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Do you have PDD-NOS?

Nathan

Nathan

Well-Known Member
I do. Though it's strange, I began feeling left out because the majority of you have Asperger's. I just want to feel like there's a group out there in which I belong. I hate being excluded (not that you guys are "excluding" me, I'm just depressed right now and need power in numbers).
 
I don't have it myself but I have noticed some other members mention it. Maybe you could make a thread about what it is, from your experience, that would be interesting.
 
I could see myself having it. I'm very high-functioning in some areas, and very low-functioning in others. I'm definitely not an all-around high-functioning person, though some people may beg to differ. My sister claims that I appear to be normal as do others, but I can assure you that I'm not.

I definitely consider myself as being high-functioning - just not "all-around" high functioning. I **** up in areas where lots of "normal" people don't.
 
Calvert said:
Maybe you could make a thread about what it is, from your experience, that would be interesting.
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Do I have to mention the bizarre stuff I did when I was younger? Back then I wasn't very antisocial, but I behaved rather disturbingly.

I will mention this, though. In 4th grade, I once had to take a very long test over a story I had read. The question was around 100 questions, but the teacher didn't tell us it would be: she just kept piling question upon question about stupid, minute details in the story. I then became overwhelmed and finally had a breakdown near the end of the test.
 
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Nathan said:
Do I have to mention the bizarre stuff I did when I was younger? Back then I wasn't very antisocial, but I behaved rather disturbingly.
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You can mention what ever you want. Most people know about Autism and Aspergers but few know anything about PDD-NOS and how it differs. Make a thread about how PDD-NOS affects you.
 
The doctors and the counselors at Child Guidance told my parents I had a "perceptual disorder". Looking back, I don't know why nobody mentioned autism or Aspergers. I had many of the hallmarks.

What it was like to live with that label was that I grew up vulnerable to anyone, particularly an adult in authority, because what this label meant was that I was out of touch with reality. "The way you see the world isn't how it is." As a result I grew up with major self-doubt and very little confidence. Since I could not trust my own thoughts, feelings, and experiences, I was always looking to others to validate myself. To this day, I cannot self-evaluate. If my supervisor was to tell me tomorrow that I was a lousy employee and needed to be let go, I would not know how to counter it. I would be stunned and reeling in shock, but there is no way I could say to him or her, "You are wrong and this is why."

I am sure that those who labeled me did not intend for that outcome; but I never got any indication that they were interested in anything else than making me a docile, submissive child who did not cause trouble in the classroom or home. Through drugs and physical punishment, they eventually got what they wanted. I survived. I was not locked up in a mental hospital or chained to a bed like a Michigan teenager who died in a house fire a couple of years ago (her parents are now serving time). I learned not to push buttons and keep my head low.

As I said, I believe that I have Asperger's because it fits, but I have not gone through the trouble and expense of getting a formal diagnosis. I think at this point it may do more harm than good, and also, I have no love for the medical/mental health profession. I am sure that there are some very fine people who have devoted their lives to this, and I don't mean to slam them, but the trust I have has been destroyed long ago.
 
What it's like?

It's like being on the spectrum sometimes, but not always. - That's the best way I can describe it. It's not being fully there, only partially. It's people not realising that although you don't have all of the symptoms of autism or asperger's syndrome you still have needs that other people don't; you're still different. And then at other times it's people treating you like you're a time bomb and making things seem worse than they maybe are.

Being diagnosed is like being taken from one circle of people, so to speak, where you were never seen as quite right, and you never really felt that way, and at first being put into another group where most of you didn't want to feel right there, but there was a strong part of you that did. And then it's like being taken from there as well and being put somewhere in the middle, just floating on the edges of both.

That's what it's like for me, that's the best way I explain it. It's being different, which isn't a bad thing, but doesn't always feel like a good thing either, it's being me.
 
My son was diagnosed with PDD-NOS 12 years ago. Since then (I am 45 now), I have followed gathered as much Asperger's Syndrome information as I could as it fit me perfectly. After all this time, I finally spent the money to be assessed and was just diagnosed with PDD-NOS. Like Nathan above, I am more confused then ever. They basically listed all my symptoms (all of them fit the stereotypical aspie symptoms) but they showed that I didn't fit the criteria under RDOS module 4. It really is confusing to know I act like, think like and am like one with Asperger's Syndrome but don't have it.

One thing to mention is that I am high functioning (can drive, hold a job, etc). where my son (who is now 19) is much lower functioning but both have PDD-NOS. I guess I have never been good enough to be great, not bad enough to be terrible. I never did fit in- apparently not even with Asperger's syndrome.
 
Though it's strange, I began feeling left out because the majority of you have Asperger's. I just want to feel like there's a group out there in which I belong. I hate being excluded (not that you guys are "excluding" me, I'm just depressed right now and need power in numbers).
Click to expand...

That is how I feel too. I don't have PDD as far as I know. I do have some of the symptoms maybe.
Eating same food each day. Don't accepting changes in routine easily and similar.

What I share with you is that I want to belong and not feel left out. Now that I have officially the AS diagnose
then I want to be seen as a real AS too.

But I am not a typical AS at all. I am not highly functional as typical AS are. I totally fail at doing computers.
And I sure love computers very much. Own very many of them and want to buy each one new I hear about.

I fail doing music and fail to dance and fail doing philosophy and a lot of things. I am a total loser as I see it.
Has not been able to keep a single job my whole life. Has no wife or kids and almost no friends either and fail to get along with the few persons that would accept to be my friend.

So I relate very much to this I just want to feel like there's a group out there in which I belong.
 
kneeproblemguy said:
But I am not a typical AS at all. I am not highly functional as typical AS are. I totally fail at doing computers.
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I can't help but wonder if you're misunderstanding what "high-functioning" means since you actually do seem to be on the fairly high-functioning side of things. "High-functioning" is a fairly vague designation, but I think it basically refers to people on the autism spectrum who do not have any significant intellectual impairment. You don't have to have savant-like abilities or technical skills to be "high-functioning."

High Functioning Autism - What Is High Functioning Autism
 
One thing to add- PDD-NOS can be very frustrating. If you look up books, articles and movies on Asperger's Syndrome- you will get tons of information. Look up PDD-NOS- you will get limited information- most is for children diagnosed with it; almost nothing for adults. It is almost as if PDD-NOS is a temporary or "bridge diagnosis" that is given to young children while the doctor awaits more pronounced symptoms where the person can then be given a more definitive diagnosis later. However, I was just given it at 45 years old. :skeptical:
 
I know a friend with PDD-NOS and it's very frustrating to him, too

Because he just feels that he isn't receiving enough support for his conditions
 
My son was diagnosed with PDD-NOS at 31/2 years. I can't see the difference other than his extreme high vs. low functioning in areas such as eating , dressing , toileting . I think it is a temporary diagnosis as well. There is no info.about PDD-NOS out there
 
I think his diagnosis will change to Aspergers when he gets older.
He scored 80 on the Gillium Aspergers test. The last section that deals with not understanding jokes and ridicule was not applicable yet, do to his age. As he goes through school I'm sure we will see ...
 
that's the goal. I find it a little odd that I myself have 'generalized anxiety disorder' and 'social phobia disorder' and some pretty quirky traits as well. I want him to grow up with as much love and support as I can give. it is hard going through life anxious about people and tense situations can mess you up, I know. I'm looking out for him.
 
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