General developmental difference (disorder) - GDD

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I think that there is a group of developmental conditions which may be named as "general developmental differences" (GDDs). They make a person "inept", "weird", "odd" and less suitable to world since childhood, even if a person is profoundly gifted intellectually.

It is a generalization of the term "pervasive developmental disorder" ("pervasive developmental difference" has the same abbreviation - PDD, PDD may even mean "problematic developmental dyssemia" - marked impairment of nonverbal communication starting in early childhood which makes a person socially inept).

I named GDD here as a "difference", not a disorder, because GDDs may give someone marked benefits, not only a lot of strange psychiatric symptoms. I think that in the ICD-11 the definition of PDD should be broadened to include some other disorders, such as something classified now as "NVLD" which is a serous and complex developmental disability, as it is written on that page: http://www.igi-global.com/publish/call- ... tails/1322 (This is not a disability in the traditional sense but rather a silent, serious and complex developmental disability that persists into adulthood. “Nonverbal” in the title denotes a disability in the nonverbal areas of functioning). I think that disorders such as autism and "NVLD" should be classified in one cathegory in DSM (for example "pervasive developmental disorders" (absent in DSM-V), "complex developmantal disabilities"), which would not ecompass more "specific" developmental disorders such as dyslexia and ADHD.

Symptoms of GDD (generalized "neuroatypicality") may be grouped in some classes (rather not all people with GDD would have all of them mentioned above):

1. Social - such as marked dyssemia, pragmatic deficits, failures in social contacts (especially with peers), lacks of social and emotional reciprocity, deficits in theory of mind
2. Emotional, such as:
* peculiar, odd emotionality (such as paradoxical laughter, inadequate shame, sometimes "psychopathic" tendencies), emotional immaturity, strange fears, high anxiety, angry outbursts, depressiveness, flat affect
* obsessiveness (of interests: "strong", "excitating", atypical, often impractical, narrow, repetitive interests), rituals, routines, strange customs, OCD, troubles with changes or novels
* thinking (not in all cases) - delusional ideas (suc as grandiosity and suspiciousness), atypical (especially more absorbing) fantasies (such as about special powers), magical thinking, blatantly bizarre thoughts, sexuality disturbances (especially in childhood); may be in schizophrenia spectrum
3. Activity, such as:
- hyperkinetic behaviors, hyperactive behaviors (such as ADHD), "stimmability" (stims), tics
- troubles with attention (such as ADD); difficulties in organization, planning, complex tasks, making a decistion; concentration deficit disorder (sluggishness, being "drowsy", "spacey" and pronne to daydreaming)
4. Cognitive, such as:
- speech and/or language, auditory problems ("verbal learning disorders") - symptoms may include speech delay or lack of speech, dyslexia, auditory processing dsorders, grammar and semantics problems, larger dominance of PIQ over VIQ
- visual-spatial motor disorder ("nonverbal learning disorders") - symptoms may include clumsiness, weakening of visual thinking and spatial ablities, Math problems, larger dominance of VIQ over PIQ
- deficits in central coherence, abstract thinking
5. Sensory, such as:
- disturbances of five senses (touch, taste, sight, smell, taste); lack of strength and endurance; vestibular and prioprioception issues
6. GDDs appear to be associated with genetic or (and) perinatal issues or other health problems or injuries in pre-natal period or early infancy; they cause marked impairments in normal life and have significant symptoms in early childhood; people with GDD may tend to be viewed as generally "odd", "wieird", "abnormal", "other" etc.

I think that classic autism is an example of a GDD. At least many people with so-called nonverbal learning disorder also have a GDD for me. Pure dyslexia and even ADHD are not GDDs, they are more "specific" developmental disorders. People with GDDs tend to be more "odd", have more peculiar sets of symptoms. Intellectual dsability appear for me to be a sort of GDD also because not only low IQ is needed to diagnose it, but also some other dfficulties are necessary - it makes ID a serious and complex developmental disability, not only a state of having really low IQ.

The word "Aspie" (which is "cute" and "nice" for me) may mean for me a person with relatively mild types of GDD, not only someone who meet AS criteria.

