There are many adoptive children diagnosed everyday with disorders like PDD, autism, ADHD, ADD, FAS, OCD, PTSD, etc. I could go on forever and list a myriad of alphabet soup. But many parents have no idea what some of the acronyms mean when their children receive the diagnoses.
Because of AJ’s issues I have done a lot of research on autism, institutional autism and PDD but what exactly are PDD’s, or Pervasive Developmental Disorders? And, what is it when it is Not Otherwise Specified PDD-NOS?
Pervasive Development Disorders actually refer to the group of disorders characterized by delays in socialization and communication.The …read more

My son LOVES Halloween. He loves everything about Halloween…the pumpkins, the decorations, the hayrides, the farms (oh, the farms!), the costumes, the candy that he can’t eat, the lights…everything.
He has been talking about Halloween since August when he saw the first pumpkin in the store. I’m certainly not looking forward to the Christmas decorations because we all know how he reacted last year to the holiday decorations and the activity.

It is well known in my family and with my close friends that AJ is aggressive, especially when he gets angry or when he does not get something he wants. He gets violent when he does not understand what is going on around him or when he is overstimulated and can not control the situation.
When I spoke to the doctor we will be seeing next week he told me that it is very common for children who have sensory issues to fight when they are not regulated. I have known this for a long time but have always chalked it …read more