112 Introduction to the Pervasive Developmental Disorders (90/161) -- Abnormal Psychology

112 Introduction to the Pervasive Developmental Disorders Mental Retardation and Autism Spectrum Disorders Pervasive developmental disorders were first introduced into the DSM III. Many refer to this diagnostic taxonomy as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) because both are depicted as disorders affecting a child’s social, communicative, emotional, and cognitive development; however, the current DSM-IV-TR strictly refers to them as Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) (Hoffman, 2009). PDDs are classified as a group of conditions where there is a delay in the development of communication and social skills. Behavioral differences/problems are also present. Parents may notice that their children play with their toys differently than the other children do or that they make repetitive movements. Parents may also notice that their children are not “up to par” on the language level as they should be. The child may seem to lag behind others within their peer group in language production and comprehension. They might play alone instead of with the other children. This lack of socialism could be connected to the lack of communication. A child might just seem “shy” but in reality cannot produce language normally. Some children may talk a little or not at all, while others show only a small deficit in language skills. Individuals determined to have a PDD not only exhibit problems in social interaction and communication but may exhibit stereotyped behaviors, interests, and activities. The individual’s developmental level or mental age is considered to be deviant compared to that individual’s biological age. However, the individual’s intelligence may be difficult to gauge due to communication problems. Under PDD, the DSM-IV-TR holds five subtypes: autism, Asperger’s disorder, Rett’s disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder (CDD), and PDD-NOS (not otherwise specified). The key distinguishing features lie in how the domains are affected, the age of onset, gender differences, the course of the disorder, and prognosis (Hoffman, 2009). - High Prevalence of Pervasive Development Disorders - PDD, in children and adolescents, are among the most common and disabling disorders (Sasayama, 2009). - The high prevalence of these disorders have amplified the need to improve the management in children and adolescents (Sasayama, 2009). - New protocol guidelines have been implemented to assist primary care doctors to recognize the need for a mental health consultation if the PDD seems severe or if comorbities are present (Sasayama, 2009). - Comorbidity and Depression - Studies have shown emerging evidence that PDD patients are most likely to also carry depression with their disorder (Sasayama, 2009). - Children and adolescents who had such severe depression that it required medical treatment with antidepressants may be comorbid with PDD (Sasayama, 2009). - PDD symptoms must always be assessed when treating depression in children and adolescents (Sasayama, 2009). Deficits in un