Autism Spectrum Disorders is a collective term for autism-related disorders. Clinicians in Australia use two references that describe ASD/PDD and its subtypes. The two references are:
- The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV) is published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA).
- The World Health Organisation publishes the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, tenth revision (ICD-10).
The following table shows relationships between clinical terms and their sources.
| Pervasive Developmental Disorders | |
|---|---|
| DSM-IV | ICD-10 |
| 299.00 Autistic Disorder | F84.0 Childhood Autism |
| 299.80 Rett’s Disorder | F84.2 Rett’s Syndrome |
| 299.10 Childhood Disintegrative Disorder | F84.3 Childhood Disintegrative Disorder |
| 299.80 Asperger’s Disorder | F84.5 Asperger’s Syndrome |
| 299.80 Pervasive Developmental Disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) (including Atypical Autism) |
F84.1 Atypical Autism |
| F84.8 Other pervasive developmental disorders | |
| F84.9 Pervasive developmental disorders, unspecified | |
| F84.4 Overactive disorder associated with mental retardation and stereotyped movements | |
PDD-NOS in the DSM-IV includes F84.1, F84.8 and F84.9 from the ICD-10
The conditions labelled F84.2, F84.3 and F84.4 are considered rare. There is debate as to whether they are part of the Autism Spectrum.
“High-functioning Autism” (HFA) appears to mean Autistic Disorder (F84.0) with an IQ>70. It is not a formal category in either of these classifications.
The APA proposes significant changes to "autism" when it publishes the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition (DSM-V) ... expected in 2012 or 2013.