F84.0, autistic disorder, is billable and is the code DSM-5's autism spectrum disorder maps to. The confusion on this one is historical: DSM-5 collapsed several separate diagnoses into a single spectrum in 2013, but ICD-10-CM still carries the old codes — including F84.5 for Asperger's syndrome, a diagnosis DSM-5 abolished. Below: the F84 table, which codes are effectively legacy, and the testing codes that go with an autism evaluation.
This page is billing and administrative reference. It describes what a code means and whether it can be submitted. It is not clinical advice and does not tell anyone what to diagnose.
| Code | Title | Billable? |
|---|---|---|
| F84.0 | Autistic disorder | Yes |
| F84.2 | Rett's syndrome | Yes |
| F84.3 | Other childhood disintegrative disorder | Yes |
| F84.5 | Asperger's syndrome | Yes |
| F84.8 | Other pervasive developmental disorders | Yes |
| F84.9 | Pervasive developmental disorder, unspecified | Yes |
DSM-5 removed Asperger's syndrome as a separate diagnosis in 2013 and folded it into autism spectrum disorder. ICD-10-CM did not follow, so F84.5 remains a valid, billable code.
That leaves a practical question for anyone coding a current evaluation. A clinician assessing against DSM-5 criteria arrives at autism spectrum disorder, which maps to F84.0. F84.5 describes a diagnosis that current criteria no longer make. It persists in the code set largely for historical records and for patients who carry the older diagnosis, and its continued existence is a source of confusion rather than a choice to weigh.
The same logic applies to F84.9: if the evaluation reached autism spectrum disorder, F84.0 is the accurate code and the unspecified one understates what was established.
Autism evaluation is testing-heavy, and the testing is billed separately from any psychotherapy:
| CPT | Service |
|---|---|
| 96130 | Psychological testing evaluation services, first hour |
| 96131 | … each additional hour |
| 96136 | Test administration and scoring, first 30 minutes |
| 96137 | … each additional 30 minutes |
| 96127 | Brief emotional or behavioral assessment, per instrument |
Behaviour-analytic services carry their own code set (the 97151–97158 adaptive behaviour family) rather than the psychotherapy codes, and those are usually billed by a different provider type under separate authorisation.
| CPT | Service | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 90791 | Psychiatric diagnostic evaluation (no medical services) | — |
| 90832 | Individual psychotherapy | 16–37 minutes |
| 90834 | Individual psychotherapy | 38–52 minutes |
| 90837 | Individual psychotherapy | 53 minutes or more |
| 90847 | Family psychotherapy, patient present | 50 minutes typical |
| 90853 | Group psychotherapy | — |
A 50-minute session is 90834, not 90837 — 90837 begins at 53 minutes.
Family work is common, and 90847 requires the patient to be present; 90846 is family therapy without them.
DSM-5-TR has a single diagnosis, autism spectrum disorder, and prints F84.0 beside it. DSM-5's severity levels — requiring support, requiring substantial support, requiring very substantial support — do not change the code. Asperger's syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder and PDD-NOS no longer exist as DSM diagnoses, although F84.5, F84.3 and F84.9 remain in ICD-10-CM.
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F84.0, autistic disorder. It is billable and is the code DSM-5's autism spectrum disorder maps to.
Yes. F84.5 remains a valid, billable ICD-10-CM code, even though DSM-5 removed Asperger's syndrome as a separate diagnosis in 2013 and folded it into autism spectrum disorder. A clinician assessing against current DSM-5 criteria arrives at autism spectrum disorder, which codes to F84.0.
F84.0 is autistic disorder. F84.9 is pervasive developmental disorder, unspecified. Both are billable, but if the evaluation established autism spectrum disorder, F84.0 is accurate and F84.9 understates it.
The testing series — 96130 and 96131 for evaluation services, 96136 and 96137 for administration and scoring, and 96127 for brief instruments. Behaviour-analytic services use the separate adaptive behaviour code family rather than psychotherapy codes.
Yes. DSM-5-TR lists autism spectrum disorder with F84.0. Its severity levels do not change the code.
Check a code with Afia — freeCodes on this page were verified against the CMS ICD-10-CM code sets for FY2026 and FY2027 (FY2027 effective 1 October 2026). Last reviewed 19 September 2026. Verify against the current official code set before submitting.