ADHD is considered a pervasive disorder, because it impacts every aspect of a person's life. It is not limited to specific situations like school or work.

It may be considered so. But I think that "NVLD" is worse. People with ADHD are not so socially inept as people who are Aspies to me, but are misnamed as just NLDers. ADHD is quite common disorder, "NVLD" is significantly rarer.

I think that the definition of PDD is too strict. Obsessiveness (such as "fixated" interests) and social ineptitude (such as poor eye contact) should be considered signs of ASD, not NLD. Most people with NVLD may be just Aspies. They often present evident autistic traits. Maybe they are too "flexible" to get ASD diagnosis? Why they are not named as at least "subclinical" Aspies by those who use "coservative approach to AS diagnosis"? I definately disagree with this approach. I think that the name "nonverbal learning disorder" is "hurtful".

Your link is broken.

GDD seems like it has way too many possible symptoms to be meaningful as a diagnosis. However, since your location is listed as Poland, and your list of symptoms includes magical thinking, delusional ideas, etc., it reminded me of this thread:

viewtopic.php?f=35&t=267819

Thanks for the link. I think that the spectrum of schizotypal autism (Mendelsohnn's syndrome) fits me better than "nonverbal learning disorder". I was really nutty even as a child. I have not so severe case as "full-blown" sydrome mentioned here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizotypal_autism). I read about many Aspies from Poland and they were not as crank as my mentality. But I think that less "weird" "NVLDish" people with social problems and weird symptoms also have a GDD, not (just) a learning disorder.

ADHD (which was mentioned in the second post (below my first) on this topic) is in my opinion something which is not a hoax. I was described as "hyperactive" when I was a child. Once even "hyperkinetic". I suppose that I might have ADHD. On the studies I have problems with projects. They are complex and my mentality does not like them. I like walking without purpose, which may be "soft stim", not ADHD symptoms. But in the school I can concentrate on lessons. I like to write.

I am attentive at lessons, but in other situations my attention may be worse. I may have problems with planning, organisation, composing, selecting important things. I am indecisive. On the studies I have quite large procrastrination. It may look as a type of adult ADHD.

I suppose that I have SCT. I am sluggish, slow. I do not know when it began. I may feel something lethargic, I may be "spacey" or "like in the fog". I am prone to daydreaming. I may have tendencies to stare or be somewhat confusable, may have problems with understanding verbal commands or something like it (problems with alertness?), I may feel ad someone who has "low energy".

I may have "triple complet" of ASD, SCT and ADHD. I once read that ADHD is worse than high-functioning ASD (one of the administrators of Polish AS forum wrote that). Problems with complex tasks, decisiveness, selecting, organisation, planning, procrastrination may be symptoms of ADHD. I still may be somewhat hyperkinetic, even if I have SCT.

ADHD and SCT may look for me as more "general" disorders than true NLD. If someone has persistent, costant attention or (and) concentration deficit disorder, then it is somewhat other sort of a problem than a learning disability. ADHD (or SCT) is something which I would name as "executive" or "activity" disorder.

PDD is mainly social and emotional disorder. It often has activity/executive issues and somatic (especially sensory) anomalies. Cognitive problems are also common. Classic autism is an example of a full general developmental difference. In my case, negative symptoms in cognitive area appear for me to be less problematic. Aspies from Poland sometimes had significantly higher highest average grade in elementary school (I had 5,0 maximally, but even diagnosed Aspies sometimes have above 5,4; 6,0 is the highest possible average grade). I may have mild NLD, but executive functioning problems (such as ADD or SCT) and emotional symptoms (such as obsessive, restricted interests or OCD) of GDD can also be an obstacle in school.

I would classify my disorder as a McDD because it has autistic symptoms (such as poor social skills, problems with reciprocity and peer relations, pattern of interests, some "stimmability" and sensory problems), neurological (ADHD-like symptoms, such as problems with making decisions, possible SCT, maybe even ADD; possible mild NLD), affective (OCD, psychopathic symptoms, fears) with somewhat "schizo-looking" features (like magical thinking, grandiose fantasies, blatantly bizarre ideas).