Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD)

Print this Page

Pervasive Developmental Disorder, or PDD, is a general term for a spectrum of disorders that share a pervasive and qualitative impairment in some or all of the following areas of development:

Reciprocal socialization skills
Communication skills
Repetitive behaviors, interests and activities

The behaviors are qualitatively distinct from those expected from children of the same developmental age.

A reference to Pervasive Developmental Disorder is a reference to a spectrum of disorders, including Autistic Disorder, Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS), Asperger’s Disorder, Rett’s Disorder and Childhood Disintegrative Disorder. The term PDD is a medical term often used interchangeably in the general public with the term Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This can be confusing due to the fact that Rett’s Disorder and Childhood Disintegrative Disorder are not a part of the Autism Spectrum and Autism, PDD-NOS and Asperger’s are. In addition, PDD and PDD-NOS should be seen as distinct. PDD is the term used to identify the “umbrella” that describes the above disorders, while PDD-NOS is a specific disorder within the “umbrella”.

Symptoms span all three of the above mentioned areas of development
Wide variations in symptom presentation
Symptoms evident prior to three years of age
Symptoms can be lifelong
Characteristics are observable behaviors
Incidence rates vary widely, but are typically reported to be between 4-40 out of 10,000 births
Four times more common in males than females
Cause unknown
Seizure disorder in one-third of individuals
Early intervention and individualized training essential to progress.

For more information about autism and other Pervasive Developmental Disorders, please visit:

NIMH - Autism - Online Publication
Indiana Resource Center for Autism (IRCA)
Central Indiana Chapter - Autism Society of America
Autism Symptom Handout
Autism and the Holidays
Kid's Quest

US News - America's Best Children's Hospitals 2008

Web Design: NetMediaOne