title: Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder and Its Relation to the Autism Spectrum: Dilemmas Arising From the DSM-5 Classification.
abstract: DSM-5 introduced two diagnoses describing neurodevelopmental deficits in social communication (SC); Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder (SPCD). These diagnoses are differentiated by Repetitive and Restricted Behaviors (RRB), required for an ASD diagnosis and absent in SPCD. We highlight the gaps between the research into SPCD and DSM-5's diagnostic criteria, and discuss the clinical implications of this diagnostic decision. We argue that DSM-5's demand for full manifestation of both SC and RRB axes when diagnosing ASD, prematurely forced a categorical view on the continual nature of the potentially dependent SC and RRB phenotypes. We conclude by highlighting the implications of this differential diagnostic decision on public health policies, designated therapy, and the need for further research regarding SPCD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel. yaelbrukner@gmail.com.|Association for Children at Risk, Givat Shmuel, Israel. yaelbrukner@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Yael
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Brukner-Wertman
authors.affiliation: Association for Children at Risk, Givat Shmuel, Israel.|Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.|Yale Child Study Center, New-Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Nathaniel
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Laor
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel. ofer.golan@biu.ac.il.|Association for Children at Risk, Givat Shmuel, Israel. ofer.golan@biu.ac.il.
authors.forename: Ofer
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Golan
mesh_terms: D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000145:classification* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D006801:Humans; D010641:Phenotype; D000067404:Social Communication Disorder / Q000145:classification* / Q000175:diagnosis*
keywords: Autism spectrum disorder; Differential diagnosis; Phenotype; Services; Social communication disorder; Treatment