e Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified (PPD-NOD). This is milder than autism and will not have all of the symptoms of autism, but a developmental problem.

A doctor will go through a list of criteria to determine if your child PDD-NOS. Assessments will be done in a number of areas.

1. Medical Assessment: If there are any health problems your child is showing a doctor will do a physical to see if there are any other medical conditions present. A doctor will run a number of tests including hearing, blood and urine tests.

2. Educational Assessment: Your doctor will check out your child’s educational level based on where they are supposed to be. There are many different areas the doctor will check such as dressing, bathing, social interaction and other social skills. This can be assessed by interviewing parents, teachers and others who are with the child often. You can also keep a journal of everything your child does and how the child interacts to give to the doctor.

3. Psychological Assessment: A psychologist will be on hand to interview the child to see if there are any mental disorders. Some of the symptoms your child is having could be from other conditions and your doctor will want to rule anything out.

4. Behavior Observation Assessment: A doctor may want to observe your child in his or her natural setting. By watching the child, a doctor will be able to gauge what is going on. They will see firsthand how the child acts around other children their age and in the home environment.

5. Communication Assessment: A doctor will test a child's communication skills because this is an important piece of information to see if a child has autism or PPD-NOD. This doesn't have to be just through words. The doctor will test body language, facial expressions and other forms of communication.

6. Occupational Assessment: Your child's motor skills are an important way to determine if your child has autism or PDD-NOS. This will consist of tests that check the function of the child's motor skills and the child's senses. A child might dislike a certain texture or smell. This is important when figuring out what is wrong with the child.

Many of these assessments are done while interviewing the parents, teachers or anyone else that is close to the child. A child might exhibit different symptoms at different moments. That's why it's imperative to get as many people as you can to give information to the doctor or anyone else involved in the patient's care. These people will have plenty of knowledge to give the doctors. Don't be shy in finding anyone who can help.

After the assessments are complete your doctor or pediatrician will meet with other doctors to diagnose the problem. Here the doctors will decide if the child has autism or Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified. Once a child is diagnosed with PPD-NOS, a treatment plan will be given to help your child. This will help your child to have a normal life and communicate with people better. Getting a diagnosis is the first step in helping your child has a better life.