Q: What disorders does PDD or ASD include?

A: According to the DSM-IV, the umbrella PDD or ASD category includes:

• Autistic disorder (sometimes called “classic” autism)

• Asperger syndrome

• Childhood disintegrative disorder

• Rett syndrome

• PDD Not Otherwise Specified (NOS) or atypical autism

Depending on his or her specific symptoms, a person with autism or ASD can be in any one of these categories.

In 1999, NICHD-supported researchers identified the gene responsible for Rett Syndrome, one of the conditions included in the ASD category.Rett Syndrome occurs only in girls and causes them to develop autism-like symptoms after seemingly normal development.This discovery could lead to improved detection, prevention, and treatment of Rett Syndrome.

Advances in detecting, preventing, and treating Rett Syndrome may shed light on ways to understand and treat ASDs, including those aspects of ASD that may involve regression.

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