New guidelines under consideration by the American Psychiatric Association stated on Wednesday that stated that people who have Asperger's syndrome would be a part of the same diagnostic group in which people with pervasive developmental disorders and autism are there.

Guidelines that are known as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders are being revised by psychiatrists. The instruction booklet contains suggestions based on the prescription and development of psychiatric drugs, what treatments are covered under insurance plans, what method do doctors follow while treating their patients, and how patients view their own identities.

The revisions will be in the DSM's fifth edition, which is due in 2013. This proposal is also gathering criticism from all over.

Dr Michael First, professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University, who worked on the version of the DSM that is currently in use said “Scientifically, the distinction is correct; the research on people with these conditions has shown that Asperger's is on the mild end of the spectrum of autistic disorders. This is a case where the science of the decision and social ramifications of the decision are separate."

According to new criteria, symptoms should start in early childhood and for two years deficits should be measured based on social interaction and communication, and the existence of recurring behaviors and fixated interests and behaviors aspects.