Difference between aspergers and PDD-NOS?

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Is there any major difference in how they'd present? That is what my diagnoses is technically, but I've been under the impression its essentially aspergers. However based on some posts and such I feel like others here have a bit more in common in some ways than I do...and I wonder if it's just variation between individuals with aspergers, or if maybe there are specific differences. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

PDD-NOS (no longer an actual diagnosis) means that you do not fit the "full-fledged" criteria for Autistic Disorder or Asperger's Syndrome. You are within the Autistic Spectrum, though.

Ironically, with PDD-NOS, one can have "severe" symptoms" (i.e., no speech, seizures, etc.) as well as "mild" symptoms (i.e., being Asperger's-like).

Most of the time, though, the symptoms seem to be relatively mild with PDD-NOS.

It just means you don't meet, fully, the criteria for diagnosis with the other "PDD's"; hence the "Not otherwise specified"( NOS) part of the diagnosis.

The full name for this diagnosis was "Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified." It was in the DSM-IV, but is not now in the DSM-V.

My dx got switched at one point from Aspergers to PDD-NOS. I think it still is PDD-NOS.

For me, I think I got the PDD-NOS stuff (in part) due to lack of outside information in regards to how I behaved as a child. There wasn't anyone to ask, so they could only go on the information I provided them. My spouse couldn't help with that... he didn't know me then.

I had no speech delays, but I did go mute... still do now and then. I did not actively seek to engage others... still don't now and then. I did the word repeat stuff... sometimes still do. But due to my mother being a junkie and my dad being gone, there was not only no people to ask, but no medical records either. My mom just didn't take me to doctors. So... how do you prove selective mutism? You don't when it's not documented.

I remember one of the doctor guys at the University of Michigan telling me he was not comfortable giving me a Kanners dx. It wasn't that they didn't believe me, it's just that what do you do with a person in that situation? And then they had to take into consideration that I do come from an abusive household. That further complicates it all. So they decided that I was some kind of autistic but they did not want to claim to know for sure what type I was so they dumped me in the NOS bin.

I was actually diagnosed with Kanner Autism when I was three. I did not speak until age 5 1/2.

If I was in the DSM-IV generation, I probably would have been diagnosed either with Autistic Disorder (because of the history) or PDD-NOS (because of my present-day functioning).

There's no chance that I would have been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, despite my evidently Aspergian presentation since age 5 1/2.

"Classic" autism involves a moderate to profound intellectual disability, minimal social skills, major issues with inflection and eye contact, major aloofness, severely restricted interests etc.

PDD-NOS is a mixed bag, because it's divided into three subtypes, but basically it's autism but comparatively milder. Many people with this type of autism have major problems in some areas of their life, but are relatively normal in others. In my own case I have minimal issues with intelligence, social skills, and eye-to-eye gaze; moderate issues with aloofness and asociality, and speech inflection; and major issues with restricted interests.

Aspergers is similar to PDD-NOS. Aspergers isn't actually on the spectrum officially; a guy named Hans Asperger noticed a group of individuals that resembled autistic children, but who have any intellectual disability, they are social, and they don't have issues with speech (inflection/speed).

Know what I mean?

People with classic autism could have Superior, or even Genius-level, intelligence.

Anybody can look it up. PDD-NOS is what I described.

Asperger's is considered a full-fledged "member of the Autistic Spectrum.

Perhaps, at the time, you had a "moderate" sort of PDD-NOS.

Not all cases of PDD-NOS are "mild." You can seem profoundly autistic, and still have PDD-NOS.

It's not in the DSM-V at all. I'm not sure if it's in the ICD-10 (which is used more than people think in the US).

I don't like all these labels. I agree with the DSM-V and its definition and diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorder. It's actually complete, informative and covers all types of autism. Hence, the name autistic SPECTRUM disorder.
PDD-NOS seemed like a dumb diagnosis. It's easier to say you're autistic but are not very impaired in some areas. After all, each autistic person is different and we're all impaired in different ways. I am impaired in socialization and social skills, senses (sensory issues) and language a little bit, but I don't have super restrictive interests compared to other people on the spectrum.

I have also heard of PDD being referred to as atypical autism.
I am guessing that means atypical of classic autism.
Probably PDD and Asperger's are a result of doctors not knowing exactly what they were dealing with, and it's all really just one big thing that comes in different degrees.

I would agree that PDD-NOS used to be diagnosed quite frequently when doctors "didn't know exactly what they were dealing with."

Sort of a catch-all, vague sort of diagnosis.

I've actually seen it diagnosed when somebody was severely impaired in all ways, yet did not meet all the criteria for autism.

It was Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified.

My boyfriend has PDD-NOS, but I can barely tell. The only real deficit I've noticed, is that it's sometimes hard for him to talk and do other stuff at the same time.

PDD-NOS just means you lack enough symptoms to qualify for a full AS or autism diagnoses. That should have been my diagnoses TBH but the psychiatrist thought AS would help me better through school and it did except it limited my career choices and I had to fight to take Drama and Driver's Ed.

I also think PDD-NOS also means the doctor isn't sure what you have. It's not a real diagnoses. Now it's not considered a diagnoses anymore under the DSM-5.