title: Annual research review: re-thinking the classification of autism spectrum disorders.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The nosology of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is at a critical point in history as the field seeks to better define dimensions of social-communication deficits and restricted/repetitive behaviors on an individual level for both clinical and neurobiological purposes. These different dimensions also suggest an increasing need for quantitative measures that accurately map their differences, independent of developmental factors such as age, language level and IQ.
  
  
  METHODS
  Psychometric measures, clinical observation as well as genetic, neurobiological and physiological research from toddlers, children and adults with ASD are reviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The question of how to conceptualize ASDs along dimensions versus categories is discussed within the nosology of autism and the proposed changes to the DSM-5 and ICD-11. Differences across development are incorporated into the new classification frameworks.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is crucial to balance the needs of clinical practice in ASD diagnostic systems, with neurobiologically based theories that address the associations between social-communication and restricted/repetitive dimensions in individuals. Clarifying terminology, improving description of the core features of ASD and other dimensions that interact with them and providing more valid and reliable ways to quantify them, both for research and clinical purposes, will move forward both practice and science.
authors.affiliation: Center for Autism and the Developing Brain, Weill-Cornell Medical College and New York Presbyterian Hospital/Westchester Division, White Plains, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lord
authors.forename: Rebecca M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Jones
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D002665:Child Psychiatry / Q000145:classification / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D002675:Child, Preschool; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D006801:Humans; D038801:International Classification of Diseases / Q000145:classification; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000295:instrumentation*