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Generalized Development Disorders
Autistic disorder is one of the five Generalized Development Disorders described in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR).
This manual is a guide to do a diagnosis and is currently used by neurologists, psychiatrists and psychologists.
In recent years, the term Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) was incorporated to refer to Generalized Development Disorders, which are:
| Autistic Disorder | It is the most common form of autism and is also known as classic autism or child autism. The symptoms described in this disorder must appear before 3 years of age. |
| Asperger Disorder | It refers to a group of characteristics that at the beginning are similar to the Autistic Disorder with the difference in the presence of functional language, symbolic play and academic skills. |
| Rett Disorder | It is a nervous system disorder that leads to developmental regressions, especially in the areas of expressive language and functional use of hands. Almost exclusively affects women, usually between 6 and 18 months of age. |
| Childhood Disintegrative Disorder | It refers to the significant loss, after 3 and before age 10 years, of communication, social and imaginative skills previously acquired. |
| Generalized Development Disorder Not Specified | This condition corresponds to people who do not clearly meet any of the diagnostic criteria of the four above-mentioned disorders, the ones not described in the manual. |
