Celebrating 40 years since DSM-III.

Volkmar (2021) wrote a birthday article. The birthday is for autism’s first listing in the DSM-III manual in 1980. The paper looks back at 40 years of science and practice. It is a story-style review, not a new experiment.

The review says the 1980 DSM-III move made autism “real” in clinics and schools. Since then we got better tools like ADOS and ADI-R. We also got tighter rules in DSM-5. Yet big gaps remain, especially for girls, adults, and people with high IQ.

Bao et al. (2017) saw a drop in new autism cases right after DSM-5 came out. Volkmar (2021) says that drop is part of the long arc of tightening rules since 1980.

Wilson et al. (2013) warned that DSM-5 can miss bright adults. Volkmar (2021) agrees and lists “better detection in high-IQ groups” as a future must-do.

Marshall et al. (2023) found BCBAs now use fewer ABA hours and more non-ABA extras. Volkmar (2021) predicted this drift and calls for stronger dose tracking in the next decade.

You now have a 40-year map in one page. Use it when parents ask why the label keeps changing. Point to the gaps R lists—girls, adults, high IQ—and push for wider assessment. Most of all, guard your own caseload against the drift Marshall found: pair any new fad with solid dose data.