Sara Gardner, who runs the Autism Spectrum Navigator’s Program at Bellevue College, is optimistic but admits there is a lot up in the air.
“Right now we don’t know how clinicians are going to interpret the new criteria and we don’t know if insurance companies are going to require people to go back and get re-diagnosed,” Gardner said. “We just don’t know what’s going to happen.”
There were two new disorders added to the manual: hoarding and DMDD, or Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder. That is kids who have recurrent temper tantrums. These changes will officially be published in the APA manual in May 2013.
