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1. Autism Spectrum Disorders Solutions with Your Little Professor
AspergerSyndrome isone of five “PervasiveDevelopmental Disorders”(PPDs).Some authorsreferto
themas “AutismSpectrumDisorders.”
A “spectrumdisorder”hasa wide varietyof mildto severe symptomsinmanydifferentcombinations.
Thismeansthat each affectedpersonisdifferentandhasindividual symptoms.Autismisaspectrum
disorderalongwithfetal alcohol syndrome,Obsessive-Compulsive Disorderandsoforth.
The reasondoctors call disorders“pervasive”istheyaffecteveryaspectof the child’sdevelopment:
educational,social,emotional andphysical.People are bornwithPPDs:itisnot somethingcausedby
parenting.Atthispoint,scientistsdonotfullyunderstandthe geneticsof PPDsandhave foundno cure
for them.However,expertsinthe fieldare constantlyfindingpromisingnew waysof treating,
educating,andrehabilitatingpeoplewithPPDs.
The ratio of boys withautisticspectrumdisordersisfourtimesthatof girls.The five PPDsoccur equally
inall racial, cultural andsocio-economicgroups.The incidence isabout3.4 and 6.7 per1,000 children,
accordingto the UnitedStatesCenterforDisease Control.Inthe UnitedStates,autismisincreasingby
10 to 17 percentperyear.
Diagnosing Pervasive Developmental Disorders
It isdifficultforprofessionalstodiagnose anykindof childhoodmental ordevelopmental disorder.
Usuallytheyworkfromreportsby teachersandparents.Evendoctorsmistake PPDsforattentiondeficit,
bipolar,oppositionaldefiant,conduct,languageorcommunicationdisorders.These andmental illnesses
like depressionandchildhoodschizophreniaall have similarsymptomsthatsometimesoverlap.Sadly,
some childrenreceivemore than15 diagnosesbefore theyfindthe correctone.

2. Correct diagnosisisimportantbecausethere are specificinterventionsandteachingmethodsfor
parentsand educatorstouse for each condition.Eachdisorderhasitsownsupportgroups,advocacy
organizations,educational tools,specialists,andevenspecializedschoolsandcampprograms.
All five PPDs have three common symptoms:
Impaired social interaction.
Some autisticpeople donotseemtounderstandthe difference betweenpeople andobjects.Otherscan
be veryaffectionate,yethave trouble relatingtoothersbecause theycannotunderstandsocialcuesand
bodylanguage.One frequentsymptomisthe inabilitytoenjoymutual interestsandexperienceswith
otherpeople.Anotherverycommontraitisthe inabilitytomake eye contact.
Impaired communication.
Many severelyautisticpeople neverlearntospeakatall.However,high-functioningautisticchildren
oftenspeakarticulatelyandwitherudition.Unfortunately,theymaynevermasterthe “give andtake”
aspectof true communication.Mostpeople whosufferfromaPPD donot understandsymbolicspeech
or gesturesnorcan play“make believe.”
Odd or stereotyped behaviors.
Some autisticpeople demandroutinesandritualsandbecome extremelyagitatedif their“rules” are not
followed.Theymayclingtocertainobjectsoritemsof clothing.There maybe unusual bodymovements
that seemtobe self-soothing,suchasrocking,headbanging,orhandwringing.These are called
“stereotypedbehaviors.”
Here is a list of the five PPDs. The first two are extremely rare
and sometimes not included as “Autism Spectrum Disorders.
1) Rett’sSyndrome affectsonlygirls.Itwasdiscoveredonlyin1966 byAustrianDr. AndreasRett.
Scientistsbelieve thatitisnotinheritedbutcaused bya randomgeneticmutation.BabieswithRett’s
start out normally,butbetweenage 6to 18 months,theirdevelopmentslowsdownastheirheadsno
longergrownormally.Theydonotdevelopnormal speech,andexhibitunusualrepetitive hand
movements,torsoshaking,andunusual patternsof walking.Oftenthereare breathingproblems,
seizures,rigidmuscles,retardedgrowth,andotherproblems.Life expectancyisaround40 years.

