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Does Narrowing The Autism Spectrum Hurt Or Help Kids On The Fringe?

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Shayan Forough  goes through Applied Behavior Analysis therapy with his  instructor in Oct. 2008. (AP)
Shayan Forough goes through Applied Behavior Analysis therapy with his instructor in Oct. 2008. (AP)

An expert panel is recommending changing the very definition of Autism that's currently found in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the "bible" of mental health, published by the American Psychiatric Association.

It's a potentially enormous shift with an equally enormous set of consequences.

Could these proposed changes in the way the disease is diagnosed curtail an epidemic, or deny some children the services they need?

Guests:

  • Ilyse Levine Kanji, committee member, Westborough School Committee
  • Dr. Catherine Lord, director, Institute for Brain Development; task force member, DSM-5
  • Benjamin Nugent, director of creative writing, Southern New Hampshire University; briefly diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome

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This program aired on February 7, 2012.

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