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What is PDD-NOS?

Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) is a category designated by the American Psychiatric Association to indicate children with delay or deviance in their social/language/motor and/or cognitive development. A child may have delays in social development and delays in one or more of the other categories. The profiles of children with a PDD can vary tremendously. PDD is not one disorder but a category that encompasses a wide range of delays of different magnitude in different domains. Autism is the most severe of the pervasive developmental disorders. Autism indicates a primary disturbance in the individual's ability to relate to others. Language delay and cognitive delays are also common. PDD-NOS represents Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified. This is a diagnosis given to a child who has delays or problems in the development of reciprocal social interaction, verbal and non-verbal communication, or when stereotyped behavior or activities are present. However, the child does not meet the criteria for any specific pervasive developmental disorder. Typically, kids with PDD-NOS will be higher functioning than those with autism, but a little lower functioning than a child with Asperger’s. And, often, a child who receives a diagnosis of PDD-NOS will have it changed to Asperger’s as they get older. Treatment and therapies are the same for PDD-NOS as for autism and Asperger’s, it’s a matter of treating the individual symptoms at the level the child is at.