Is PDD-NOS a mild version of AS?

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I have read many articles of ASD's. However I am still very confused about which labels are attatched and why. My psychiatrist did not give me an official diagnosis yesterday, but she said that I very likely have a mild ASD, and I don't fit all the criteria of Aspergers. She said it is possible to explain my condition as PDD-NOS, but I am still confused as to what that entails. Does it mean that I have a milder version of AS, or is this something altogether different?

It can be, but it can also be, this individual can't be determined to have Kanner's Autism as the mental retardation is so great.

Mild Asperger's up to the greatest severity possible comes under PDD-NOS.

PDD-NOS is not necessarily mild; it covers a very large range. It's applied when the triad (i.e., 1. social difficulties; 2. communication difficulties; 3. restricted and repetitive behavior and interests) is not quite met (e.g., if the criteria for 3. are not met), or there was atypical age of onset.

Although it's a miscellaneous category, covering an extremely wide range, it is thought to represent the majority of those on the autistic spectrum.

The labels are currently very confusing and are undergoing revision. It's likely they will all be subsumed under the label autism spectrum disorder sometime in the next few years.

I generally thought PDD-NOS was a wastebasket term describing those who have some autistic traits, but not the full picture, and whose IQs are not so low that they are classified as mentally handicapped and not high enough for an AS diagnosis. The "not otherwise specified," to me, is fancy educator talk for "I don't know."

PDD-NOS can range from mild to severe.

And most people don't use the label. If they're closer to AS, they just say "I have AS". If they're closer to Kanner's autism, they'll say "I have autism".

So, even though half of all official ASD diagnosis' are PDD-NOS, you rarely see someone actually say they have it.

PDD-NOS is more severe than AS.

I was told that I have PDD and that it is a mild form of AS

I got some info from a psychology book in the reference library and it stated the opposite.

PDD-NOS is the abbreviation of:

pervasive developmental disorder - not otherwise specified

(Asperger's and classical autism are PDDs.)

That should answer all questions.

'Not otherwise specified' is meant literally - 'you don't fit anywhere exactly because you're so individual'.

It's neither more severe than AS, milder than AS or similar to AS.

It's all that at the same time.

There are 'NOS' adds to most common labels because there are always people who don't quite fit for unique reasons - ADHD-nos, anxiety disorder-nos, dementia-nos, psychotic disorder-nos...

PDD-NOS cannot be sorted into a spectrum of severity with AS and classical.

PDD-NOS. It's like saying, you fall on the autistic spectrum, but very mild, and you don't fit the criteria of anything else mild on the spectrum like Aspergers, so we'll just call it PDD-NOS. It's like a miscellaneous category.

This has been by far the best website I've seen on information on the subject.
http://www.ianproject.org/

Here's the specific link to explanations of it all (which is in community side)
http://www.iancommunity.org/cs/about_asds/

Not exactly; the Not Otherwise Specified diagnoses are catch-all categories for clinically significant conditions that don't quite reach the diagnostic criteria of any specified disorder in the category (in this case, the pervasive developmental disorders, which include autistic disorder, Asperger's disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder, and Rett's disorder).

I was dx'ed with it recently.

I think it's this: pdd stands for Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD)
there are currently 5 PDD's (PDD is another name for Autistic Spectrum Disorders?)
if one does not fir the criteria for any specific PDD but meets some of the criteria, then one can be dx'ed with PDD-NOS
the severity varies.

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publicat ... shtml#pub2

The pervasive developmental disorders, or autism spectrum disorders, range from a severe form, called autistic disorder, to a milder form, Asperger syndrome. If a child has symptoms of either of these disorders, but does not meet the specific criteria for either, the diagnosis is called pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). Other rare, very severe disorders that are included in the autism spectrum disorders are Rett syndrome and childhood disintegrative disorder. This brochure will focus on classic autism, PDD-NOS, and Asperger syndrome, with brief descriptions of Rett syndrome and childhood disintegrative disorder below.

Autistic disorder can be mild. Milder autism than someone with severe AS.

PDD-NOS isn't a real diagnoses but it's still on the spectrum. It can be mild than AS or worse. It just means you didn't fit the criteria for autism or AS but you are still on the spectrum.


I could have been diagnosed with PDD-NOS but my psychiatrist decided to slap the AS label on me because he said it was the closest match. I seem to meet it except for the there is no speech delay or developmental delay and I had those. I was developmental delayed till about age six because I was easy to understand now but I was still slow.