The change would lump people with Asperger syndrome — a high-functioning form of autism — into the general spectrum, which might make some who previously identified themselves with the syndrome feel some identity loss, said Katie Meyer, graduate student and researcher at the MSU Autism Laboratory.

“A lot of people who have higher functioning disorders like Asperger consider it part of their personality just as much as a diagnosis or disability,” Meyer said.

Similarly, those with other forms of autism might feel they are lumped with the Asperger community, Meyer said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated one in every 110 children in the U.S. have an autism spectrum disorder, according to data compiled in 2006.

Brooke Ingersoll, assistant professor of psychology, has been conducting autism research for more than a decade and said she is happy with the possible change to the DSM because it is more in line with how doctors and researchers diagnose autism.

Ingersoll said she predicts slightly fewer diagnoses of autism if the new definition is published.

But the new spectrum definition, which measures the functioning level of individuals’ social communication and restrictive and repetitive behaviors, might affect what services people receive for their functional impairments.

“I think they will continue to get services if they have a functional impairment, it just may not be under the autism spectrum,” Ingersoll said.

Supply chain management sophomore Vaibhav Mehta, who has a 12-year-old brother with severe autism, said he does not believe the new DSM definition will affect the quality of care people such as his brother will receive.

“It won’t make it so anyone who has problems won’t get the attention if they really need it,” Mehta said.