Can someone please explain the DSM?

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What exactly are the definitions of each of the DSMs criteria???

Here are the criteria: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/hcp-dsm.html

The DSM is printed in English, but it's not written in English. If you know what I mean

The DSM was written by medically-trained people for medically-trained people.

Get yourself a medical dictionary, and use it the next time you consult the DSM.

Last edited by Fnord on 06 May 2021, 10:32 am, edited 1 time in total.

The letters DSM stand for "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual". The full name is "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders".
The DSM is a Diagnostic tool for neuropsychologist. It describes Observable Behavior. Psychology on cop shows and sitcoms is about knowing how people feel or think. The DSM is very much in the school of Behaviorism. It is NOT about It how people think or about how people feel. It is about how people behave. Observable Behavior.

It uses jargon (sometimes).

Onelook.com can help with the jargon. When I am reading technical papers or books from a field I am not familiar with I look at Onelook first. I do not read the definition from only one dictionary, but I read from 10 or more dictionaries and try to decide which definition most makes sense in the context - and the DSM context is Observable Behavior.

Another trick for decoding jargon is to do a search with google using the word you want a definition of, the context (Psychology) and the special key word "glossary". Sometimes a jargon word will have a Wikipedia article, which is useful for getting general context, but should not be taken, itself, as authoritative.

acronymfinder.com is another useful resource.

Two things to be aware of with DSM jargon: in some cases it may use words that you have never heard before. In other cases it uses words you think you know but they don't seem to make any sense in the context they are used - this is because there are special definitions in use in the context of neuropsychology/Observable Behavior. Not thinking you understand a jargon word because it is used commonly in English is important.

The purpose of the DSM is to help make a diagnosis. It is supposed to be used by a trained professional - who is familiar with the context and is also a trained observer, and is familiar with the jargon.

A Neuropsycologist or a Psychologist may be a doctor, that is a PhD. A Psychiatrist is a medical doctor, a MD. Some DSM diagnoses may result in medication being assigned by a Psychiatrist or a physician who can write prescriptions, but is not a Psychiatrist (such as a general practitioner or a pediatrician) but the DSM does not talk about medication, it talks about Observable Behavior use to diagnose one of the named (and numbered) conditions. The DSM is used in the USA. In Europe they would use the ICD-9 or ICD-10. ICD stands for "International Classification of Diseases".

A neurologist is a doctor who in concerned with the nervous system. He would not typically use the DSM for diagnisis, but he might use DSM diagnosis as a criteria for selecting subjects for a neuro-imaging study (such as a MRI or FMRI study).

In the DSM-V (version 5 of the DSM) the Autism diagnosis added (for the first time) quantitative measures, that is the ability of the person making the diagnosis to assign a number (or quantity) to two specific diagnosis criteria. These may be numbers, but they are still tied to Observable Behavior. A rubric ( a small table with numbers and short phrases or paragraphs to describe the type of behavior that qualifies for that number) is provided in the DSM-V.

I have a copy in PDF someplace - I will have to dig it up to give more detail.

Thank you for your help...however I meant

Please explain the DSM criteria for Aspergers!

Thank you.

technic1,
Todays DSM does not say "aspergers" any more. They did away with that label when they changed the criteria the last time. There will be other changes in the future. It is a "work in progress".

Diagnosis now is all based on how much support a person needs, and listed as level 1, 2, 3.
Level 1 is the old 'aspergers' diagnosis.

In most places aspergers is being phased out as a description of level 1 autism.
If you are looking for 'aspergers" in today's version of the DSM you will not find it. They have replaced it with level 1 autism.

Aspergers label has gone away in DSM and replaced with level 1 autism. Level one has social struggles, problems with communication and understanding others, and has sensory struggles. Level one( which used to be aspergers) means we don't need a caretaker or help dressing or feeding, bathing or bathroom stuff, etc., that we are or can be mostly independent .

Of course this is only the autism part, anybody may also have other things that could require more help.

Today the DSM subdivides autism in the three levels.

Level one is "needs some support"

Level two "moderate amount of support"

Level three "needs LOTSA support".

The recent editions no longer have the term "aspergers".

I would say that the old "aspergers" label would translate to "level 1 autism, without a speech delay".

If you're "high functioning" but need some help, but you learned to talk as a baby at the normal age folks learn to speak- then you are what used to be labeled aspergers. If you were delayed in learning to speak then you are 'high functioning autistic" (which was a colloquial label, and not an official diagnosis the way "aspergers" was an actual diagnosis at one time).

An odd name, give there isn't much in the way of statistics in it

I know the DSM 5 has changed everyone to Autistic, that’s why I said DSM and NOT DSM 5...

I’m looking to improve my difficulties and no one has helped?

Here is a page all about the history of the autism in the DSM: AUTISM IN THE DSM.

Asperger's is described on this page based on how it was actually diagnosed, not on how it was defined in the DSM-IV. I feel it was in the DSM more for social reasons than anything useful in support. The diagnosis should be all about support and that's why there are the 3 levels now. I think they were afraid of to much resistance from parents "MY KID'S NOT RAINMAN" in the transition from institutionalization to actually supporting autistic kids.

I don't understand. The DSM, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, simply describes all mental health conditions and disorders. DSM-5 just refers to the fifth edition. That is the current criteria.

The criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder in the fifth edition, DSM-5, describes the criteria.

I do not see anything in your post except wanting to know what the DSM is. What about the DSM-5 ASD criteria don't you understand?

One might think of the DSM as a collection of definitions written by people who think labeling something is the same thing as understanding it.

The DMS is not a dictionary. It is diagnostic criteria. It does not state what ASD is, but how to diagnose it as distinct from other conditions.

As far as understanding it, very few do. And having ASD does not qualify you as an expert.

I would say the old Aspergers is roughly equivalent to level 1 Autism Spectrum Disorder without accompanying intellectual and language impairments. There is some question as to whether the “severe” end of the Aspergers spectrum is Level 2 ASD.

What exactly do you not understand about the DSM Autism diagnostic criteria?