Lisa Barrett Mann, M.S.Ed. 

What is PDD-NOS? 

PDD-NOS stands for Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified. In theory, it is supposed to be a "sub-threshold disorder," indicating that a child has some symptoms of autism, but does not fit all the criteria for either Autistic Disorder or Asperger Syndrome.

In practice, the PDD-NOS diagnosis can mean many different things:

• That a child exhibits symptoms of Asperger Syndrome, but the clinician tends not to diagnose AS until the child reaches a certain age (e.g., in the Kansas City area, many children don't seem to get diagnosed with AS until age 8)
• That a very young child exhibits limited communication skills and some symptoms of autism (more of which may appear as he/she gets older)
• That a child exhibits symptoms of high functioning autism, but the clinician and/or parents consider the label PDD-NOS less stigmatizing
• That a child indeed has "atypical autism," meaning he/she doesn't quite fit the criteria for Autistic Disorder OR Asperger Syndrome.

Choosing the best intervention.

Because PDD-NOS can be such a "catch all" diagnosis, the best approach to intervention needs to be judged based on the individual child's characteristics.

If a child is more verbal, and demonstrates good cognitive skills, he would likely benefit from cognitive-behavioral interventions such as those used for children with Asperger Syndrome.

On the other hand, a child who is having difficulty with basic communication skills, is more "disconnected" from the world around him, and exhibits more stereotyped behaviors (e.g., rocking, spinning) would probably benefit more from speech therapy and applied behavior analysis (ABA).