Art For Children
Pervasive Development Disorder
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.
Autism is the most well-known of the pervasive developmental disorders, so PDDs also are known as autism spectrum disorders.
PDDs also include Asperger syndrome and two less common conditions called childhood disintegrative disorder and Rett syndrome.
Typically, PDDs are first diagnosed during infancy, toddler stage, or early childhood.
All pervasive developmental disorders affect communication and social skills, as well as cognitive skills and behavior.
All PDDs have things in common, but each has specific characteristics that set it apart from the others.
Signs Of A PDD
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 a PDD to be fully identified.
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
Children who show a pattern of these behaviors should be evaluated by their doctor.
There are no blood tests or brain tests (such as MRIs) that diagnose PDDs, although such tests may be used to check for other conditions besides a PDD