Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - 5th Ed. Author(s): American Psychiatric Association Now available for reference use is the DSM-5, the new edition of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. In the United States the DSM serves as a universal authority for the diagnosis of psychiatric disorders. Treatment recommendations are often determined by DSM classifications, so the appearance of a new version has significant practical importance. Among revised classifications of interest to special educators and other professionals in the field are the deletion of Asperger syndrome and PDD-NOS as distinct categories and the revision of criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder. Also included is a new category, Social Communication Disorder.