DEFINATION: The term pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs) refers to a group of developmental conditions that affect children and involve delays or impairments in communication and social skills.
EXPLANATION: All pervasive developmental disorders affect communication and social skills, as well as cognitive skills and behaviour.
All PDDs have things in common, but each has specific characteristics that set it apart from the others. All pervasive developmental disorders affect communication and social skills, as well as cognitive skills and behaviour.
Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD) are a class of conditions to which Autism, Asperger’s, Rett Syndrome and others belong. It is not a diagnosis in and of itself It is simply a descriptive term. Each of the PDD conditions has specific diagnostic criteria which must be met in order to satisfy the requirements of the DSM IV.
AGE OF ONSET: Signs of a PDD are usually recognizable before a child is 3 years old. However, symptoms can range from severe to so subtle that they seem to be normal aspects of a young child’s development. For that reason, it may take a few years for PDD to be fully identified.
CLASSIFICATION:
- Autistic disorder
- Retts disorder
- Childhood disintegrative disorder
- Aspergers disorder
- pervasive developmental disorders not otherwise specified
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS:
Early signs of a PDD can include:
- trouble interacting ,playing with, or relating to others
- avoiding eye contact; not looking at people
- not pointing to objects to direct a parent’s attention to things
- unusual movements, such as hand flapping, spinning, or tapping
- delays in developmental milestones or loss of milestones already achieved
- playing with the same toy in a way that seems odd or repetitive
- not using or understanding language
- not exploring environment with curiosity or interest