Which two core symptom areas are required for a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD)?

• A. Hallucinations and disorganized thinking
• B. Deficits in social communication and interaction, and restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities
• C. Mood instability and attention deficits
• D. Impaired motor coordination and delayed language development

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by specific core symptom areas that are essential for diagnosis according to the DSM-5 criteria.
2. Identify the first core symptom area: deficits in social communication and social interaction. This includes difficulties in social-emotional reciprocity, nonverbal communicative behaviors, and developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships.
3. Identify the second core symptom area: restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities. This can include repetitive movements, insistence on sameness, highly restricted interests, or hyper- or hypo-reactivity to sensory input.
4. Recognize that other symptoms such as hallucinations, mood instability, attention deficits, impaired motor coordination, or delayed language development are not core diagnostic criteria for ASD, although some may co-occur.
5. Conclude that the diagnosis of ASD requires the presence of both core symptom areas: deficits in social communication and interaction, and restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities.