Newbie ? | Autism PDD

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I've tried reading articles and such online but honestly get confused and then distracted or uninterested.
I'd really appreciate it if someone could explain the how the spectrum is set up.
As I'm confused on the differences of Autism, PDD, PDD-NOS, ASP.
Especially since I've seen posts where the diagnosis were changed.
All our Dev.Ped said was that our son had Autism.
We've only had the initial visit, so I'm sure further testing will follow.

I'm wondering how many names or diagnosis fall under the "Spectrum."
And how each one is differentiated.
Sorry, I'm sure this makes me sound so stupid.
But my head is just spinning from all the abbreviations and terms.

If it'd be too much to go into, a link to a layman's/newbies explanatory site would be most appreciated.
Hope I've made sense without seeming too dingy!

Kristys wrote

"Rett's and CDD are very rare.  Rett's is only in girls and has some specific physical symptoms around head circumfernce.  CDD is when a child progresses normally and then completely regresses and loses the skills they had learned."

This info is a little old, although still all over the net.  Rett's used to be considered only found in girls, the assumption being if a boy had Retts the fetus would never survive.  Since finding a blood test for Retts, they have discovered some boys with Retts.  It is extremely rare but still possible for boys to have Retts.  This is one they tested my son for, since his symptoms are so unusual - his came back negative.

CDD is another one that is currently causing confusion among drs and researchers.  Many drs. now say CDD does not exist, and is something else entireley, possibly a mitochondrial disorder.  This is an easy diagnosis when drs. can't explain a reason for the disintegration of cognitive and motor skills in an otherwise healthy child.  Unfortunately, this is another of those disorders I'm way too familiar with, having had a dr. try and diagnose my son with it a couple of years ago.  Fortunately the much more experienced drs., dismissed it as even being a diagnosis.

 

Sorry, more than anyone needed to know about this stuff, but there is too much misinformation still out there.

  I understand your confusion! I took me almost ayear to figure it all out and I still have a ton of questions. ASD is  an abbreviaton for Autism Spectrum Disorders. Meaning all the different types of Autism., from the very severe to the mildest form of Aspergers. PDD/NOS is Pervasive Development Disorder/Not Otherwise Specified. This is what the doctor tells you when they see some developmental dlays and some Autistic traits, but are not sure if it is Autism or some other type of delay. Some times a doctor feels the child is too young to give a concrete diagnosis of Autism, so they will say PDD/NOS. Then they will reacess them at a later date and either keep the PDD diagnosis or decide that yes, now that the child is older and we have more information, we can now say Autism. Hope this helps you!

Here is a visual to show the "spectrum" of Autism and the effect on a person.....

Severe Autism->  ->  Moderate Autism->  -> PDD/NOS->  ->  Aspergers (mildest form)

The "autism spectrum" covers 5 specific diagnoses:

Autism spectrum conditions are typically discussed as three areas of impairment:  Communication, Social Interaction and Repetitive/Restricted Behavior.

For a dx of Autistic Disorder, a child must demonstrate marked impairment in all three areas.  If you look at the DSM-IV you can see the specific criteria in each of those areas.

For Asperger's, the impairments are Social and Repetitive/Restricted behavior only.  Most Asperger's kids talk on time and meet communication milestones so it is not uncommon for kids to be dx'd with Asperger's later than kids dx'd with autistic disorder.  (A friend of mine just got her son's Asperger's dx at the end of kindergarten.)

Rett's and CDD are very rare.  Rett's is only in girls and has some specific physical symptoms around head circumfernce.  CDD is when a child progresses normally and then completely regresses and loses the skills they had learned.  

When a child meets some of the criteria for autistic disorder, but does not meet enough of the criteria for a full blown autistic disorder diagnosis, they are put in the PDD-NOS category.

Note that these 5 categories are medical dx, and are what you would hear from a doctor.  For school, a child is given something called a "disability category" (also known as a "label") for special services.  Most schools only have 1 disability category "autism" to cover the entire spectrum. 

In my case my son has a medical dx of PDD-NOS and an educational disability category as "autism."

I'm still a little (well okay, a lot) confused myself...I get the whole spectrum thing etc...I just don't get PDD-NOS--to me, it seems my son should fall under this.  My son has an underlying brain problem, that seems to be the reason for so many doctors not wanting to dx him with Autism.  Well a doctor finally did dx him and it was autism, but I always wonder why they didn't place him in the PPD-NOS category.  I guess every doctor is different, and maybe once we got that first eval that said NO asd--other dr's were afraid to then give him the dx????

I don't know, if I'll ever truly get it!


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