PDD is the umbrella term for all autistic spectrum disorders.
NOS is not otherwise specified. This means that he doesn't neatly meet the criteria of any specific PDD like autistic disorder or asperger's.
Kids do move on the autistic spectrum, so it can change a bit over time. Also, the asperger's a lot of times is something that specialists don't want to commit to until later childhood.
I have 3 sons, all have gotten autistic spectrum diagnoses, and all micro-array genetics testing showed nothing. It shows in only 30% of cases currently.
Suggestions:
join your local autism chapter to hook up w/ other parents and for resources.
Call your local school district and have him assessed for the autism program.
My oldest son was developing typically until 15 months old. He got a vaccine, had a reaction, and many illnesses in a short period of time. Then everything stopped. He stopped talking, walking, sitting, waving, eyecontact, playing all he did was scream and hold his head. (Encephalopathy-a side effect-basically brain damage). He got a lot of unusual serious illnesses over the next 18 months. He is 10, and has PDD.NOS. He saw a homeopath who got his health together (after a year of tx and 3000 dollars later), and his skills returned though not the same as before.
before your son lost his skills at 2 did he have any type of illnesses, injuries, or severe adverse reactions to a vaccine?
my middle son, had a stroke during birth, and that is how the specialists explain his autism, and my oldest from the illnesses (rheumatic fever, kawasaki disease, scarlet fever 2x, roseola, 5th disease, hand foot and mouth...)
If he's not talking it is pdd.Is it aspergus or PDD-NOS?
The diagnoses are a continuum. Asperger's syndrome does present issues, but it isn't as bad as PDD-NOS, which isn't as bad as autism. Every child has strengths and weaknesses, and you are trying to make up for deficits.
Nobody knows why kids get autism, or why is so much more prevalent now than 30 years ago. We do know it has some genetic component. We have no idea what gene encodes autism. It is true that if a child has autism, it is much more likely that a sibling will have autism versus a random member of the population.
Early intervention - now - can help. I can speak from direct experience.
In California, you would contact Regional Center, which provides assistance for individuals with disabilities. You should be contacting your school and their special needs team to figure out an appropriate placement. I can't help you at all if you're not in the United States, but I would suggesting looking at your state government and the human services/disabled services department.
You have a lot of work ahead of you. Children on the autistic spectrum usually have issues with fine motor control (occupational therapy is used to ameliorate this) and sensory integration disorder, plus speech issues. We went to the school who helped us identify our child's deficits and then we put in a plan to correct them. We spent a lot of money out of pocket and attended a number of IEP (Individualized Education Plan) meetings to make sure we were on track with achieving our goals.
You are your child's advocate. Nobody cares more about him than you do. He can't speak for himself (literally!), and you need to become informed on this issue in order to make sure he develops normally. Key to moving forward is to understand where you are now. Good luck.
autism is such a mystery.my 6 year old son has pdd-nos and theyre are so many questions i have not found the answer to what i do know is it's all just a label.all kids have strengths and weaknesses.I hope he is in speech therapy that is the first step.then he needs to me on Medicaid if you can or katie beckett medicaid if you make a good bit of money.they pay for almost everything.then check on occupational therapy it has helped my son alot.next work with his language all day...anything from what is on his shirt to trying to get him to ask for things and so on.Aba therapy is awesome however that you have to pay out of pocket.Join a support group even if it's just an online one.it will help and is nice to have someone to talk to.you are welcome to email me ahstromatt@yahoo.com with any question or to just talk.My son was the first i ever heard of autism.anyways aspergus is tricky and can't to the accurate testing until 7 i have been told from a well known developmental pediatrician.Good luckIs it aspergus or PDD-NOS?
There are a number of specific criteria used to diagnose autism or Asperger's. If your sons meet some but not enough of the criteria, they could be diagnosed with PDD-NOS (pervasive developmental disorder - not otherwise specified). Sometimes this diagnosis is given to younger kids because the characteristics may not be present or clear-cut, so the diagnosis could be made more specific when your sons are older.
School districts are obligated by federal law to provide special education services to children between the ages of 3 and 21. Contact your local public school district and request a special education evaluation for early childhood education services. If they do not help you, find a local advocacy group for parents of kids with special needs. You can also find information on your state's special education laws and parental rights by doing an Internet search for "special education parent rights".
There is no definitive cause for autism that has been identified. Genetics are only one of a number of factors that can contribute to it. It's not even clear which gene(s) might be involved, so I'm not sure a genetic test would be helpful.
I hope this information helps. Good luck to you and your family.
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