Symptoms

General symptoms that may be present to some degree in a child with a PDD include:

• Difficulty with verbal communication, including problems using and understanding language and also difficulty with non-verbal communication, such as gestures and facial expressions.
• Difficulty with social interaction, including relating to people and to his or her surroundings.
• Unusual ways of playing with toys and other objects.
• Difficulty adjusting to changes in routine or familiar surroundings
• Repetitive body movements or patterns of behavior, such as hand flapping, spinning and, head banging.
• Changing response to sound. (The child may be very sensitive to some noises and seem to not hear others.)
• Temper tantrums
• Difficulty sleeping
• Aggressive behavior
• Fearfulness or anxiety (nervousness)