title: Is pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified less stable than autistic disorder? A meta-analysis.
abstract: We reviewed the stability of the diagnosis of pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). A Medline search found eight studies reiterating a diagnostic assessment for PDD-NOS. The pooled group included 322 autistic disorder (AD) and 122 PDD-NOS cases. We used percentage of individuals with same diagnose at Times 1 and 2 as response criterion. The pooled Relative Risk was 1.95 (p < 0.001) showing that AD diagnostic stability was higher than PDD-NOS. When diagnosed before 36 months PDD-NOS bore a 3-year stability rate of 35%. Examining the developmental trajectories showed that PDD-NOS corresponded to a group of heterogeneous pathological conditions including prodromic forms of later AD, remitted or less severe forms of AD, and developmental delays in interaction and communication.
authors.affiliation: Université de Montréal and Hôpital Rivière-des-Prairies, 7070, boulevard Perras, Montréal, QC H1E 1A4, Canada.
authors.forename: Emélie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rondeau
authors.forename: Leslie S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Masse
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bodeau
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: Jean-Marc
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Guilé
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003142:Communication; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant