DSM change justified due to pandemic of AS misdiagnosis

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If the study refers Asperger's Syndrome could not be done according to the DSM-III

I found the study at: <click here>.

After reading the study, I now have a question. What is the evaluation methodology used for diagnosing ASD (per DSM-5)? Does the Psychologist (or whoever) use the same methodology previously used for diagnosing Aspergers (per DSM-IV)? Anyone know?

My Aspergers diagnostic testing included the following tests:

- Cognition/Information Processing
--- Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-IV)
- Attention/Executive Functions
--- Integrated Visual and Auditory Continuous Performance Test (IVA+Plus)
--- Brown ADD Scales
--- Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST-R)
--- Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRiEF-A)
- Memory
--- Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS-IV)
- Adaptive Behavior
--- Vineland-II Adaptive Behavior Scales
--- Advanced Clinical Solutions (ACS)
--- Adult Asperger Assessment (AAA)
--- Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS-2)
- Social/Emotional
--- Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI-III)
--- Multidimensional Anxiety Questionnaire (MAQ)
--- Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS)
--- Rorschach Psychodiagnostic Test

Plus some intake questionnaires. Plus an interview.

With the change in criteria, I would expect a change in testing methodology. But, I am probably wrong. Anyone know?

I've had 3 separate evaluations in the last 2 years because of my application for disability. I did many of the tests that you did but all 3 were different. The 1st one was with a MSW and sounds similar to your. The second one was with a psychologist and was very formal/clinical, I swear that woman was a Vulcan. The third was very relaxed and personal and mainly was just talking about my life and my problems. All three evaluation reports were extremely similar in diagnoses, which is probably why I won my disability case. BTW I just want to add that the third one, who I am currently seeing, told me she is changing my Aspergers Disorder DX in my medical file for the DSM 5 change.

This appears to say that people had been given the wrong ASD diagnosis. That is not the same thing as saying they don't have autism. So someone might have been diagnosed with PDD-NOS when they should have been diagnosed with AS or vice versa. These would be counted as misdiagnoses and this would support the decision to move to the DSM V model (which I think makes sense).

This is not at all the same thing as saying there are a massive number of non-autistic people who have been falsely diagnosed with and ASD. I don't believe such a thing is happening because I have seen nothing to suggest it other than posts here.

It seems to me that some small number of people with an aspergers diagnosis might get an SCD diagnosis but the majority will have an ASD diagnosis for the same reasons that they had an AS diagnosis.

The main source of this impression is that I have been told this by practicing clinicians and read it in articles about the transition.

As I understad it, the DSM V criteria and model make sense as part of an attempt by the profession to create diagnoses that are better match the reality of the autism spectrum, not a crisis of false positives in autism spectrum diagnosis.

If there anyone has any evidence that says there is such a crisis in false positives, I would be most interested in seeing it.

I have heard of false positives. One of my counselors told me and what would cause a false positive would be things like depression but they know when it's a false positive and when it's not. they don't hand out the label if they got a false positive and its only the place here I am talking about. She had worked with it too so that is how she knew.

It took several visits over a period of weeks before my psychologist issued her official diagnosis.

My diagnosis did not come from any on-line questionnaire.

As I said this is NOT the study I was talking about. The one I'm talking about uses DSM 4 categories ans it's not based on DSM 3 criteria so what you said is irrelevant to what I was talking about.

Does the study you are talking abut say that these misdiagnoses were non-autistics being misdiagnosed as autistic, or autistics being misdiagnosed with one DSM IV diagnosis when they better fit the criteria for another? That is the question.

No,I don't think that's the right one either. My friend doesn't have details from the conference (I did get in touch with her) so if anyone is really interested you should e-mail Peter Szatmari and ask him about the data he spoke about at the Woodview Stages of Autism conference in Ontario about the estimated rates of misdiagnosis of people with PDD NOS, Asperger's and Autistic Disorder. He also spoke about how the majority of people diagnosed with PDD NOS did not meet criteria for autism or asperger's in terms of repetitive behaviours but did meet the social and communication criteria. This contributed to the development of social communication disorder for those who don't meet the RRB part of the criteria for ASD. You can also ask him for a reference for that if you wish.

Your evaluation was very thorough, indeed. I'm guessing not everybody's is as thorough as that.

They were non-autistics who had been diagnosed as autistic (well technically with Asperger's, Autistic Disorder or PDD NOS-the biggest % of misdiagnoses were in the PDD NOS group). They didn't meet criteria for any DSM 4 Pervasive Developmental Disorder based on their developmental histories.

...such a scientific word (not), so provable and quantifiable (not) .

I'm going to decline to comment on a second-hand verbal synopsis of statements that may or may not have been part of a presentation. I also decline the burden of reaching out to a professor, to whom I have no connection, to ask him what he may or may not have said at a presentation in another country.

As far as I'm concerned, that invalidates the entire study. The vast majority of autistics likely meet that criterion.

I wish they'd reported on what the stats would have been if they'd assumed all their subjects had sensory issues. That would have been more likely to be correct than the opposite assumption.

This is exactly what is in his presentation slides. There are no references, however, unfortunately. I might contact him within a few days, because I'm curious myself. (I'm the friend who attended the conference last year). I wish I had a scanner and could post the slides up here. On another thought, maybe I could take a picture.

Any chance it's on PowerPoint?

Nope, just in my slide printouts from the conference, unless I contact him for the powerpoint.