3. 2) ChildhoodDisintegrative Disorder(CDD) isanextremelyrare disorderaffectingmostlymales.The
childisokayuntil 42 monthsor so. Thena dramatic lossof language andsocial skillsoccurs.The child
may lose bladderandbowel control anddevelopseizures.Usuallythese childrenhave verylow
intelligence.CDDisthe easiest fordoctorsto diagnose.
3) Autism.Doctorsoftencall itclassicautism, EarlyInfantile Autism,orKanner’sAutism.Publishingin
the 1940’s, Dr. LeoKannerwasamong the firstto describe the condition.Before hiswork,doctors
labeledsuchchildrenasmentallyretardedoremotionallydisturbed.Autisticpeople show symptomsin
varyingdegrees.About75%have IQsbelow 70. There are usuallyproblemswithsensoryintegration,
whichmeanstheyhave trouble processinginformationthroughtheirsensesof touch,smell,sight,taste
and touch.
4) AspergerSyndrome,nowconsideredhigh-functioningautismonthe spectrum.“Aspies”oftenare not
diagnoseduntil afterage three,becausetheyusuallyhave noproblemacquiringandusinglanguage.
The most distinctsymptomisanintense interestinanarrow subject.Some childrenwithAsperger
Syndrome canrecite whole moviesorthe complete textsof books;othersmemorize endlessfactsabout
some obscure subject.Theymayshowsignsof autismsuchas the needforstrictroutines,inabilityto
mastersocial interactionsandcommunication,andoddrepetitive behaviors.Theyoftenhave problems
controllingtheirvoices.
5) Pervasive Developmental Disorder/NotOtherwise Specified –WithPPD/NOS,symptomsdon’tfall
neatlyintoplace.A diagnosticiancannotabsolutelydeclare thatthe personhasautismora categorized
PDD because some of the symptomsare missing,inthe wrong combination,orverymild.Thisisa
“catch-all”diagnosisoran umbrellatermsometimesuseduntil amore precise diagnosiscanbe made.”
References
“AboutAutism,”fromthe AmericanSocietyof Autism, postedat
http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer?pagename=about_whatis_home
AmericanPsychiatricAssociation.DeskReference tothe DiagnosticCriteriaFromDSM-IV-TR(Desk
Reference tothe DiagnosticCriteriafromDSM) Washington,DC:The AmericanPsychiatricAssociation,
2000.

4. “AutismSpectrumDisorders(Pervasive Developmental Disorders)”A detailedbookletthatdescribes
symptoms,causes,andtreatments,withinformationongettinghelpandcoping”,PublishedbyThe
National Institute of Health,2004,postedat http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/autism.cfm
Bashe,PatriciaandBarbara Kirby.The OasisGuide toAspergerSyndrome.New York:CrownPublishers,
2005.
Carey,Benedict.“What’sWrongwithMy Child?”New YorkTimes,November11,2006, pg. l.
Mental Healthinthe UnitedStates:Parental Reportof DiagnosedAutisminChildrenAged4–17 Years,
The Centerfor Disease Control,postedMay6, 2006 at
http://www.cdc.gov/MMWR/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5517a3.htm
Kennedy,Diane.ADHDAUTISMCONNECTION.ColoradoSprings,CO:WaterbrookPress,2002.
Mental Healthinthe UnitedStates:Parental Reportof DiagnosedAutisminChildrenAged4–17 Years,
The Centerfor Disease Control,postedMay6, 2006 at
http://www.cdc.gov/MMWR/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5517a3.htm
Partner,Daniel.DisordersFirstDiagnosedinChildhood.(Philadelphia:ChelseaHouse),2001.
Powers,Michael.ChildrenwithAutism.Bethesda,MD:Woodbine House,2000.