High rates of psychiatric co-morbidity in PDD-NOS.
Four in five kids with PDD-NOS have another DSM diagnosis—always screen for anxiety and disruptive behavior.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Doctors looked at 6- to 12-year-olds who had a PDD-NOS label.
They asked parents and teachers to fill out mental-health checklists.
The team counted how many kids also met rules for other DSM-IV disorders.
What they found
Eight out of every ten children carried at least one extra diagnosis.
Disruptive-behavior and anxiety disorders topped the list.
The take-home: always screen for more than autism.
How this fits with other research
Fombonne et al. (2021) asked the same question in 102,000 kids and got the same answer — high comorbidity.
Casseus (2022) zoomed in on ASD plus ADHD in 88,000 children and showed the combo is common.
Eussen et al. (2016) followed preschool-ASD cases to age 11 and found over 90% still had neuropsychiatric needs, proving these problems stick around.
Together the four studies form a clear line: most autistic kids have extra diagnoses, and the burden lasts.
Why it matters
If you write a single-diagnosis treatment plan, you will miss the real drivers of behavior. Run brief anxiety and ADHD screens at intake, re-check each year, and loop in mental-health partners early.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Rates of co-morbid psychiatric conditions in children with Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) are hardly available, although these conditions are often considered as more responsive to treatment than the core symptoms of PDD-NOS. Ninety-four children with PDD-NOS, aged 6-12 years were included. The DISC-IV-P was administered. At least one co-morbid psychiatric disorder was present in 80.9% of the children; 61.7% had a co-morbid disruptive behavior disorder, and 55.3% fulfilled criteria of an anxiety disorder. Compared to those without co-morbid psychiatric disorders, children with a co-morbid disorder had more deficits in social communication. Co-morbid disorders occur very frequently in children with PDD-NOS, and therefore clinical assessment in those children should include assessment of co-morbid DSM-IV disorders.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2007 · doi:10.1007/s10803-006-0215-x