Johns Hopkins Psychiatry Guide
Autism Spectrum Disorder
DEFINITION
- Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairments in two major areas:
- Social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts and
- Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, and activities
- ASD is classified under the Neurodevelopmental Disorders section of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5)[1].
- The DSM-5 has an extensive, but not exhaustive, list of criteria for ASD. For these detailed criteria, please see the DSM-5 itself.
- The DSM-5 outlines detailed diagnostic criteria requiring that symptoms are present in early development, cause clinically significant impairment, and are not better explained by intellectual disability or global developmental delay.
- The current classification of ASD consolidates previous DSM-IV diagnoses[2], including: Autistic disorder; Childhood disintegrative disorder; Pervasive developmental disorder, not otherwise specified; Asperger’s disorder.
There's more to see -- the rest of this topic is available only to subscribers.
Last updated: October 2, 2025
Citation
Salfi, Nicole, et al. "Autism Spectrum Disorder." Johns Hopkins Psychiatry Guide, The Johns Hopkins University, 2025. Johns Hopkins Guides, www.hopkinsguides.com/hopkins/view/Johns_Hopkins_Psychiatry_Guide/787035/1/Autism_Spectrum_Disorder.
Salfi N, Williams JC, Ji NY. Autism Spectrum Disorder. Johns Hopkins Psychiatry Guide. The Johns Hopkins University; 2025. https://www.hopkinsguides.com/hopkins/view/Johns_Hopkins_Psychiatry_Guide/787035/1/Autism_Spectrum_Disorder. Accessed October 8, 2025.
Salfi, N., Williams, J. C., & Ji, N. Y. (2025). Autism Spectrum Disorder. In Johns Hopkins Psychiatry Guide. The Johns Hopkins University. https://www.hopkinsguides.com/hopkins/view/Johns_Hopkins_Psychiatry_Guide/787035/1/Autism_Spectrum_Disorder
Salfi N, Williams JC, Ji NY. Autism Spectrum Disorder [Internet]. In: Johns Hopkins Psychiatry Guide. The Johns Hopkins University; 2025. [cited 2025 October 08]. Available from: https://www.hopkinsguides.com/hopkins/view/Johns_Hopkins_Psychiatry_Guide/787035/1/Autism_Spectrum_Disorder.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
TY - ELEC
T1 - Autism Spectrum Disorder
ID - 787035
A1 - Salfi,Nicole,M.D.
AU - Williams,J.,
AU - Ji,Na,M.D.
Y1 - 2025/10/02/
BT - Johns Hopkins Psychiatry Guide
UR - https://www.hopkinsguides.com/hopkins/view/Johns_Hopkins_Psychiatry_Guide/787035/1/Autism_Spectrum_Disorder
PB - The Johns Hopkins University
DB - Johns Hopkins Guides
DP - Unbound Medicine
ER -
