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The Truth About PDD-NOS

Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified
(PDD-NOS; also called “atypical autism”)
People who meet some of the criteria for autistic disorder or Asperger syndrome, but not all, may be diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified. People with PDD-NOS usually have fewer and milder symptoms than those with autistic disorder.  The symptoms might cause only social and communication challenges.


Characteristics of PDD-NOS
No two individuals diagnosed with any neurobehavioral disorder are exactly alike. However, individuals with PDD-NOS may exhibit some or all of the characteristics of the neurobehavioral disorder continuum (ADD/ADHD, Asperger’s Syndrome, Tourrette’s Syndrome, PDD, Autism, Processing Disorders, and Learning Disabilities). These characteristic include but are not limited to:

  • Atypical or inappropriate social behavior
  • Uneven skill development (motor, sensory, visual-spatial organizational, cognitive, social, academic, behavioral)
  • Poorly developed speech and language comprehension skills
  • Difficulty with transitions
  • Deficits in nonverbal and/or verbal communication
  • Increased or decreased sensitivities to taste, sight, sound, smell and/or touch
  • Perseverative (repetitive or ritualistic) behaviors (i.e., opening and closing doors repeatedly or switching a light on and off )

The Confusion of Diagnostic Labels
There continues to be some disagreement among professionals concerning the PDD-NOS label. Some professionals consider the term “Autistic Disorder” appropriate only for those who show extreme symptoms in every one of the various developmental areas related to autism. However, many professionals (as well as the most recent research) consider the term “Autistic Spectrum Disorder” appropriate for all those who exhibit symptoms in many if not all of the developmental areas related to autism. Other professionals are more comfortable with the term PDD-NOS and use it to cover a broad range of sub-threshold symptoms connected with language and social dysfunction. Therefore, an individual may be diagnosed by one practitioner as having Autistic Disorder, another as having Autistic Spectrum Disorder and yet by another practitioner as having PDD-NOS (or PDD, if the practitioner is abbreviating for PDD-NOS).

Historically a child diagnosed with PDD-NOS exhibits some of the behaviors that are seen in autism but does not meet the full DSM-IV criteria for having Autistic Disorder. Despite the DSM-IV concept of Autistic Disorder and PDD-NOS being two distinct types of PDD, there is clinical evidence suggesting that Autism and PDD-NOS are on a continuum or spectrum (i.e., an individual with Autistic Disorder can improve and be re-diagnosed as having PDD-NOS, or a young child can begin with PDD-NOS, develop more autistic features, and be re-diagnosed as having Autistic Disorder).