PDD-NOS vs "autistic traits"

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How many criteria do you have to meet in order to be diagnosed with PDD-NOS rather than as having autistic traits?. And which ones? It's very confusing to me. My son has PDD-NOS and the psychologist said he had five instead of six and therefore didn't have autism and if he had only had four it would have been autistic traits.

So in that case, which five would be necessary?

Your doctor's probably using some arbitrary criteria he designed himself, because "autistic traits" isn't an official diagnosis and "PDD-NOS" is a catch-all for cases that don't fit.

PDD-NOS is simply the term for someone who has "some kind of autism". Another name for it is "atypical autism", and it covers any case of autism that cannot be exactly described as Asperger's, Autistic Disorder, CDD, or Rett's (the other autism spectrum categories). For example, you might have someone who does not use language and spends most of his time stimming, but makes eye contact and uses gestures to communicate. This case would have fit Autistic Disorder (also known as classical or Kanner's autism), except that the non-verbal communication--the gestures, eye contact, pointing, and sharing--is normal. Other cases of PDD-NOS would be someone who has speech delay or self-help difficulty, but otherwise has enough traits to fit Asperger's but not Autistic Disorder, or someone who fits CDD in terms of late onset but did not lose speech, or someone whose traits fluctuate too much to put him in any one category. Autism is actually diverse enough that PDD-NOS is the single most diagnosed autism spectrum disorder in many areas.

"Autistic traits" is what a doctor might say if the case does not cause impairment. This is not a diagnosis and does not require treatment. Autism includes a wide range of traits; and it merges into "normal" pretty seamlessly, so that there's a gray area of very mild autism versus just autistic traits in a typical individual. If you want to see "autistic traits", try college science professors, teenage gamers, anime conventions, trainspotters, enthusiastic hobbyists of all types, introverts, intellectuals, eccentrics...

This leads me to my next question, which has been puzzling me: What constitutes impairment? Is anxiety and loneliness enough? What if you have a job, family etc but suffer real anxiety in social situations, or obsess over things to the point where it damages your relationships?

lots of people on the spectrum have jobs and families and such.

I am not sure exactly what constitutes impairment myself. I prefer the term "difficulties" to "impairments"

When I was a lid, it took me a lot of time to learn self-care skills, but I did eventually.

I was in a mainstream classroom, because nobody knew what to do with me..i had sensory, learning, and social difficulties, but tests shows I was way above-average intelligence wise , so I ended up getting lots of leeway for excessive absences ...and not much else (aside from getting placed back a year for having emotional problems)

As an adult, I tend to sorta live "outside the box" in accordance with things I can be comfortable doing. I have relationships. I own a small business (i didn't start it, but I inherited it, and i do work there..it is kind of in bad shape because there is a lot of stuff I don;t know how to deal with, and my partner is somewhat dysfunctional as well..)
I don't drive a car, I have real difficulties working in a "normal" structured work environment.
i have fairly severe problems with organization and executive dysfunction....but I manange to squeak by, helping run a performance and arts space.

Sorry for rambling and straying from the topic..I did have a point..

um..

PDD-NOS is confusing...

As far as I can figure all that impairment means is something causes obvious difficulties in daily life. And As Poopylungstuffing illustrates, what's difficult in terms of how we live our lives is relative.

I've never heard anyone say PDD or PDD-NOS other than on the internet, so I say I have traits of AS. 'Autistic traits' would be fine, also.

I think the problem with psychiatry and all this kinda stuff is that there is no real definition for a lot of these things so it's just whatever the proffesional thinks. The psychiatrist said I do not have Asperger's. The school says I have traits.

'Impairment', I would say is the lack of ability to do something that is a part of everyday life (ie. not the lack of ability to do something specific and unimportant, such as play golf)

The psychologist said "autism-like condition" for my son, which is supposed to translate into PDD-NOS or atypical autism, i.e autism minus one symptom= five symptoms.

When I read the criteria and look at him I'd say it's more like 7, but it doesn't matter for him, because his diagnosis gives him all the rights of someone classically autistic. But from a theoretical point of view it confuses me. And I'm also trying to figure out whether I'm more likely myself to be diagnosed with PDD-NOS, Asperger's or "autistic traits", whatever that is.