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Criteria Guide

Autism Spectrum Disorder DSM Criteria Guide

Use this page when the goal is to focus quickly on the DSM-style structure for Autism Spectrum Disorder.

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Criterion A

  • Persistent deficits in social-emotional reciprocity are present.
  • Persistent deficits in nonverbal communicative behaviors used for social interaction are present.
  • Persistent deficits in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships are present.

Criterion B

  • At least 2 restricted or repetitive behavior features are present, such as stereotyped movements or speech, insistence on sameness or inflexible routines, highly restricted interests, or hyper- or hyporeactivity to sensory input.

Criterion C

  • Symptoms are present in the early developmental period.

Criterion D

  • Symptoms cause clinically significant impairment.

Criterion E

  • The disturbances are not better explained by intellectual disability alone, although the two may co-occur.

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