Pervasive Developmental Delay Dallas

Conditions Are Considered Pervasive Developmental Disorders?

There are five types of pervasive development disorders: (pervasive developmental delay)

Autism : Children with autism have problems with social interaction, pretend play, and communication. They also have a limited range of activities and interests. Many -- nearly three out of every four -- children with autism also have some degree of intellectual disability. Children with autism can frequently have seizures as well as low muscle tone. They also have underlying anxiety and resistance to change.

Asperger's syndrome : Like children with autism, children with Asperger's syndrome have difficulty with social interaction and communication. They also have a narrow range of interests. However, children with Asperger's have average or above average intelligence and develop normally in the areas of language and cognition (the mental processes related to thinking and learning). Children with Asperger's often have difficulty concentrating and may have poor coordination. Asperger's is usually not recognized until children have enough language skills to show a limited focus and unusual patterns of speech.

Childhood disintegrative disorder: Children with this rare condition begin their development normally in all areas, physical and mental. At some point, usually between ages 2 and 10, a child with this illness loses many of the skills he or she has developed. In addition to the loss of social and language skills, a child with disintegrative disorder may lose control of other functions, including bowel and bladder control.

Rett syndrome : Children with this very rare disorder have the symptoms associated with a PDD and also suffer problems with physical development. They generally suffer the loss of many motor or movement skills -- such as walking and use of their hands -- and develop poor coordination. This condition has been linked to a defect on the X chromosome, so it almost always affects girls.

Pervasive development disorder, not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS): This category is used to refer to children who have significant problems with communication and play, and some difficulty interacting with others, but are too social to be considered autistic. It's sometimes referred to as a milder form of autism.