This is just inaccurate.

Yes, they are talking about a new diagnostic criteria in the DSM-5.

No, it won't drop half of ASD children. No, it won't prevent them from getting treatment. No, its not this thing that articles should be scaremongering about.

The new criteria are actually cleaning up the old criteria and are actually far better. It is theoretically possible for a few people to no longer qualify - however they're also adding social communication disorder in to the DSM which those people would fall into.

This study that's being referenced was a very poorly done study that is only being used for the point of scaremongering. All of the better done studies (like not using data collected years ago that doesn't actually have the information relevant for the study) have said that it won't be dropping the higher functioning people, whether they're children or adults.

The new criteria is specifically written up to be general and specifically written up to include a wide range of people. People who don't bother looking at the criteria might think they start dropping higher functioning people, but its really not a risk.

1. People who are diagnosed are already diagnosed. They aren't losing their diagnoses.
2. The criteria has been explicitly written for making sure it includes higher functioning people.
3. The diagnosis actually doesn't get even children much in the way of treatment and in most states doesn't get them it covered by insurance. They can still get OT, speech therapy, and such without a diagnosis. I'm someone who feels someone should get diagnosed because of the help that people can get, but truthfully, you can get it without the diagnosis, it just is far more irritating to do without, and actually easier to do as a child than as an adult. I wasn't diagnosed until age 22. I saw autism specialists before that point, despite not having a diagnosis.

Really, you don't have reason to be scared.

And the new criteria is far far better written than the old one.