Making Sense of the DSM-5: "Severity Levels" of Autism
“My granddaughter (7yrs old) was just diagnosed with autism and level 1.5. What does that mean and what's the differences between that and aspergers?” To answer this question, let’s first look at the new criteria for Autism as described in the DSM 5: A. Persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts, as manifested by the following, currently or by history): Deficits in social-emotional reciprocity, ranging, for example, from abnormal social approach and failure of normal back-and-forth conversation; to reduced sharing of interests, emotions, or affect; to failure to initiate or respond to social interactions. Deficits in nonverbal communicative behaviors used for social interaction, ranging, for example, from poorly integrated verbal and nonverbal communication; to abnormalities in eye contact and body language or deficits in understanding and use of gestures; to a total lack of facial expressions and nonverbal communication.