Pervasive Developmental Disorders

Until the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), was published in 2013, pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) was the overarching class of developmental disorders. PDD was characterized by difficulties in social relating and communication, and/or restricted interests and repetitive behaviors, most notably autistic disorder. PDD was first introduced in 1980 in the DSM-III, and each DSM edition since has yielded substantial modifications to both the specific diagnoses within this class as well as the criteria for each diagnosis. With the DSM-5, the entire PDD class was restructured into a single diagnosis—autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

This entry reviews the history of this diagnostic class and discusses the changes in diagnoses and criteria over time. Then, it reviews how PDD and its specific diagnoses ...

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