Autism Types

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Since 1990s, autism spectrum disorder no longer to being combined with schizophrenia, this era started on psychiatrists decide to made the standard of statistic of diagnosis called as Diagnosis and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, coined as DSM that issued by American Psychiatric Association (APA). In 1990s, DSM introduced as the DSM-3 and later the DSM-4. Each of DSM has a slightly or even significant improvements of measure and diagnose the one disorder. In this article, the writer uses the latest DSM that exists until today, DSM-4 and DSM-5 with its revision call as DSM-5-TR.

In 21st century, the prognosis of diagnosis will follow into other sources of instruction book for all medical purpose. It is called as International Statistical Classification of Disease (ICD) that issued by World Health Organization (WHO). ICD itself was a famous way by the doctor to determine a prognosis of disease from all human beings. By using an ICD method, the doctor addresses the patient into right treatment and right medication. The writer would use the ICD as the supportive info from DSM itself and only focused on two sources of ICD, they are ICD-10 and ICD-11.

Autism spectrum disorder itself has a different approach each of versions of diagnostic guide. In this moment, the writer briefs each diagnostic guide into general term that the general audience nurture further about autism in medical way.


Page 95 of 915 from Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-4) about autistic disorder. Source: DSM-4

Started from 1996, on DSM-4, autism is briefly as autistic disorder (AD). Autistic disorder itself does not “being the umbrella term” of all autism in that time. Instead, autism has divides into four types of autism: Autistic Disorder, Rett Syndrome Disorder, Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Specified, and Asperger Syndrome. These four types of autism have a different meaning of prognosis, autistic disorder will occur on mostly male in 3 years old, Rett syndrome that will occur on female with cerebral palsy and from 6 months old, and Asperger syndrome that occur on male or female in 3 years old later (which is from childhood into adolescence). In this section, the writer only focuses on autistic disorder details and Asperger syndrome details, which these two disorder are related and tied on future term.


F84.0 about childhood autism in ICD-10, same as goes as Autistic Disorder in DSM-4. Source: ICD-10

Autistic disorder itself is a disorder that the patient suffer a social communication that leading into the patient became less verbally to others, or even being nonverbal, became being suffer an intellectual disability (which is the disorder that toward into academic aspects of life to nurture knowledge), became being suffer on regulating emotion (such as aggression and impulsive), and became being suffer into other disorder that related into mental disorders and personality disorders. The official code of autistic disorder in ICD itself is F84.0.


F84.5 about Asperger syndrome in ICD-10. Source: ICD-10

While Asperger syndrome itself a disorder that tied up on autistic disorder, but only leading into the patient became awkward to initiating a social communication. While the Asperger patient will normal on cognition, language skill, and more special interests. Asperger itself does have a following comorbidity of occurring disorder like personality disorder and mental disorder, but less severe and manageable. The official code of Asperger syndrome in ICD itself is F84.5.

Then on 2013, on DSM-5, autism became an umbrella term, becoming as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) since the variant of each patient that differ from each other. In DSM-5, autism no longer exists into different types of diagnosis that would be confused on general audience. Instead, the psychiatrist introduces the diagnosis into the level of severity, base on how the patient suffer the autism that will be originate into how important the supportive acknowledge to the patient as the general audience. There are three levels of severity of autism that uses until nowadays. level 1 autism, which is most less supportive require to the patient (which this level replaces the term of Asperger’s syndrome), then level 2 autism, the autism spectrum that require the substantial support, and level 3 autism, the autism spectrum that need to be very supportive require to being help up as the general audiences. 

Levels of severity based on DSM-5, divided into 3 levels of autism. Source: thrivingwellnesscenter
(In English)





Levels of severity based on DSM-5, divided into 3 levels of autism. Source: instagramcom/xabiru
(in Bahasa Indonesia)


On ICD-11, autism spectrum disorder coded as 6A02, with other various behind code that co-exists there.



Screenshot of 6A02, classifies as autism spectrum disorder base on ICD-11. Source: ICD-11.

Therefore, the further classifications of each disorder would be discussed on general features of autism in children and adult section.