MERLD does exist!

[Anonymous]

There's been some argument about this category in recent days, but I hope that this post will lay the issue to rest, rather stir up more trouble. DSM V deleted MERLD as a diagnosistic category, but it lives on in another important place - ICD-10. ICD-10 is the International Classification of Diseases, 10th edition, and it's where those code numbers on your medical invoices come from. You can't get an insurance reimbursement for treatment without one of those codes, so users of DSM-V have to translate their diagnosis into an ICD-10 diagnosis . So it turns out that F80.2 is Mixed Receptive-Expressive Language Disorder.

http://www.icd10data.com/ICD10CM/Codes/F01-F99/F80-F89/F80-/F80.2

I trust this will lay this particular issue to rest, and we will have one less dumb thing to argue about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There's been some argument about this category in recent days, but I hope that this post will lay the issue to rest, rather stir up more trouble. DSM V deleted MERLD as a diagnosistic category, but it lives on in another important place - ICD-10. ICD-10 is the International Classification of Diseases, 10th edition, and it's where those code numbers on your medical invoices come from. You can't get an insurance reimbursement for treatment without one of those codes, so users of DSM-V have to translate their diagnosis into an ICD-10 diagnosis . So it turns out that F80.2 is Mixed Receptive-Expressive Language Disorder.

http://www.icd10data.com/ICD10CM/Codes/F01-F99/F80-F89/F80-/F80.2

I trust this will lay this particular issue to rest, and we will have one less dumb thing to argue about.

Need to correct what I just wrote. The codes are from ICD-10 but DSM-V uses the same code numbers with sometimes different definitions and more details, so DSM-V does the translation for you.

[Anonymous]

I think it depends which professional you talk to. I have posted before. My son was diagnosed with MERLD and I was pretty much told down the line that some professionals use MERLD and ASD interchangeably because the interventions are the same. Often you can get more services in school with the ASD diagnosis. In the end it doesn't matter. Your goal is to get as much intervention as possible tailored to your child's individual needs and both that varies more from child to child than from ASD to MERLD.

The most interesting thing I was told was brain scans of those with ASD and MERLD were similar, but I didn't do a lit search so not sure if that was anecdotal.

The DSM is ever evolving. They used to have Aspergers as a separate diagnosis too. Many years ago I believe I read homosexuality was considered a disorder as per DSM early editions. A group of professionals meet and make adjustments. It is not carved in stone.

[Anonymous]

I agree that it might vary by type of professional. DS, who is very verbal but has difficulty with pragmatics and non literal language, was diagnosed with ASD by a neuropsych and MERLD by a SLP. The ASD is clearly the correct diagnosis.

[Anonymous]

Crazy-obsessed MERLD parent,

No one, absolutely NO ONE said MERLD "doesn't exist." Simply that it's no longer in the current DSM and is covered by these diagnoses:

--Language Impairment
--Late Language Emergence
--Specific Language Impairment
--Social Communication Disorder
--Voice Disorder

The ICD is different and yes, relates to medical coding. You get a diagnosis from the DSM and a billing code from the ICD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: I think it depends which professional you talk to. I have posted before. My son was diagnosed with MERLD and I was pretty much told down the line that some professionals use MERLD and ASD interchangeably because the interventions are the same. Often you can get more services in school with the ASD diagnosis. In the end it doesn't matter. Your goal is to get as much intervention as possible tailored to your child's individual needs and both that varies more from child to child than from ASD to MERLD.

The most interesting thing I was told was brain scans of those with ASD and MERLD were similar, but I didn't do a lit search so not sure if that was anecdotal.

The DSM is ever evolving. They used to have Aspergers as a separate diagnosis too. Many years ago I believe I read homosexuality was considered a disorder as per DSM early editions. A group of professionals meet and make adjustments. It is not carved in stone.

They are not the same nor are services. ASD has an Aba focus for services, MERLD has a speech therapy focus. They are very different. Our ABA therapist ended up doing very basic speech and did not really understand the complexity of it so it was more play than anything, which of course is not real ABA. Speech therapy for a true MERLD kid is far better. The advantage of an autism diagnosis is most insurances will pay Aba, speech, ot and pt. with a language disorder, few pay. Kids with MERLD can show with autism quirks early on but the difference is MERLD kids often outgrow them vs. they stay but may change form as kids grow older. Having the right diagnosis and understanding it, helps parents get better services catered to their child's needs

Many people do not understand language disorders and anyone lumping the, in as ASD should not be diagnosing. Diagnosing is not an exact science. It is a guessing game where kids have to fit in checkboxes, sadly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Crazy-obsessed MERLD parent,

No one, absolutely NO ONE said MERLD "doesn't exist." Simply that it's no longer in the current DSM and is covered by these diagnoses:

--Language Impairment
--Late Language Emergence
--Specific Language Impairment
--Social Communication Disorder
--Voice Disorder

The ICD is different and yes, relates to medical coding. You get a diagnosis from the DSM and a billing code from the ICD.

