What is your experience with PDD-NOS?

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I have typical classic autism. I know PDD-NOS can vary much more widely even than classic autism. I'm interested in people's experiences who have PDD-NOS. Please share.

Well I have this, so maybe I can tune in.

Having this doesn't really impact my life in any major way, and despite occasionally being seen as odd by others, I still get on okay with neurotypicals. I have traits of an autistic disorder (giggling, preoccupation with fantasy, mild sensory issues, executive dysfunction and restricted interests), but I have normal intelligence and normal social skills. I, along with my parents have always presumed I was, well, normal, all my life because I was highly verbal during childhood, and got on fine with others when I was younger. For example, when I was only 5 or 6 I still recall being self-aware and I could navigate myself through the world just fine, I didn't really think there was anything wrong with me, and the only odd quirk I had was staring at people at sort of narrating the situation through my internal monologue, which even as an adult I still sometimes do without being aware of it.

There was another, unofficial diagnosis called the "broad autistic phenotype" which is the mildest 'undiagnosable' type of ASD, whilst my condition is the mildest diagnosable type, i.e I meet some of the criteria but not all of it.

One of the criteria for this is an "unusual play with certain toys" (https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/192 ... Kt55Q.jpeg), I actually have a photo of myself when I was younger playing with toy cars like this.

Not sure what else to say really, only met a very select few others with this disorder growing up; met plenty of aspies but also very few full-blown autistics, likely because they may not have made in into college level. I don't think there are many individuals with this condition out there, and I would like to meet more to tell you the truth.

I don't fully identify as being on the spectrum and I'm not a card-carrying ASD individual.

What I will say is this... I don't know about you, but I loathe when others try to compartmentalize you into a neat little box, to give them a sort of excuse to feel better than you, and pick on you and talk down to you like the absolute dweebs that they are. People have done this to me my entire life. I'm a person not a label. I like being mildly on the spectrum but I vehemently despise the way some people treat me because of it; deep down, I have a hatred for some neurotypicals. If I don't like someone, and they are not treating me decently, I will cut them out of my life, and as such, I have few true friends or confidants.

The above paragraph has little to do with having pdd-nos by the way, that's just my personal view of things.

I also have dreams of getting a pdd-nos girlfriend on day, and expanding my friend group with more like-minded individuals, well, I guess only time will tell if this ever happens.

Right now I'm pursuing a career as an IT technician, and thankfully all the people there, including my boss, are really chill and I get along with them great. Always liked IT, throughout my entire life. One day, I would like to enter the world of cybersecurity.

Also, something I have noticed is that pdd-nos seems to be most common in siblings where one parent has very mild autistic traits, and the other does not, and so one of the kids inherits those autistic traits and the other doesn't. My dad, despite being completely socially normal, has at times stimmed by sniffing his fingers or rubbing his hands togehter, my mother has no traits and neither does my sister. Another example would be my cousins, the male has pdd-nos, the girl doesn't. Or my friend, he and his brother have traits but the daughter does not. I'm not saying pdd-nos is more common in males though, don't quote me on that it was just and observation.

I don't know if this is true, but I've heard that PDD-NOS is the most common form of autism, despite not really being a form of autism. It is an autism spectrum disorder, just nonspecific.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=pdd+n ... mWpNfqOE_M:

Actually, you might be right. Then again in the real world I haven't met many people with this.

In alot of ways, PDD-NOS is kinda hard to distinguish from what is traditionally called normal autism, or aspergers, whatever. At least, my version of it anyway.

I have it, and my traits are as such:

1. Godawful in social situations. Kinda expected with something on the spectrum, yeah?

2. No eye contact. Just... no. Not happening. Cant deal with that.

3. Sometimes mute/quiet. I can be talkative around immediate family and very close friends, but.... other than that, I'm mostly silent. Back in highschool in particular, I refused to talk unless forced, whenever I was at the school.

4. Few social connections. Those very close friends? There's only one of them.

5. Sensory issues. Lots of them. Pretty much identical to traditional autism. I can be overwhelmed easily.

6. I have shutdowns instead of meltdowns.... usually. If I become extremely angered, however, I will go berserk. Usually results in the offending object being destroyed. Machinery/electronics is the main category of things that can set off that rage.

7. Very moody. Some days I just dont want to talk to anyone.

8. Fear of damn near everything. This gets old.

9. Obsessiveness. Again, identical to normal autism. This is the one thing that can override fear of whatever; sometimes I want something so ridiculously badly that it'll override my fear of whatever is in the way of it.

