Autism and Mental Health

My 4 year old is PDD-NOS.  We wonder from time to time if her "retreating" is autism related or if she has a mental health problem... depression perhaps?  What do we need to look for and track in order to post a question to a specialist? Are there any corelations between autism and mental health?  She also seems to get sick a lot.  Thank you for any information you may be able to give.

[CCF-Neuro-M.D.-CS]

It may be difficult to differentiate "retreating" alone between the two disorders. There is nothing specific I can recommend other then to identify the behaviors you are concerned about and inform your pediatric neurologist about them. Behaviors which may indicate more of a mood disturbance include excessive crying, irrtability (more then usual), change in sleeping habits, and changes in eating. Again your neurologist should begin to help you sort these issues out. Good luck.