In its fifth edition, forthcoming in 2014, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) may eliminate Asperger Syndrome as a separate diagnosis and subsume its features under the broader umbrella of Autism Spectrum Disorder. This likely change is proving highly controversial. Scientists disagree on whether different autism subtypes lend themselves to shared biomedical investigation; policy makers disagree on whether the educational, medical and social needs of persons with autism may be better served by a general label or by particularized diagnostic categories. This seminar adopts the current debate on the definition of autism as a privileged stand-point from which to explore the interconnection of society, science, and law in the 21st century.

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