This week, you reviewed the DSM-5 criteria. You connected the deficits-based language to a certain model of disability. While you as the SLP won't "diagnose" autism, you might be the first person to identify characteristics and share them with a parent or client. You will always be a member of an interdisciplinary team supporting autistic children and adults. Since the DSM-5 contains an array of deficits-based language, and jargon, I'm asking you to rephrase the criteria so that you'll be prepared to share it with a parent or client.

	DSM-5 definition	Explain to a parent	Explain to an autistic adult
A.	"Persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts, as manifested by the following, currently or by history"
A.1.	"Deficits in social-emotional reciprocity"
A.2.	"Deficits in nonverbal communicative behaviour used for social interactions"
A.3.	"Deficits in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships"
B.	"Restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests, or activities, as manifested by at least two of the following"
B.1.	"Stereotyped or repetitive motor movements, use of objects, or speech"
B.2.	"Insistence on sameness inflexible adherence to routines or ritualised patterns of verbal or nonverbal behaviour"
B.3.	"Highly restricted, fixated interests that are abnormal in intensity or focus"
B.4.	"Hyper- or hypo- reactivity to sensory input or unusual interest in sensory aspects of the environment"
C.	"Symptoms must be present in the early developmental period"
D.	"Symptoms cause clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of current functioning"
E.	"Not better explained by intellectual disability (intellectual developmental disorder) or global developmental delay"