What is the ICD-10 and how does it differ from DSM-IV?
The ICD-10 is the 10th edition of a classification system of diseases, health conditions and procedures developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), that is the international standard for the labeling and numeric coding of diseases and health related problems. Within this system, all diseases / conditions are assigned numbers in hierarchical order. There are small differences in the terms and criteria in DSM-IV and ICD-10 but in most instances they are of no practical significance. Services to children with ASD must be assigned ICD-10 codes for reimbursement by third party payers. DSM-IV refers to The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association, 4th edition. It includes the Diagnostic Criteria for the most common mental disorders including: description, diagnosis, treatment, and research findings. It is the main diagnostic reference of Mental Health professionals in the United States of America (as distinguished from the ICD, which is an international
