In the United States, autism is typically diagnosed clinically by psychologists, neurologists, or psychiatrists. Diagnoses of autism are usually made in accordance with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) published by the American Psychiatric Association. The current version of the DSM is DSM IV-TR from 2000. (The next version of the DSM, DSM V, is expected to be published in 2011.) DSM IV-TR categorizes the autism spectrum into five groups:
- Autistic Disorder (a.k.a. Kanner's autism)
- Asperger's Syndrome (a.k.a. Asperger's autism)
- Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS or atypical autism)
- Rett's Syndrome
- Heller's Syndrome (a.k.a. CDD)
Subcategories within Diagnosing Autism :
DSM IV: Autistic Disorder - DSM IV: Asperger Syndrome - DSM IV: PDD-NOS - DSM IV: Rett Syndrome - DSM IV: Heller's Syndrome 