DSM-V Initiative
The American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, currently in its 4th edition and often called simply DSM-IV, is the standard diagnostic tool used by mental health professionals worldwide to promote reliable research, accurate diagnosis, and appropriate treatment of cognitive and mental health conditions. Currently, SPD is not included in the DSM. This absence limits awareness of SPD, contributes to the misdiagnosis and inappropriate therapeutic treatment of children, and reduces funding for research. Insurance companies often rely upon the DSM-IV diagnoses and may not cover treatment of SPD because it is not listed in the DSM.

Since 2000, the SPD Foundation has spearheaded an intense campaign for recognition of Sensory Processing Disorder in the revised DSM-V, which will be published in 2012. The SPDF has invested heavily in research and has facilitated complementary studies at premier research institutions across the country and internationally.

In January 2007, the SPD Foundation submitted its first-stage application to the DSM-V committee of the American Psychiatric Association.

Because we completed or published so much additional research in 2007, we prepared and submitted a supplement to our original application in March 2008. This assured that the DSM committee members have the most current data before them as they deliberate.

In April 2008, we received a lengthy and extremely detailed letter from the chair of the DSM committee. In it, he indicated a significant number of additional studies we need to submit before SPD will be recognized. A great deal of hard work obviously remains to be done, and the resources available to underwrite it are not currently sufficient. Nonetheless, we are encouraged that the committee is taking our application very seriously and that the door is still open for us to prove our case.

We will be striving mightily to meet the committee's requirements by 2010. There are two ways you can support this crucial effort:

  • Sign our online petition urging the American Psychiatric Association to include Sensory Processing Order in the DSM-V.
  • Donate NOW to the SPD Foundation - Research that meets the rigorous scientific standards required for inclusion in the DSM is costly. Every donation brings SPD closer to diagnostic validation by funding the work that is essential to achieve it.

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