Characteristics of a Child with Pdd

Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) is a complex psychiatric diagnostic category encompassing five diagnoses. Children diagnosed within this category present with an incredibly varied picture of skills, abilities, and limitations and may require nontraditional educational approaches, a variety of scaffolding supports, and alternative interventions. To promote the child’s development and complement efforts of other team members, occupational therapy practitioners must draw from, and skillfully adapt, a variety of approaches to meet each child’s individual needs. This article presents a general overview of some of the intervention strategies being implemented clinically and describes ways in which the techniques can be incorporated within more traditional occupational therapy practice.