Understanding the DSM-5 Criteria for Autism (in adults) and recording your own past experiences.
A breakdown of the DSM5 criteria for autism spectrum disorder and some brief questions to ponder as you examine your past up to present experiences.
The following information is taken from: The American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) provides standardized criteria to help diagnose ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder). I will be breaking down each section after quoting the DSM-5 so you can understand it as an adult that went undiagnosed until the present.
A lot of the criteria may present a bit different in your life now that you are an adult due to trauma, being conditioned in your childhood, and trying to mask your Autistic traits socially in order to fit in with society. At the end of this article I will give you a list of questions you can ponder (and write about on a google doc or personal journal for your own records).
THE DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA FOR ASD
“To meet diagnostic criteria for ASD according to DSM-5, a child must have persistent deficits in each of three areas of social communication and interaction (see A.1. through A.3. below) plus at least two of four types of restricted, repetitive behaviors (see B.1. through B.4. below).” (CDC)
