Toward specifying Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified

Pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) is the most common and least satisfactory of the PDD diagnoses. It is not formally operationalized, which limits its reliability and has hampered attempts to assess its validity. We aimed, first, to improve the reliability and replicability of PDD-NOS by operationalizing its DSM-IV-TR description and, second, to test its validity through comparison with autistic disorder (AD) and Asperger's disorder (AsD). In a sample of 256 young people (mean age = 9.1 years) we used Developmental, Diagnostic and Dimensional (3Di) algorithmic analysis to classify DSM-IV-TR AD (n = 97), AsD (n = 93) and PDD-NOS (n = 66). Groups were compared on independent measures of core PDD symptomatology, associated autistic features, and intelligence. Contrary to the assumption that PDD-NOS is heterogeneous, almost all (97%) of those with PDD-NOS had one distinct symptom pattern, namely impairments in social reciprocity and communication, without significant repetitive and stereotyped behaviors (RSB). Compared to AD and AsD, they had comparably severe but more circumscribed social communication difficulties, with fewer non-social features of autism, such as sensory, feeding and visuo-spatial problems. These individuals appear to have a distinct variant of autism that does not merely sit at the less severe end of the same continuum of symptoms. The current draft guidelines for DSM-V, which mandate the presence of RSBs for any PDD diagnosis, would exclude such people from the autistic spectrum. Autism Res 2011, 4: 121-131. (C) 2011 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Common and unique impairments in facial-expression recognition in pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified and Asperger's disorder

This study was designed to identify specific difficulties and associated features related to the problems with social interaction experienced by individuals with pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) using an emotion-recognition task. We compared individuals with PDD-NOS or Asperger's disorder (ASP) and typically developing individuals in terms of their ability to recognize facial expressions conveying the six basic emotions. Individuals with PDD-NOS and ASP were worse at recognizing fearful faces than were controls. Individuals with PDD-NOS were less accurate in recognizing disgusted faces than were those with ASP. The results suggest that PDD subtypes are characterized by shared and unique impairments in the ability to recognize facial expressions. Furthermore, the ability to recognize fearful but not disgusted expressions was negatively correlated with the severity of social dysfunction in PDD-NOS and ASP. The results suggest that impaired recognition of fearful and disgusted faces may reflect the severity of social dysfunction across PDD subtypes and the specific problems associated with PDD-NOS, respectively. Characteristics associated with different levels of symptom severity in PDD-NOS are discussed in terms of similarities with brain damage and other psychiatric disorders

ANALISIS BERPIKIR KRITIS SISWA PENYINTAS PERVASIVE DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDER - NOT OTHERWISE SPECIFIED DALAM MATEMATIKA MONTESSORI

Kemampuan berpikir kritis perlu dimiliki oleh seluruh siswa, tidak terkecuali siswa penyintas Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwisa Specified (PDD-NOS). Terlepas dari kondisi disabilitas mental yang ia sandang, ia tetap perlu belajar Matematika dengan baik. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk menganalisis kemampuan berpikir kritis siswa PDD-NOS dalam  pembelajaran Matematika dengan metode Montessori pada materi Pecahan. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah deskriptif kualitatif. Pembelajaran Montessori diterapkan pada seluruh siswa dalam kelas, namun fokus peneliti adalah pada siswa PDD-NOS. Pembelajaran dilakukan secara daring, guru dan peneliti berada di sekolah, sementara siswa PDD-NOS di rumah bersama guru pendamping khusus. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa siswa PDD-NOS telah dapat berpikir kompeten, efektif, akurat dan jelas, tetapi masih kurang dalam memberikan ketepatan, kedalaman, dan wawasan terhadap masalah yang didapat. Metode Montessori dapat menguatkan kemampuan berpikir kritis dan mengkomunikasikan Matematika secara tepat kepada siswa penyintas PDD-NOS

Deteksi Dini Kesulitan Belajar Matematika Siswa Penyintas Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified

Mathematics is a subject that is considered complicated. Not only by normal students, especially by students with special needs. Teaching mathematics so that it can be easily accepted by students with mental disabilities, especially survivors of Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) is something that is currently still being worked on to develop. This study uses a qualitative descriptive which explains in-depth the learning difficulties of PDD NOS students towards mathematics. The results showed that the main problem faced by teachers in teaching mathematics to PDD-NOS students was to focus on the student's focus. PDD-NOS students are too interested in their own world to ignore their surroundings, including the presence of teachers who are teachin

Analysis of Copper and Zinc Plasma Concentration and the Efficacy of Zinc Therapy in Individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome, Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) and Autism