10. Limited interests. Doubt I have to explain this one.

11. Even more limited conversation. You all know this one too. Lack of wanting to talk about most subjects because I just dont care. They arent interesting, so screw it.

12. This one is different than the norm: I need to get out of the house often. Even if it's just a jaunt over to the bloody Walmart to walk around and look at things. Cooped up for too long, which is to say, more than about a day or so, and I'll get more and more agitated. I also travel alot.

13. Buuuuut, despite that bit, I still dont deal well with changes in routine.

14. Total inability to filter sensory input. You all know this one.

15. However, I have a high capacity for being able to process it. I can focus on a huge number of things at once, mentally tracking everything they are doing at the same time. Useful when it comes to gaming.

16. This though is so extreme that I'm utterly unable to focus on just ONE thing at a time. All things are not just distractions, but part of that fragmented focus.

17. Really abnormal mental processing speed. Among those that know me, it's pretty much the thing I'm known for. I am *fast*. Side effect though, I have no patience, because basically everything is "slow" to me.

18. This one is backwards: I am chaotic, not orderly. Alot of autistics are very neat and well-organized. Wheras for me, well... put me in a hotel room for a couple of nights, and after the FIRST night, it will look like a hurricane went through. Not on purpose, but it *always* happens.

19. Cant follow schedules that I did not create in a natural way. Means I'm late for everything.

20. There are alot of things I cant do for myself. It never feels good to say this, but I cant be on my own for long. I can handle a few days by myself at a time... but that's it. I live with my father and stepmother, they care for me.

21. I'm *really* absentminded. Have you ever gone to make a sandwich, but actually forgotten the bread, yet splattered everything ELSE onto the plate? It sounds like some sort of bad joke, but I've done it. One of my favorite examples though is when I was at a hotel once, for an anime convention. I was coming back from my car, as I'd gone to get something out of it, and I get to my room door, and try to open it. Nope. Try again. Nope, the blasted key just isnt working. Try AGAIN, getting increasingly frustrated. Nope! FIVE FREAKING MINUTES LATER, I finally realize: the reason it's not working, is because I'm not using the room key, I'm trying to open it with my car remote. I do things like this, often. This also means that there are certain things I never, ever, EVER do, because it's just too dangerous. Cooking, for instance. I can never operate a stove or oven or anything like that. It's a hideous disaster waiting to happen.

22. I have zero patience.

23. I'm a total misanthrope.

24. Everything hurts.

25. I stim alot. Can be bizarre.


So, there, those are some details from my own experience with it. There are more, surely, but I'd be here all day if I tried to write them all out.

People with PDD-NOS under the DSM-IV vary greatly in function----from being nonverbal and being in wheelchairs, to being quite verbal and able to live independently.

I have the feeling that it is possible I would have been diagnosed with PDD-NOS had I been a youngster in the 1990's or 2000's Basically, I was classically autistic and nonverbal till age 5 1/2, then "Asperger's-like" afterwards.

If you would be interested, there is book about such a child (nonverbal, then verbal) named "Elijah's Cup."

My experience with PDD-NOS is pretty much isolation. Through out my childhood my social skills were bad(not that it changed any now...) and I had no friends and never had a girlfriend.

I have had some meltdowns as a kid especially when I had to change schools and when having to change classes. I was in special ed up until 9th grade. Sadly in special ed that's where all my acquaintances were, so once I got out I had no one to talk to. People tend to ignore me, sometimes even when I'm standing right in front of them.

I also have a fear of everything that I'm uncertain about. I barely leave my apartment do to living in a crowded area. I also have sensory issues which is why I hate walking places because of the sound of traffic.(I really hate the sounds of sirens!)

I have trouble expressing feelings. My mother is pretty much the only one who knows how to tell what I'm feeling.(many times I don't even know how I feel.)

Going to college or getting a job hasn't even happened yet because of my fear and the sensory issues and the fact that I don't have much skills when it comes to communicating so how would I even be able to convince someone to hire me.

Basically my life has been in the house all the time with no friends and anxiety over almost everything that is not my home. I really don't know what to do and considering where I live I feel like I'm stuck in my home because I have to deal with a lot of issues the moment I walk outside.

Also with PDD-NOS I feel like whether I'm in a NT community or an autistic community, I feel like I don't fit in either one.