PDDNOS is usually diagnosed later than cases of Autism because children are usually 3-4 years old before they exhibit enough symptoms for parents to seek a diagnosis. How do you know if your child has PDDNOS? There is some debate, however, about these statistics being related to new diagnostic criteria. Recent research suggests that PDD may be as common as 1:500 children and autism may occur in 1:1,000 children. Both conditions seem to be increasing in frequency. The main focus of the remainder of this fact sheet is PDDNOS.įact Sheet Continues Below How many children have PPDNOS? There is clinical evidence suggesting that Autism and PDDNOS are on a continuum. Autism is the most severe disorder of this group. For practical purposes, many professionals and others refer to the PDD subcategories as the “autism spectrum” and to the first three disorders listed above as PDD. Rett’s Disorder – communication, social, and play difficulties after a period of normal development dramatic loss of purposeful hand movement resulting in hand-flapping or hand-wringing deceleration of head growth severe psychomotor retardation very rare disorder mainly reported in girlsĬhildhood Disintegrative Disorder – normal development for the first two years and then significant loss in some of the following: language, social skills, play, motor skills, bowel or bladder control very rare disorderĭue to the changing labels for classifications of the disorders within PDD, many diagnosticians do not use them or do not use them accurately. Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified – diminished social interaction and nonverbal communication and delayed language may have delayed cognitive development does not meet the criteria for a specified PDD (Some doctors use the label PDD when referring to PDDNOS also sometimes referred to as mild Autism) There has been considerable debate among the experts in the medical community regarding the labels for disorders classified within the PDD group.Īutistic Disorder – significant difficulties in play, nonverbal communication, and language may have delayed/impaired cognitive developmentĪsperger’s Disorder – diminished social interaction and nonverbal communication normal language and cognitive development Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) is an umbrella term referring to a group of disorders of social interaction, communication, behavior, and cognition.

What is Pervasive Developmental Disorder?

Pervasive development disorders