Exam 5: Diversity in the Classroom Students With Low Incidence Disabilities

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The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the American Psychiatric Association's (APA) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) provide two influential but distinct definitions of autism, reflecting their different purposes and uses.

IDEA is a federal law that ensures services to children with disabilities throughout the nation, including special education and related services. IDEA defines autism as a developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction, generally evident before age three, that adversely affects a child's educational performance. This definition is broad and designed to include a wide range of children who require special education services. It also notes that other characteristics often associated with autism are engagement in repetitive activities and stereotyped movements, resistance to environmental change or change in daily routines, and unusual responses to sensory experiences.

The APA's DSM is the primary system used by mental health professionals in the U.S. to diagnose mental disorders. The DSM-5 (the fifth edition), published in 2013, defines Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as a condition characterized by persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts, as well as restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities. These symptoms must be present in the early developmental period and cause clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of current functioning. The DSM-5 also includes specifiers for severity and the presence of language impairment, intellectual disability, and associated medical/genetic conditions.

The key differences between IDEA's and APA's definitions are:

1. Purpose: IDEA's definition is designed to identify children who are eligible for special education services, while the DSM-5's definition is intended for clinical diagnosis.

2. Age of Onset: IDEA specifies that autism is generally evident before age three, while the DSM-5 requires symptoms to be present in the early developmental period but does not specify an exact age.

3. Educational Impact: IDEA requires that autism adversely affects a child's educational performance, whereas the DSM-5 does not include educational performance as a criterion.

4. Severity and Specifiers: The DSM-5 includes levels of severity and allows for specifiers regarding language and intellectual ability, which can help clinicians describe the presentation of autism more precisely. IDEA does not include these specifiers.

5. Scope: IDEA's definition is broader and may include children with a wider range of symptoms as long as they require special education, while the DSM-5 has more specific diagnostic criteria.

In practice, these differences mean that a child could qualify for services under IDEA's definition of autism without necessarily meeting the full criteria for ASD as defined by the DSM-5. Conversely, a child could be diagnosed with ASD according to the DSM-5 but not qualify for special education services under IDEA if the condition does not adversely affect their educational performance.