I've been told IQ of 60 and below is MMR. When considering these diagnosis always push for the school to follow in line with PDD/Autism. Yes, there is a line between medically diagnosed and what the school follows academically. But, if the school includes both CD and Autism in IEP and they start leaning towards the CD label DO NOT let this happen. This means they have pretty much thrown in the towel and will not focus on academics and will more so focus on everyday living. This is something a advocate told me with my son. And sure enough down the line this is what the school tried to do. Put him in a CD program vs. a Autism one. I refused because he meets both the CD and Autism criteria and this is what it looks like for your son also.

Oh.. the diagnosis of NOS means non otherwise specified...now cognitive...yes, that is the IQ dept.
The DMS-TR-IV, which is under revision, gives you that answer....on page 179...under Other Cognitive Disorders: # 294.9. It reads..."This category is for disorders that are characterized by cognitive dysfunction presumed to be due to the direct PHYSIOLOGICAL effect of a GENERAL MEDICAL CONDITION that do not meet criteria for any of the specific deliriums,dementias,or amnestic disorders listed in the section.... Please see the person giving the diagnosis and have them explain to you.. as that is their job. Regards, Dr. S.

@ DinaCisneros good call on your part. As you seen in my post the school tried to do the same to my son. He had a long term sub for three months she never seen the "real" side of Darius. His very big meltdowns. So after consulting with the school principal they came up with putting him in a "center" based school. Basically it wass all MR kids without any verbal skills. I seen a teacher yell at a kid..He didn't realize I was there and the director of the school greeted me in a suit. Why? Because he seen my son as potential dollar signs. The school was far far away from being a good fit for Darius along with there wasn't a ITR room. A room that had a locked door that he could be safe in when he does have a meltdown. No locked doors. Both these were safety concerns for me. I refused to let him move and he remains in the school that I feel is a good fit for him and his IEP team this year feels the same. What would they do if he has a meltdown call the local police dept and he have more charges than he already has had in the past? They could not answer this question for me. This is one common difference with PDD and CD school settings. Typically a PDD setting is set up to handle agressive situations. Did they give any other recommendations to help with his PDD? What kind of a classroom or school is he in?

It sounds to me you have advocated quite a bit for him and things seem to be working. To have a CD label and be in the classes he is in is GREAT! For him to be with mainstream kids some of the day and then in pull out some of the day sounds pretty balanced. Is he meeting his IEP goals? This is another tool that can help gauge where he is at and what more/less that he may need. Picking up inappropriate behaviors from other students in SDC definitely is not good and I would have to agree it’s probably not the best "fit" for him. I wish my Darius could be mainstreamed but it's not realistic to think he could be mainstreamed at this point in his life. He is in an ALL special education school and this setting has worked well for him throughout his years in school. And for him it is the least restrictive setting. By law our schools have to follow that rule of thumb also. You work at this school, correct? What feedback to you get from teachers? Sometimes as parents we just try really hard to be the best we can and often wonder "is my childs placement the right one?" Again I think reviewing his IEP goals and checking if he is meeting them or making progress is important. Go with what your gut tells you to do. Us as mom know whats best for our kids. Sounds to me like you are doing a GREAT job!

This is where it gets tricky. You must understand that when a doctor gives a MMR diagnosis that is giving an IQ score telling you his cognitive level of ability. That is not a full Autism diagnostic workup! You need to seek out a program that does the full Autism diagnostic testing with a multidisciplinary team. These are usually performed in Autism programs at hospitals in big cities where it takes 2-3 months to obtain exactly where on the Autism spectrum your child falls. That is the sort of testing you need to have done. Even of you get the MMR diagnosis, it's not enough. There are guess what? No programs to treat MMR at least not in my state. Why? Because MMR is a diagnosis of intellectual capacity - NOT behavior. An Autism diagnostic is looking at your child's behavior not their mental capacity!!! Most doctors don't even realize this. When my son first got a PDD-NOS diagnosis he also had an MMR diagnosis and she spelled this out clearly and said, "do you understand what this means???" PDD-NOS is a place considered on the spectrum but that diagnosis is not enough. The full workup will tell you just where on the spectrum your child falls and what to expect. Once you have THAT sort of diagnosis - that is the one that will open doors for you as far as obtaining services and help that you will need to treat your child's specific condition effectively! Yes, it's true! I got the MMR diagnosis from a nuerologist and he didn't suspect Autism but it WAS present! Once I learned more I went to a pediatric psychiatrist who gave the PDD-NOS and referral to more in depth testing. That is where I got the moderate Autism diagnosis and when I was on track with the real diagnostic verdict I needed that describes him in a way most other professionals and service providers will recognize.