PBS News Hour reported on splitting ASD by severity

What did the eminent journalist Judy Woodruff explain about the question of sub-categories of autism?

On the US PBS News Hour for 27 April 2026, Judy Woodruff and Mary Fecteau reported about differing views regarding whether autism spectrum disorder is too broad and whether individuals with the most substantial needs risk not receiving needed services with the continued classification system that has dominated diagnoses of autism since the 1990s. Although Ms. Woodruff’s reporting employs typical journalist forms—case interviews, comments by experts, etc.—it strongly conveys many ideas and nuances that readers of Special Education Today will recognized quickly. The report is available at “New focus on autism fuels debate over splitting the spectrum” (full transcript available). Here is a link to the (nearly 10-minute) segment as published on PBS’s YouTube channel:

This is another in Ms. Woodruff’s series of reports called “Disability Reframed.” Readers of SET have seen previous coverage of Ms. Woodruff’s reporting about disability. We have carried notices about her reporting 30 December 2022 (changing views of health care); 25 February 2025 (risks about special education services, which included an interview with SET’s David Bateman); and 31 January 2026 (adult day care). Her reports are excellent examples of how journalism can function as objective advocacy for our kids and our business.

I want to express SET’s thanks to both the reporters, Ms. Woodruff and Ms. Fecteau, and the PBS news network for providing this sensitive, caring, and fact-based story. Kids with disabilities, their parents, and special educators are well served by such coverage.