Pervasive Development Disorder

The term Pervasive Development Disorders (PDDs) is an umbrella term used to refer to a group of developmental disorders of the brain function. These cover the whole family of autistic spectrum including Asperger syndrome, Heeler's syndrome and Rett disorder. As PDD covers such a wide spectrum, it is exhibited differently from child to child. Children with these disorders are often confused in their thinking and they have problems understanding the world around them. Since these conditions are identified in children around 3 years of age, which is a critical period in the child's development, they are called development disorders. Even if the condition begins earlier than 3 years of age, parents often do not notice the problem until the child is a toddler who is not walking, talking or developing as well as other kids of the same age.

Diagnosis of Pervasive Development Disorder

Much of the diagnosis depends on the accurate developmental history and evaluation of the current functioning of the child. Complete medical history and physical exam is done for a complete evaluation by doctors. Although there are no laboratory diagnosis in PDD, various blood tests and X rays are done to determine if there is a physical disorder causing these symptoms. In the absence of any physical disorder, the child is referred to a specialist in childhood development disorders such as psychiatrist or psychologist, pediatric neurologist or other professionals trained to treat PDDs. Inputs from the parents of the affected child, his/her teachers, and other adults who are familiar to the child are sought. Parents require ongoing counseling and support and they must understand that they are not responsible for the child's condition.

Child Psychiatrist

In few cases, a child's behavior needs to be corrected only through professional help. These child issues are best dealt by child psychiatrists. A Doctor in Medicine or a Doctor in osteopathy, who has a specialization in general psychiatry and has further, qualified in child and adolescence psychiatry is the right specialist. He can address the mental and emotional problems faced by children and in turn by their families. He studies, diagnoses and treats the disturbances faced by the child.

Qualification to be a child psychiatrist

A child psychiatrist undergoes training for two years in the field of child and adolescence psychiatry after completing 3 or 4 years of general psychiatry training. These psychiatrists are specially trained to handle common psychiatric problems faced by children such as ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), misbehavior, learning disabilities, pervasive development disorder, depression and anxiety disorder.