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See Also:
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Pervasive Developmental
Disorder (PDD) is a broad category that covers four different types of
disorders. Autistic Disorder and Asperger’s Disorder are the two
most common forms, and are usually evident in the first few years of
life.
Children with Autism have difficulty accomplishing early developmental
tasks involving language, communication, socialization, and motor
behavior. They tend to have delayed speech, awkward movements, are
unduly bothered by noise, and can become preoccupied with lights or
moving objects. Some children with Autism may function below
normal intellectual levels, while others may do well in school but have
severe social impairments. Success in individual cases seems to be
best with early recognition and intervention. Some children never
do speak.
Asperger’s Disorder is usually not diagnosed until after the age of
three and it is more common in males. They usually appear to have
excellent language skills but may have limited content and poor social
understanding. The typical person with Asperger’s is a “loner” who
never quite fits in because of eccentric behavior, peculiar ways of
speaking and a lack of social skills. People with Asperger’s may
graduate from regular schools and hold down jobs but are often
disadvantaged by their odd behavior and resistance to change.
Asperger’s and Autism can be thought of as a continuum; at one end of
the range are high functioning people with Asperger’s and at the other
end are people with Autistic Disorder who are more severely impaired and
may be retarded. Anyone with these disorders may fall anywhere on
the spectrum. Every year between 100,000 and 200,000 children are
diagnosed with one of the disorders. |
