"Pervasive Developmental Disorder": Not a Cop-Out Diagnosis

The diagnosis of "Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified" is not very descriptive and sounds like a catch-all diagnosis. However, it is not.

To give you an idea of what it is, it is also sometimes called "atypical autism." It is a condition where most of the symptoms of autism are present, but not all of them.

There were a lot of clues along the way that there was most likely something amiss with my son (who is now 5 years old), but I kept hoping that I was imagining things. I told myself he was just really unique and was developing at his own pace. Which is true on its face, but it was also an indication that something was wrong.

All of his milestones came later than normal. And with each milestone, the delay was slightly increased (almost as if the delay is by percentage, according to how old he is). He couldn't sit up by himself until he was about 9 months old, he didn't take his first steps until 13 or 14 months old. He never really "babbled" as babies do, and his first words came some time between 1 and 2. His first instinct has always been to see conversation as ritual, rather than communication. And he has always exhibited something called "echolalia" (echoing what you say instead of seeing it as communication and responding to it).

As late as age 4-and-a-half, if I asked him what we did at the park today, his answer was "the park." If I asked him what's wrong if he got hurt, his answer was "what's wrong." You get the idea.

PDD-NOS is an "invisible," but very real disorder.

Credit: Sherry Dedman

Copyright: Sherry Dedman