Pervasive Development Disorder
A Pervasive Developmental Disorder is used as an umbrella term for all of the following related disorders: Autism, Asperger's Syndrome, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, Rett syndrome and Pervasive Development Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, or PDD-NOS, for short. All of these disorders differ slightly but share the very general common characteristics which lead to difficulty in socializing with others, repetitive behaviors, and heightened sensitivities to certain stimuli. This article will focus on the PDD-NOS Pervasive Developmental Disorder since that is what most people mean to refer to even if they unintentionally leave the last -NOS out of the term. Individuals with PDD-NOS behave similarly to those with classic autism in many ways. Firstly, it's important to understand that one person affected with PPD-NOS will not act exactly like the next person who is affected with the same disorder (as is the case for autism) so it's important to recognize that you are dealin...