Lancet Commission Calls For New Autism Level Severity Category: ‘Profound Autism’

On December 6, 2021, The Lancet Commission issued a call to create a new category of “profound autism” as an appropriate level of severity in terms of service needs. “Profound autism” describes highly dependent individuals who have intellectual disability (an intelligence quotient (IQ) below 50), minimal language, and who require 24-hour supervision. The purpose of the new category is to improve the quality of life for this population and their families, reduce the risk that this population will be marginalized.

The recommendation to create the new category is one of the seven recommendations in a recently released report by . . .