Monday, February 15, 2010

Abby has PDD-NOS... I think.

Physicians involved with developing the new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) are attempting to change the Diagnostic Criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). They are making efforts to more accurately diagnose individuals with Autism and avoid over diagnosis, which many people, most of whom I'd be willing to wager are people without kids on the Spectrum, are very concerned about. Don't get me wrong, it's certainly a concern, but I'd rather there be kids out there getting some one on one help with their issues, than simply being told they're "just fine" when in actuality, they aren't. This attitude of "over-diagnosis" is certainly contributing to the stigma surrounding Autism. And I want us all to start Thinking Differently About Autism.

The DSM-5's new criteria would do away with the diagnosis of PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder- Not Otherwise Specified)... Abby's diagnosis. This could be good, but it kind of freaks me out. Why? It is a vague and confusing label. "So does my kid have Autism then, because her label doesn't say she does?" Losing that diagnosis freaks me out, because Abby went to three pediatricians who looked at only a few of the typically "Autistic" symptoms, disregarding everything I'd just told them, which were typical symptoms of people with PDD-NOS, and then repeatedly told me she was "fine". Well she wasn't.

Getting the PDD-NOS diagnosis enabled us to not only get her help from an outside source, but for me and my husband to find the information we needed to focus on parenting her in the ways she needed us to. We started reading books about Autism, instead of Milestone books for typical kids that just confused us. When I think of all the times we put Abby in time-out for trying to "communicate" with us in her limited, autistic way... it breaks my heart. How many times I disciplined her for displaying typically "autistic" behavior? Behavior that was "normal" for her and that she didn't know was "wrong". I should have just followed my instincts, but I was hoping my instincts were wrong.

Here is's definition for PDD-NOS:

In essence, it's a diagnosis that means
"on the Autism spectrum, but not falling within any of the
existing specific categories of Autism."

To explain more fully, there are five disorders that fall under the category of PDDs. These include Autism, Asperger syndrome, Rett syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, and PDD-NOS. Austism, Asperger syndrome, Rett syndrome and Fragile X are all specifically described in the DSM-IV... the manual that practitioners use (barely) to diagnose neurological disorders.

Many children have some symptoms of on PDD and some symptoms of another, but not enough of any one of the four specific disorders to receive a diagnosis. Thus, they DO have a PDD-- but they DO NOT have Rett syndrome, Fragile X, Asperger syndrome, or autism. As a result, they receive the catch-all diagnosis of PDD-NOS.

So does that clear it up for you? Because it barely clears it up for me.
"So my kid doesn't have Autism?"
The hope-filled question that I've asked her teachers, therapists and social workers before.
"Oh, no. She has Autism." they assure me.
So maybe getting rid of this vague label is good. But then my question is... what's her new label and does she need one at all? Why are we so anxious to put a label on our kids? Why her? Why me? Why us? WTF am I supposed to do with this "new" information?

We need the label to tell insurance providers, pediatricians, Abby's typical friends who are learning how to communicate with her, ourselves to remind us that we have to "Think differently" about the way we raise her, anyone who will listen and learn about this disease that affects 1 in 100 kids, and for the people who stare and wonder "What is wrong with that kid?" ("She has Autism. What's wrong with YOUR kid?")

Other than that, I could give a shit less about labels. She is Abby J and she is practically perfect just as she is.

*NOTE* Please take a moment to read the comments associated with this posting. There is some interesting conversation there that adds to this post. Thanks!


Dani G said...

Ha! Just this morning I saw a shirt online that said "my kid has Autism. What the hell's wrong with YOUR kid"!! HAHAHA!
It's so confusing. As a mommy, I want my kid to have PDDNOS because it sounds better than Autism, but you know what?? It's all the same fucking thing. If it's all "on the spectrum", then let's call it what it is. All we parents care about is that our babes get the care they NEED. This whole DSM revision reeks of big money trying to save some dough- at the expense of our kids!!
Good thing we're on this journey together :)

My name is Erin. said...

Right?! And that's where the "it freaks me out" part comes in. What if they stop saying she's on the spectrum at all? Then what? Because as close as she is to typical... she's not!

I'm so glad I'm not alone in this, Dani. Thanks for being my friend. So very, very thankful for you. XO

paula said...

how crazy? must be so confusing. She is perfect though. what a darling little face.

My name is Erin. said...

Thanks, Paula. It is pretty confusing. Every day is new challenge and a new way method of communication.

courtney said...

Ok here's my take, obviously from a different perspective than a parent of an autistic child but as someone that sees trends when comparing the abundance of children coming to me with all sorts of developmental delays.
As long as any child has pervasive developmental delays they will receive special education services, and that is the way it should be, I think we all agree on that. Children with PDD are also encouraged with communication and social interaction as ASD.
I get a lot of first grade students with a PDD criteria and it is a very vague descriptor of the child, but they have the same rights as a child diagnosed with autism. So even if the PDD wasn't under autism spectrum, you would still get the same rights to individual education and all that good stuff. I think that what they do with the PDD diagnosis is the best solution I know of for the child, teachers and the health community as well. Not that trying separating and diagnosing all these people is ever going to be perfect or anything.
I have seen some children diagnosed with autism completely change and turn themselves around in communication, interpersonal relationships and academics. I have see other children with the exact same diagnosis living in a full time staffed assisted living home never talking or being potty trained. Now these two people obviously should have different diagnosis'. If students are diagnosed with PDD instead of autism when they are high functioning on the spectrum, they, their families and the medical community won't be quite as surprised to find that this autistic child's family must have found a cure that the other more severe autistic child's family didn't have. This situation, to me, is scary because I would hate for a parent to treat their child medically because they heard of a treatment that was effective for a condition that is incorrect ya know?
Anyway, what do you think? I wrestle with figuring out these issues all the time because my job is to decide what to "call" kids and qualify them for services. Let me know!

