PDD-NOS

Hi Doctor,
I know that PDD is a wide spectrum.  Within PDD, there is Autism, Aspergers  and PDD-NOS of different magnitudes.
My question is whether a child that has been diagnosed with "mild PDD-NOS" at the age of 8 years old, mostly with regard to social skills and behavior,  ever outgrows this syndrom (syndrome)?  If so, by what age? What types of interventions beside social skills classes and lots of playdates would you recommend as intervention for this diagnosis? Does mild PDD-NOS ever become worse with age and turn into Aspergers? Thank you.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

It is absolutely true that a diagnosis or symptom picture can change over time. In particular, I have treated many children who displayed Asperger's Disorder, for example, and over time ceased to display the symptoms that are prerequisites for such a diagnosis. This has certainly been true of a number of PDD NOS children and teens whom I have treated. Now, I've never encountered a situation in which symptoms typical of PDD NOS evolved into Asperger's, though theoretically there is no reason this could not happen. The most important ingredient for improvement is 'staying in the mix' and not permitting the social interaction problems to result in social withdrawal or social isolation.