Ok ... what is PDD-NOS?
Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified...
In the DSM-IV there are five disorders listed under "PDD": 1) Autism, 2) Asperger's 3) Rhett's 4) CDD (childhood disintegrative disorder, and 5) PDD-NOS. Basically if your child doesn't fit in one of the other four (Rhett's & CDD are very rare), then he/she could be diagnosed with PDD-NOS.
(I'm studying this in school - we've just finished our Autism unit
)
My DS8 has been around the diagnostic roller coaster yet again, most recently to see one of our Provincial Autism specialists (psychiatrist who deals exclusively with ASD), who says that he is NOT on the spectrum. This I know, and have known, for years... he just doesn't have the necessary deficits with theory of mind or joint attention. He's... right beside the spectrum, but doesn't even meet the criteria for PDD-NOS (which is not really itemized in the DSM-IV... but whatever).
I'd be curious to know if anyone here has a child with this issue but feels entirely confident that ASD is not on the table. (My DD has a tendency towards literal thinking as well, though it's not nearly as pronounced as some kids' seems to be. It's also improved. She does not like to be joked with in this way, still, but recognizes that it is joking.)
My DS8 still very literal sometimes. He's outgrown much of this, but he still has to have expressions like "hang in there" or "hold your horses" explained to him. He has enough social savvy that he doesn't respond to these expressions in an atypical way, but if you ask him if he knows what they mean, he'll say "no, not really." He has a language processing disorder, which is also likely contributing to it all.