My name is Erin. said...

Thanks for your input, Court. I'm always interested in your take on the situation. I listened to a few radio shows about this yesterday as I caught up on my NPR podcasts and I feel a little better about it on one hand and that much more confused on the other.

The first story, advocated for taking away all of the various labels, because what's happening in some places (it happened to us here) is that the kids who fall under the PDD-NOS and Asperger's aren't qualifying for services, because they are so high-functioning that they are seen as high need. That is soooo not true. Otherwise, how do we get to the point of success that some kids reach? Those that no longer fall on the spectrum at all. So if we classify them all as simply "Autistic", they will have access to services just like any Autistic kid.

Yeah that makes sense to me.

Then I listened to a very articulate man who has Asperger's. He said that while he could understand the point made earlier, that he had a real problem with being placed in the same category as an Autistic person who has the severe delays such never speaking and never being potty trained. He was concerned over the stigma that people with Autism already face, being applied to him. A person who certainly has social issues, but is so high functioning that he is able to have a successful career and life in general... well the typical idea of a "successful life". Because my idea of what makes for a "successful life" for my kid has become quite different.

So all in all, I don't feel quite as weirded out by the proposed changes, because I think their goals are just and could lead to better services. As for the view from members in the Asperger's syndrome, it's an understandable concern. It just helps solidify my goal in helping to further the average person's education on Autism in general. We'll all find ourselves confronted with it at some point in our lives, whether it's our kid, the neighbor kid, our niece/nephew, or the kid greeting you and giving you a grocery cart at Walmart.

So in the mean time, I'll continue my quest to write about it and share my idea of what it means to Think Differently about Autism.

Thanks for weighing in, Court! XO

courtney said...

Oh my goodness, Friday I went to work and we had representatives from the region autism society. Talk about confusing! First they started out saying that autism was defined as a lifelong neurological disorder. So in the question and hopefully answer segment, I asked "so if researchers have determined that this is a lifelong neurological disorder, does that mean they know that people with autism are dealing with the same type of neurological dysfunction and what that dysfunction is?" She they both start just shaking their heads no.
So the "experts" go on and talk about how we as teachers go accommodate autistic children. They go on and on about what autistic children may or may not need. But it was awful because they started stating what autistic kids aren't going to be able to do and what autistic kids are going to hate. But they went on and on to the point where they were talking about how they can hate writing or other serious basic aspects of life. I could see on the other teacher's faces, it was like "so your saying I shouldn't push for kids to adhere to basic expectations or accommodate every tick these kids have?" It was just bad.
They shouldn't even put all autistic kids in the same category. It would be like telling a doctor to treat you for an illness, and not telling the doctor your symptoms. It doesn't really help.
Anyway, after that I was visiting with the Gifted and Talented teacher, and we share several "autistic" children. We decided that we are going to look back in 20 years and feel really silly about how we groups all these kids together that obviously have different syndromes and called them by one name.
What do you think?

My name is Erin. said...

I think that I am sooo thankful that there are educators like you in the world, Courtney. I wish you could meet Abby's teacher. I think you both would have many things in common.

I think that the issue with putting people with so many varying factors under one Umbrella Diagnosis, is that you'll get some doctors and educators who will attempt to treat them all with the same treatments. And as any of us who work/live with those in the Autism community knows, they are all different. So this concerns me.

On the one hand, I appreciate the idea that if you're simply diagnosed as being Autistic, you'll be eligible for more services, where Abby was denied further services, because she "isn't severe enough". Awesome. (My "awesome" here is sarcasm for any people reading who might not know that sarcasm is my native language.)

But on the other hand, I've experienced first hand the pediatricians who have read one or two "Autism Symptoms" forms and have told me repeatedly that my child was "normal", so the general umbrella concerns me. How many children will not respond to the "standardized" treatments/therapies and then go untreated or worse yet, will it give insurance agencies the right to deny coverage for the parents/teachers/therapists who seek other treatments/therapies outside of the standardized set of approved treatments/therapies regardless of their proven successes?

I do however agree with calling it a "lifelong neurological disorder." Because I think it is. I've gotten some flack for this theory, but it's what makes sense in my mind. I liken living with Autism to being an Alcoholic. I don't believe that a kid with Autism can be "cured", but I do believe, whole heartedly, that a child can learn to manage their Autism. An alcoholic can stop drinking entirely and learn to curb, or manage, their addictive cravings, but they are indeed still alcoholics. My sincere hope and goal is to help Abby manage her Autism. I foresee a day when she is in a social setting and will feel an Autistic tick coming on. She can either explain it with confidence and eloquence to her company, or she can simply excuse herself to a private space to allow her some time to let the tick pass. When I speak of "Thinking differently about Autism", I hope that we as a society will learn to view the Autistic ticks that these people live with and excuse them as normal for those people. That's my sincere hope.

So the fact that it's a "lifelong neurological disorder" doesn't mean we give up hope, or place them all in the same diagnostic category, or the same treatments/therapies, it simply means, to me, that we learn to live with it, in spite of it, and thrive with it.

I know that Abby will find her path in this world and whatever it is, she will be successful, however she chooses to define success.
