Using Wing’s research as a springboard, the world of autism expanded fast. Psychiatrists began to talk of the “autistic spectrum”. In the last year, the fifth edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-V) has dropped Asperger syndrome as a distinct classification, incorporating children and adults with an AS diagnosis into the wider diagnostic category of Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Despite protest from many people formerly identified as having AS, for whom the diagnosis had been an important step towards accessing much-needed services, the move received Lorna’s enthusiastic support. “One of my favourite sayings is that nature never draws a line without smudging it”, she explained. “We need to see each child as an individual.”