, comfortable clothes, or an organized working environment.