Brief Report: Interrater Reliability of Clinical Diagnosis and DSM-IV Criteria for Autistic Disorder: Results of the DSM-IV Autism Field Trial.

This study examined the inter-rater reliability of clinician-assigned diagnosis of autism using or not using the criteria specified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV (DSM-IV). For experienced raters there was little difference in reliability in the two conditions. However, a clinically significant improvement in diagnostic reliability occurred when inexperienced raters used the DSM-IV criteria. (Contains references.) (DB)