PDD-NOS

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I am interested in hearing from folks who are diagnosed with PDD-NOS. Is it really just a catch-all for everyone who is just somewhat neurologically "different"? Do you know what it is that excludes you from a a diagnosis of AS? Does the label of PDD-NOS make you feel sorta lumped together..or left-out in regards to the spectrum? Just interested in hearing people's thoughts on the subject...and possibly some clarification....likesay...what is the difference between PDD-NOS and "Atypical Asperger's"?

Even though I was "assessed" as having AS, there is the likelhood that I am actually more on the PDD-NOS end. The last doctor I visited wrote it on my chart after stating that he thought my assessment for AS was probably accurate...and he wrote PDD-NOS on my chart...

In the absence of a 'smoking gun' it would appear that the designations have a subjective interpretation despite efforts to make them cut and dry. My doctors have agreed that AS is the most likely diagnosis, but that given my age and adaptations that they have difficulty in making an assessment now. Looking back at my records as a child, though, things start to pop up like red flags along the way. It is a catch-all, but I don't think it 'lessens' one's condition... it just may indicate that your affected area is smaller, more specific, or different than what might be typically associated with an ASD. And remember - doctors have to cover their arses at all times in US health care, so by being inclusive in the possible diagnoses there is safety from being accused of not being thorough later.


M.

I was diagnosed PDD-NOS back in 1985 before AS was listed. I'm quite certain that I fit enough criteria for an AS diagnoses at the age of 5. However a neurologist specializing in autism who I saw recently as an adult said he thought I was "on the very border of AS". That was just from talking with me for maybe 30 minutes though. I don't think I'm that mild.

I might be a little atypical of AS though. As a child the biggest issues I had were sensory issues, odd perseverations, and rigid behaviors. Everything had to be "just right" or I'd have massive fits. I was extremely picky about everything, food, clothing, etc. I seem more autistic than AS in many ways (have higher nonverbal IQ than verbal IQ for instance) but I never had many of the communication issues that were required for a diagnosis of autism. I engaged with other people at the appropriate age and played imaginatively with other kids. I was just rigid and got upset easily when things didn't go my way.

The diagnosis of PDD-NOS is a catch-all for any PDD that can't be put into a defined PDD box. It really shows how little understood autism still is. As we know, it varies by degrees and by particulars. One person with AS can have very different "symptoms" from another person, for example. To make things more interesting, because ASD is a spectrum, the cutoffs are not always clear and probably will never be. Maybe one day we'll have diagnoses like "moderate type A AS."

PDDNOS is more than half of all autism diagnoses, so if that's yours, there's no reason to feel at all left out.

Yes. PDDNOS is diagnosed when someone is definitely autistic but does not fit the criteria for any specific kind of autism.

Example:
Speech delay
Repetitive movement
Strong desire to socialize, and ability to understand non-verbal language

Looks like autism, without the non-verbal delay. That's PDD-NOS.

Or:
No speech delay
No repetitive movements or obsessive activities/interests
Inability to socialize or carry on a conversation
Lack of ability to understand other people
Normal intelligence

Looks like Asperger's without the repetitive stuff. That's also PDD-NOS.

Or:
Combination of autism and epilepsy.
In childhood, presents as Asperger's.
Uncontrollable epilepsy during teen years causes regression (loss of skills).
Presents as classic autism thereafter.

Moving from one category to another, but too late for childhood disintegrative disorder to make sense. Also PDD-NOS.

Or:
Two year old child.
Ability to speak single words, but not use them for communication.
Repetitive behavior.
No eye contact or pointing/gesturing.

Mixed bag. This kid's just too young to tell. PDD-NOS again.

See what I mean?

There's a -NOS to most diagnoses.
There's ADHD-NOS even.
I have that on my papers for the moment.

I was given two diagnoses: I apparently fit the criteria for both Aspergers and PDD-NOS when I was diagnosed at 7.

I'm not sure exactly what led to me getting both diagnoses...the psychologist stressed that it the PDD-NOS was the main one because I was very high functioning.

His notes oddly stressed that the Asperger's diagnosis was "tentative" and that "in one or two years time (I) will not fit the criteria for AS". I definitely was a textbook case of AS for several years after that, though.

I've seen case studies of quite a few Aspies initially getting NOS diagnoses when autism and AS were virtually unheard of. I myself was diagnosed in 1995: a year after AS was entered into the DSM. It would make sense to say that NOS could not only be a catch-all for people who don't fit the AS/autism criteria, but could also be used when the people who make the diagnosis know little about the disorder themselves.

It's sometimes used when the doctor doesn't want to say "autism". But that's unethical, in my opinion. He'd better say "autism", and then he'd better explain that that doesn't mean the stereotype. Otherwise the parent will just get "autism" from the Internet somewhere, maybe from Autism Speaks's site, and that's about the worst place to get it. Autism isn't a dirty word, y'know.

PDD-NOS = on the autistic spectrum... somewhere?

That qualifies everyone as on the spectrum Well, most people anyway. For instance, one of the 'care' staff at my school is obssessive over insuring everyone fits stringent narrow social rules... wonder if she's on the spectrum then, and it's manifested itself in a diferent way than most?

When I go back in september, the DSM is coming out