Problem: Select one diagnostic criteria for autism (I found this website to clearly state information: Autism Diagnosis Criteria) that you are interested in exploring more. Please do not select a broad category like "A. Deficits in social communication" - be specific such as "A.1. Deficits in social-emotional reciprocity." Investigate and summarize what is known about this specific criteria and how it relates to autism. Using the textbook and going beyond the course material is needed for this information. You will need to go beyond what is briefly addressed in the diagnostic criteria wording.
ASD is conceived as occurring along a continuum of severity. Summarize and provide examples of severity levels using the table provided in the website above for the specific diagnostic criteria topic that you selected in #1. Discuss the degree to which the criteria topic that you selected becomes problematic and manifests differently on the continuum.
Consider why many parents of children previously diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, Rhett's syndrome, and other forms of ASD have had positive and negative reactions to the DSM-5 changes. For this information, you can explore what parents have shared on these topics (i.e., personal experience, blogs, social media) as long as you formulate your own conclusions and explanations for these reactions based on course material.