You are just as obsessed as the OP... Really, who cares. It is a term used to describe children with bot receptive and expressive language issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree that it might vary by type of professional. DS, who is very verbal but has difficulty with pragmatics and non literal language, was diagnosed with ASD by a neuropsych and MERLD by a SLP. The ASD is clearly the correct diagnosis.

You went to a bad SLP if they diagnosed a very verbal child with MERLD.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Not obsessed. Just saw a disagreement, and thought I would answer with the facts. Note that I did not say what my child has, so you have no way to know if I am a "MERLD Parent" or not.

Since facts are apparently not relevant to this issue, I am done with it. I suggest you let this thread die the quiet death it deserves.

Bye.

[Anonymous]

No one said the symptoms don't exist. I said the diagnostic category doesn't exist in the DSM-V. (Which you just said.)

MERLD is like Asperger's. It's a handy label to describe a group of symptoms for lay people, but as a diagnostic category in the US, it is not correct. It is not used because it was not functionally useful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: I think it depends which professional you talk to. I have posted before. My son was diagnosed with MERLD and I was pretty much told down the line that some professionals use MERLD and ASD interchangeably because the interventions are the same. Often you can get more services in school with the ASD diagnosis. In the end it doesn't matter. Your goal is to get as much intervention as possible tailored to your child's individual needs and both that varies more from child to child than from ASD to MERLD.

The most interesting thing I was told was brain scans of those with ASD and MERLD were similar, but I didn't do a lit search so not sure if that was anecdotal.

The DSM is ever evolving. They used to have Aspergers as a separate diagnosis too. Many years ago I believe I read homosexuality was considered a disorder as per DSM early editions. A group of professionals meet and make adjustments. It is not carved in stone.

Of course, they are similar. Lots of kids with ASD have receptive language disorder and expressive language disorder as part of their ASD. That is going to look exactly like the language deficits that kids with MERLD have.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Crazy-obsessed MERLD parent,

No one, absolutely NO ONE said MERLD "doesn't exist." Simply that it's no longer in the current DSM and is covered by these diagnoses:

--Language Impairment
--Late Language Emergence
--Specific Language Impairment
--Social Communication Disorder
--Voice Disorder

The ICD is different and yes, relates to medical coding. You get a diagnosis from the DSM and a billing code from the ICD.

Medical coders don't diagnosis. Since no responsible professional should be giving a MERLD diagnosis under the DSM-V, the MERLD billing code shouldn't be used any longer. It's just a vestigal remnant of the old diagnostic category.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: I think it depends which professional you talk to. I have posted before. My son was diagnosed with MERLD and I was pretty much told down the line that some professionals use MERLD and ASD interchangeably because the interventions are the same. Often you can get more services in school with the ASD diagnosis. In the end it doesn't matter. Your goal is to get as much intervention as possible tailored to your child's individual needs and both that varies more from child to child than from ASD to MERLD.

The most interesting thing I was told was brain scans of those with ASD and MERLD were similar, but I didn't do a lit search so not sure if that was anecdotal.

The DSM is ever evolving. They used to have Aspergers as a separate diagnosis too. Many years ago I believe I read homosexuality was considered a disorder as per DSM early editions. A group of professionals meet and make adjustments. It is not carved in stone.

Of course, they are similar. Lots of kids with ASD have receptive language disorder and expressive language disorder as part of their ASD. That is going to look exactly like the language deficits that kids with MERLD have.

Huh? No, MERLD and ASD are not similar. Kids can be both, but they are not inclusive. You can have expressive and receptive issues without ASD. It looks different as the children present very differently. With just MERLD, most kids outgrow the concerns as the language progresses, with ASD, they often remain. MERLD kids do not have the same struggles when they are older as ASD. But, if it makes you feel better to lump all these kids together, go for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No one said the symptoms don't exist. I said the diagnostic category doesn't exist in the DSM-V. (Which you just said.)

MERLD is like Asperger's. It's a handy label to describe a group of symptoms for lay people, but as a diagnostic category in the US, it is not correct. It is not used because it was not functionally useful.

The term Asperger's is helpful as it describes a grouping of kids with very specific traits, including being highly verbal. MERLD is helpful as it means a child has both expressive and receptive language issues. It is very functionally useful, just maybe not to your child specifically.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one said the symptoms don't exist. I said the diagnostic category doesn't exist in the DSM-V. (Which you just said.)

MERLD is like Asperger's. It's a handy label to describe a group of symptoms for lay people, but as a diagnostic category in the US, it is not correct. It is not used because it was not functionally useful.

The term Asperger's is helpful as it describes a grouping of kids with very specific traits, including being highly verbal. MERLD is helpful as it means a child has both expressive and receptive language issues. It is very functionally useful, just maybe not to your child specifically.

Useful for lay people. Not useful for professionals, which is why both have been removed from the DSM-V.