The PDD-Autism Dx. dilemma...

[Guest guest]

Hi, everyone: After our discussions last week about PDD & Autism, I wrote Dr.

Cyndi Molloy to see if she could clarify things for us a bit. This is what she

wrote:

The current terminology that has been in use for most psychiatrists and

psychologists (esp in the US) is based on the DSM-IV, Diagnostic and Statistical

MAnual of the American Psychiatric Association - 4th edition. In that system,

the major category is Pervasive Developmental Disorder. There are 5 disorders

within that category - Autistic disorder (Autism), Asperger syndrome, PDD-NOS,

Childhood Disintegrative

Disorder and Rhett syndrome. Because CDD and Rhett's are so different from the

others, many leaders in the field have adopted the term Autism Spectrum Disorder

to encompass autism, PDD-NOS and Asperger's. It gets

still more confusing, though because some still differentiate between autism as

the more severe end of the spectrum and ASD referring to PDD-NOS and Aspergers.

Liz