1. Autism CEU Courses
Professional Development Resources announces 25% Off Autism CEU Courses for the
entire month of April 2013.
April is Autism Awareness Month, and today (April 2nd) is the 6th annual World Autism
Awareness Day. Every April we feature our CE courses that focus on autism with the goal of
contributing to autism awareness among health professionals. This year we are offering 25%
off all of our autism-related courses for the entire month of April 2013.
Families who have a child with autism may face new challenges this year when the long-
awaited revised version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM5)
is published. It is scheduled for release in May 2013. Published by the American Psychiatric
Association, the DSM is considered the "bible" of psychiatry because it establishes the
criteria mental health professionals use to diagnose their patients. According to Clinical
Psychiatry News (Feb. 6, 2013), the new autism requirements in the DSM5 will be more
restrictive than those found in the current DSM-IV.
The intent is to make the diagnosis of autism more precise, but one of the real-life
consequences will be that many individuals who are currently diagnosed with the condition
may no longer qualify under the new criteria. An article published in CNN Health (Dec. 3,
2012) cited research predicting that at least 5% to 10% of patients will no longer meet the
criteria for autism.
Autism CEU Courses
Other predictions are for much higher numbers. One article, published in the journal
Developmental Neurorehabilitation in June 2012, found that over 47% fewer toddlers would
be diagnosed under the DSM5 autism criteria than under the current DSM-IV criteria.
Whether or not such projections prove to be accurate, there is widespread concern among
parents and advocacy groups that individuals who are currently diagnosed and under
treatment may lose their benefits.
While it may take several years for these diagnostic shifts to sort themselves out, it is
important in the meantime for professionals who work with autistic individuals to monitor the
situation closely. We plan to publish new courses as the DSM5 diagnostic criteria are phased
in and new research becomes available.
Professional Development Resources is approved as a provider of continuing education by
the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB #1046); the National Board of Certified
Counselors (NBCC #5590); the American Psychological Association (APA); the National
Association of Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC #000279); the Florida Board
of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling
(#BAP346); the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (#PCE1625); the Texas Board of

2. Behavioral Sciences (#114); the South CarolinaBoard of Professional Counselors and
Marriage & Family Therapists (#193); and the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage &
Family Therapist Board (#RCST100501).