Tag Archives: diagnostic criteria

DSM-5: Recognizing the signs of trauma in kids

Posted on June 23, 2013 by Dr. G

Most importantly for the sake of our discussion, the symptom thresholds for establishing a diagnosis in children and teens have been changed to take into account differences in the ways that trauma is manifested in kids, and a unique set of diagnostic criteria have been established for identification of PTSD in kids ages six and under.
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Why the decision to eliminate Asperger’s Disorder was absurd…

Posted on June 9, 2013 by Dr. G

From a clinician’s standpoint, kids with Asperger’s are VERY different from kids with “classic” autism. Kids with Asperger’s have the intelligence and language skills to very effectively communicate their thoughts and perceptions. They also have a far greater capacity for self-awareness of their social deficits…and are far more amenable to treatment interventions to ameliorate their weaknesses in social situations. They’re so different that the vast preponderance of kids with traditional autism in our community receiving medical intervention are seen by developmental pediatricians and pediatric neurologists, not child psychiatrists. Continue reading →

Posted in Autism, Controversies, Hidden Disabilities, Key Ministry | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

The “R-word” has been banished…new criteria for intellectual disability

Posted on May 30, 2013 by Dr. G

The most important change in the new criteria involves a decrease in the emphasis upon intelligence tests in the classification of intellectual disability in favor of a severity of impairment classification based upon adaptive functioning along with intelligence testing. Continue reading →

Posted in Controversies, Hidden Disabilities, Intellectual Disabilities, Mental Health | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

ADHD…DSM-5 criteria validate what’s being done in practice

Posted on May 28, 2013 by Dr. G

The most important revisions in the diagnostic criteria take into account the reality that symptoms of ADHD persist into adulthood for many with the disorder, and that the functional impairment associated with ADHD may not be readily apparent for many kids prior to the teen years. Continue reading →

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