A Multisite Study of the Clinical Diagnosis of Different Autism Spectrum Disorders

Abstract

In the field of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), diagnostic instruments have been helpful in defining populations,¹ merging samples,² and comparing results across studies.^3,4 Nevertheless, best-estimate clinical (BEC) diagnoses have long been the gold standard.^5-7 In single-site studies, BEC diagnoses have added information to standardized instruments to predict later diagnoses^8,9 and classify children according to developmental trajectories of adaptive and language functioning.^10,11 However, researchers have recently expressed skepticism about the scientific and clinical value of categorical ASD groupings in the DSM-IV-TR¹² and the International Statistical Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision¹³ (ie, autistic disorder, pervasive developmental disorder–not otherwise specified [PDD-NOS], Asperger syndrome), on which BEC diagnoses are based.^5,14,15