Aim To assess plasma zinc and copper concentration in individuals with Asperger's Syndrome, Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) and autistic disorder, and to analyze the efficacy of zinc therapy on the normalization of zinc and copper levels and symptom severity in these disorders. Subjects and methods Plasma from 79 autistic individuals, 52 individuals with PDD-NOS, 21 individuals with Asperger's Syndrome (all meeting DSM-IV diagnostic criteria), and 18 age and gender similar neurotypical controls, were tested for plasma zinc and copper using inductively-coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Results Autistic and PDD-NOS individuals had significantly elevated plasma levels of copper. None of the groups (autism, Asperger's or PDD-NOS) had significantly lower plasma zinc concentrations. Post zinc and B-6 therapy, individuals with autism and PDD-NOS had significantly lower levels of copper, but individuals with Asperger's did not have significantly lower copper. Individuals with autism, PDD-NOS and Asperger's all had significantly higher zinc levels. Severity of symptoms decreased in autistic individuals following zinc and B-6 therapy with respect to awareness, receptive language, focus and attention, hyperactivity, tip toeing, eye contact, sound sensitivity, tactile sensitivity and seizures. None of the measured symptoms worsened after therapy. None of the symptoms in the Asperger's patients improved after therapy. Discussion These results suggest an association between copper and zinc plasma levels and individuals with autism, PDD-NOS and Asperger's Syndrome. The data also indicates that copper levels normalize (decrease to levels of controls) in individuals with autism and PDD-NOS, but not in individuals with Asperger's. These same Asperger's patients do not improve with respect to symptoms after therapy, whereas many symptoms improved in the autism group. This may indicate an association between copper levels and symptom severity

Functional impairment in PDD-NOS: Predicting outcome at a two-year follow-up.

Examined the early history characteristics and symptom patterns of children with an initial diagnosis of either Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified (PDD NOS) or Autistic Disorder, and identified predictors of changing functional ability. Participants were 59 children (48 male, 11 female) who were first assessed at 3 to 4 years of age, and re-assessed two years later (M = 26.00 months, SD = 12.43). Based on the results of the follow-up assessment three groups were identified: children with a stable diagnosis of PDD-NOS (Stable PDD-NOS), a stable diagnosis of autism (Stable Autism), and those whose diagnosis changed from PDD-NOS to autism (Change). Overall, the Stable PDD-NOS group demonstrated a significantly better outcome than the Stable Autism group in all areas examined, including early history characteristics, symptom severity, and measures of functional ability. In contrast, the performance of the Change group was more variable and suggested a relative decline over time (i.e., an increase in symptom severity and a decline in functional ability). In terms of early history, the Change group appeared to experience greater impairments and more atypical behaviors than did the Stable PDD-NOS group. Results suggest that early history characteristics and patterns of PDD symptoms are predictive of later outcome for children initially diagnosed with PDD-NOS. Implications for research and practice are discussed.Dept. of Psychology. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis2004 .F74. Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 65-07, Section: B, page: 3706. Adviser: Sylvia Voelker. Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 2004

Face and emotion recognition in MCDD versus PDD-NOS

Previous studies indicate that Multiple Complex Developmental Disorder (MCDD) children differ from PDD-NOS and autistic children on a symptom level and on psychophysiological functioning. Children with MCDD (n = 21) and PDD-NOS (n = 62) were compared on two facets of social-cognitive functioning: identification of neutral faces and facial expressions. Few significant group differences emerged. Children with PDD-NOS demonstrated a more attention-demanding strategy of face processing, and processed neutral faces more similarly to complex patterns whereas children with MCDD showed an advantage for face recognition compared to complex patterns. Results further suggested that any disadvantage in face recognition was related more to the autistic features of the PDD-NOS group rather than characteristics specific to MCDD. No significant group differences emerged for identifying facial expressions

Is Long-Term Prognosis for Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified Different from Prognosis for Autistic Disorder? Findings from a 30-Year Follow-Up Study

We followed 74 children with autistic disorder (AD) and 39 children with pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD NOS) for 17–38 years in a record linkage study. Rates of disability pension award, marital status, criminality and mortality were compared between groups. Disability pension award was the only outcome measure that differed significantly between the AD and PDD NOS groups (89% vs. 72%, p < 0.05). The lower rate of disability pension award in the PDD NOS group was predicted by better psychosocial functioning. The lack of substantial differences in prognosis between the groups supports a dimensional description of autism spectrum disorder, in line with proposed DSM-V revision

Autism spectrum disorders and intestinal microbiota

Through extensive microbial-mammalian co-metabolism, the intestinal microbiota have evolved to exert a marked influence on health and disease via gut-brain-microbiota interactions. In this addendum, we summarize the findings of our recent study on the fecal microbiota and metabolomes of children with pervasive developmental disorder–not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) or autism (AD) compared with healthy children (HC). Children with PDD-NOS or AD have altered fecal microbiota and metabolomes (including neurotransmitter molecules). We hypothesize that the degree of microbial alteration correlates with the severity of the disease since fecal microbiota and metabolomes alterations were higher in children with PDD-NOS and, especially, AD compared to HC. Our study indicates that the levels of free amino acids (FAA) and volatile organic compounds (VOC) differ in AD subjects compared to children with PDD-NOS, who are more similar to HC. Finally, we propose a new perspective on the implications for the interaction between intestinal microbiota and AD