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Cited by 233Autism Spectrum Disorder ResearchChild Nutrition and Feeding IssuesBehavioral and Psychological Studies

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 16 of the 19 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Brief Report: DSM-5 “Levels of Support:” A Comment on Discrepant Conceptualizations of Severity in ASD

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Weitlauf, Amy S., Gotham, Katherine O., Vehorn, Alison C., Warren, Zachary E.·2014·Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
DOI 10.1007/s10803-013-1882-zPMC PMC3989992
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Abstract

Proposed DSM-5 revisions to the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) include a "severity" marker based on degree of impairment. Although qualitative differences between support levels are described, quantitative methods or practice recommendations for differentiating between levels remain undetermined. This leaves the field vulnerable to potential discrepancies between severity categorizations that may have inadvertent service implications. We examined overlap between mild, moderate, and severe impairment classifications based on autism symptoms, cognitive skills, and adaptive functioning in 726 participants (15 months-17 years) with ASD. Participants with mild, moderate, and severe autism symptoms demonstrated varying levels of adaptive and cognitive impairment. These discrepancies highlight the need for a clearly elucidated method of classifying level of support in ASD diagnosis.

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  • Symptom heterogeneity can make it difficult for physicians to consistently identify early signs of developmental delays or ASD in children.

    “This heterogeneity can make it dif fi cult for physicians to consistently identify early signs of developmental delays and/or ASD in children.”

    From Tackling healthcare access barriers for individuals with autism from diagnosis to adulthood (2022) · cites this paper as [50]

    The Discussion (page unavailable) reports variation across autism symptoms, cognitive skills, and adaptive functioning and says this complicates consistent classification of DSM-5 support levels. It does not address whether physicians have difficulty identifying early signs of developmental delay or ASD in children; searches for early identification and screening found no such passage. (LLM, conf=0.83)

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  • It can be very difficult to separate ASD-related severity from IQ and language level.

    “Though it is widely recognized that substantial variability exists in symptom severity among individuals with ASD, it can be very difficult to separate ASD-related severity from IQ and language level (e.g., see Weitlauf et al. 2014).”

    From Recent Advances in Autism Research as Reflected in DSM-5 Criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder (2015) · cites this paper as Weitlauf et al. 2014

  • Weitlauf et al. (2014) used retrospective data analysis to compare three levels of severity across the ADOS comparison score, cognitive ability, and adaptive functioning and found significant discrepancies.

    “Weitlauf et al. (2014) used retrospective data analysis to compare three levels of severity across the ADOS comparison score, cognitive ability, and adaptive functioning and found significant discrepancies.”

    From Recent Advances in Autism Research as Reflected in DSM-5 Criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder (2015) · cites this paper as Weitlauf et al. 2014

  • Concordance was highest for individuals classified as 'severe' across all three measures, whereas agreement between the measures was much lower for individuals scoring in the mild or moderate ranges.

    “Concordance was highest for individuals classified as 'severe' across all three measures, whereas agreement between the measures was much lower for individuals scoring in the mild or moderate ranges.”

    From Recent Advances in Autism Research as Reflected in DSM-5 Criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder (2015) · cites this paper as Weitlauf et al. 2014

  • Substantial variability exists in symptom severity among individuals with ASD.

    “Though it is widely recognized that substantial variability exists in symptom severity among individuals with ASD, it can be very difficult to separate ASD-related severity from IQ and language level (e.g., see Weitlauf et al. 2014).”

    From Recent Advances in Autism Research as Reflected in DSM-5 Criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder (2015) · cites this paper as Weitlauf et al. 2014

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Cites

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3 of the 19 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 5

  1. Kaufman, A. S., & Kaufman, N. L. (1990). Kaufman brief intelligence test: Manual. Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service.
  2. Lord, C., Rutter, M., DiLavore, P., Risi, S., Gotham, K., & Bishop, S. L. (2012a). Autism diagnostic observation schedule (ADOS-2): manual (2nd ed.). Los Angeles: Western Psychological Services.
  3. Roid, G. H. (2003). Stanford-binet intelligence scales, examiner manual (5th ed.). Itasca, IL: Riverside.
  4. Roid, G. M., & Miller, L. J. (1997). Leiter international performance scale—revised: Examiners manual . Wood Dale, IL: Stoelting Co.
  5. Wechsler, D. (2003). Wechsler intelligence scale for children—fourth edition administration & scoring manual. San Antonio, TX: Psychological Corporation.

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Metadata

Authors
Weitlauf, A. S., Gotham, K. O., Vehorn, A. C., & Warren, Z. E.
Affiliations
Vanderbilt University (US)
Corresponding author
Weitlauf, Amy S.
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2013-06-28
Volume
44
Issue
2
Pages
471-476
ISSN
  • 0162-3257 (ISSN-L)
  • 1573-3432
DOI
10.1007/s10803-013-1882-z
PMC
PMC3989992
OpenAlex
W2006191265
Cited by
233
References
19
Citations by year
2026: 84 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 37 · 2022: 19 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 14 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 2
FWCI
3.28
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
Locations
  • Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • Autism Research Institute
  • National Institutes of Health (UL1TR000445)
  • Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
  • National Institute of Mental Health (T32MH018921, R01MH100030)
  • National Center for Research Resources (UL1RR024975)
  • National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (P30HD015052)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Child Nutrition and Feeding Issues
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Behavioral and Psychological Studies
Keywords
autism spectrum disorder, DSM-5, severity classification, support levels, diagnostic criteria, adaptive behavior, cognitive impairment, autism symptoms
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Child, Child Development Disorders, Pervasive, Child, Preschool, Cognition, Female, Humans, Male, Severity of Illness Index, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

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