Symptoms

PDD
Pervasive Developmental Disorder

PDD or Pervasive Developmental Disorder is a behavioral disorder of speech, communication, social interaction and repetitive type compulsive behavior.

Autism is a form of PDD. There are five types of PDD'S:

• PDD NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified).
• Childhood autism.
• Asperger's syndrome.
• Childhood disintegrative disorder.
• Rett's disease

The most commonly encountered are PDD NOS, Childhood autism and Asperger's syndrome. All these ¡§different¡¨ conditions have common diagnostic and physiologic features but differ slightly in the specific diagnostic criteria.

The general requirements are that one must have symptoms that belong to the three main areas of impairments:

• Speech.
• Social interactions.
• Repetitive stereotype behaviors.

A child who has any type of speech delay, the question of autism or PDD NOS must arise. Recent recommendations by the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) specify some general early guidelines in that regard. These include:

• No babbling by 12 months.
• No pointing or waving bye-bye by 1 year.
• No single words by 16 months.
• No spontaneous 2-word sentences (for communication, not repetition) by 2 years.
• Any loss of acquired speech or communication skills at any age.

  Several speech developmental screening and rating scales are suggested by the AAN but the above guidelines cover the vast majority of children that require more specific evaluation.