Clearly it is impossible to make a generalization about how any individual child will grow and progress. All children continue to develop, despite delays or the presence of deviant behaviors. Information that we have currently about the progress of adults with autism is based on the treatments these individuals received twenty or thirty years ago.

The term "PDD" is widely used by professionals to refer to children with autism and related disorders; however, there is a great deal of disagreement and confusion among professionals concerning the PDD label. See similar questions...

There is no cure for autism at present. There are many kinds of intervention suggested by people and professionals with different degrees of experience with autistic people. Be wary of any intervention that promises a cure or that suggests that the particular method advocated is the only effective approach. See similar questions...

Autism and PDD are behavioral diagnoses. At the present time there are no medical tests for autism. Autism is diagnosed based on the child's behavior. Both children diagnosed with autism and PDD will benefit from education programs designed for autistics. It is essential that children diagnosed as PDD receive the same education as children diagnosed with autism. Both autistic and PDD children should be placed into a good early education program immediately after diagnosis. See similar questions...

Although it has no cure, autism does respond to behavioral and educational treatment. Research suggests that early intervention is especially effective in achieving growth in cognitive and communication skills. There are a variety of intervention programs that have been designed specifically to work with children with autism. See similar questions...

There is no cure for autism at present. There are many kinds of intervention suggested by people and professionals with different degrees of experience with autistic people. Be wary of any intervention that promises a cure or that suggests that the particular method advocated is the only effective approach. See similar questions...

No one knows for sure. Though it's understandable to expect that a disorder as common as autism would have a known cause, in many ways it's still quite mysterious. Recent studies suggest a strong genetic basis for autism -- up to 20 sets of genes may play a part in its development. Genetics alone, however, can't account for all the cases, and so scientists are also looking into possible environmental origins, as well as other triggers. See similar questions...

If you are observing impairment in eye contact, social skills and communication, and increased participation in restricted or repetitive behaviors, you should have your child evaluated. This evaluation will determine if your child meets the diagnostic criteria for an Autistic Spectrum Disorder. See similar questions...

Impossible to predict. At best you may suffer minor symptoms which may or may not increase in severity over a number of years. At worst you may become very disabled and end up confined to a wheelchair, or in extreme cases you may be completely bed-bound and wholly reliant on care. This site is hosted by names.co.uk and the domain name has been registered with them. I have found them to be reasonably priced, helpful and reliable. See similar questions...

These are my own personal observations and learning methods that I tried with my youngest son when he was young. My son was diagnosed High Functioning Autistic. I am also the grandparent of a grandchild diagnosed High Functioning Autistic, too. This page is created as the visual aids for the class presentation of Psychology 608, fall 2002. This covers all information of our presentation and is easy to review. We hope that this will help understanding PDD. See similar questions...

Yes. All children with autism spectrum disorder including PDD-NOS can benefit from early intensive intervention programs. An informed clinician can help parents determine the most effective treatment program for their child. See similar questions...

The prognosis for children and adolescents who are treated for SM appears to be excellent. With appropriate treatment, SM is often overcome successfully. Without treatment, however, SM is more likely to persist and comorbid symptoms in addition to SM are common. Longitudinal studies showing the course of SM following treatment are needed, however, in clinical settings, most children with SM show significant improvement. See similar questions...

Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) is a category designated by the American Psychiatric Association to indicate children with delay or deviance in their social /language/motor and/or cognitive development. A child may have delays in social development and delays in one or more of the other categories. The profiles of children with a PDD can vary tremendously. PDD is not one disorder but a category that encompasses a wide range of delays of different magnitude in different domains. See similar questions...

There is no medication that can cure autism, and no one medication that is recommended for individuals with autism. Medications can be recommended to help with very specific target symptoms that are associated with autism. Some of these symptoms might include extreme difficulty attending to the pertinent aspects of the environment or aggression towards self or others. See similar questions...

No. There are a variety of disorders that are related to limited speech development but any child that is not talking by the age of 3 should have a developmental assessment immediately. Most children are babbling before they reach their first birthday and use single words to communicate by 18 months. Any child that does not display these behaviors or who has and subsequently loses a communicative or social skill should be screened for an Autism Spectrum Disorder as soon as possible. See similar questions...

Proventricular Dilatation Disease (PDD) is used to describe an inflammatory response characterized by the accumulation of lymphocytes and plasma cells in the nervous system, especially the nerves that supply the muscles in the proventriculus and other digestive organs including crop, ventriculus and small intestine. See similar questions...

The onset of childhood cerebral ALD is usually between ages four and ten years. The prognosis is generally poor, particularly if the disease is not correctly diagnosed before significant symptoms develop. Many of these children die within one and ten years of the onset of symptoms. There are some treatment options (Lorenzo's oil and stem cell transplants) that may alter this prognosis, but they are not guarantees. See similar questions...