Rating: 
Summary: This book is thorough, positive, accurate and informative
Review: As the mother of a 27 year old woman who has a Pervasive Developmental Disorder and as the editor of an international newsletter on the subject, I found this book to be what I would have wanted when my daughter was first diagnosed. The book is written in compattionate style and contains vital information for both new and very experienced parents of individuals with PDD. I would recommend this to all parents whose children fit the diagnostic criteria for any of the Pervasive Developmental Disorders.
Rating:
Summary: This is the best overview of this broad topic I have found.
Review: As the parents of a three-year boy diagnosed with PDD-NOS in Jan. 2002, my wife and I are quickly devouring as much information on the subject as we can as we begin to advocate for our son's future (therapy, special education, behavior modification methods and possible nutritional/dietary changes). We have purchased or read nearly twenty books on the subject and, by far, Mitzi Waltz' summary of this broad spectrum disorder is the most well organized and written summary we have found.
Here is a list of chapters/appendices of the book:1. THE MEDICAL FACTS ABOUT PDDs
2. PDD CATEGORIES
3. GETTING A DIAGNOSIS
4. GETTING STARTED
5. MEDICAL INTERVENTIONS
6. THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTIONS
7. OTHER INTERVENTIONS
8. INSURANCE
9. SCHOOL (EXCELLENT DISCUSSION OF IEPs, 504's, EDUCATION OPTIONS)
10. FAMILY
11. FINANCES
12. SUPPORT
13. LIVING WITH PDDs
A. RESOUCES (OUTSTANDING LIST OF BOOKS, WEBSITES)
B. SUPPORT AND ADVOCACY (A ONE-STOP SHOPPING LIST OF AUTISM SOCIETIES/SUPPORT GROUPS WITH ADDRESSES, PHONE #'S, INTERNET SITES)
C. RESEARCH AND TESTING FACILITIES
D. MEDICAL REFERENCE
E. SUPPLEMENT REFERENCE
F. DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS
NOTES
GLOSSARY OF ACRONYMS (A MUST FOR ANYONE NEW TO PDDs)
INDEX (EXCELLENT WAY TO PINPOINT YOUR NEEDS) Several other excellent books tell the personal accounts of parents as they come to grips with the aftermath of a diagnosis and are wonderful therapy for parents to validate their feelings and outlooks. The Waltz book is written in plain language while covering the topic in a comprehensive and logical manner. It will serve as a reference for my family for years to come and I highly recommend it to EVERY parent who faces the challenges of living day-to-day with a child/adult diagnosed with a Pervasive Developmental Disorder. Thank you Mitzi!...
Rating:
Summary: Pervasive Development Disorder - Finding a Diagnosis
Review: I found this book to be very helpful. When I purchased this book I was so greatful, that finally someone understood how i felt as a parent. This book gives you the background information that will educate parents on how to address their child's needs. It gives detailed info on medication, IEPS, clinics, websites and even information concerning patterns to teach the child. this book is worth every dime.I have a eight year old son with PDD nos... and it is hard, but i admit some of the techniques in this book was helpful and it gave alternatives to medication. this book make you feel that you are not alone. Our children are special too and they deserve the best care and this book offer the information that most people on the outside will not provide... Thank you (A mother in MI)
Rating:
Summary: Great Starting Point
Review: I knew my son had autism nearly one year ago. In trying to research this disorder, there were literally HUNDREDS of books to choose from. I wanted a book that would enable me to move from feeling helpless to feeling knowledgeable enough to make decisions for my son. Autism is very complex, and there are many options, theories, therapies, treatments, etc. This book was extremely thorough, yet concise. Mitzi Waltz does an excellant job of covering EVERY different option for these children without getting too detailed. I wish this book had been my 'first read' on the subject of autism.
Rating: 
Summary: This is the first and only book on PDD-NOS and Atypical PDD.
Review: I'm the mother of a son whose life has been shaped by a curious and hard-to-define medical diagnosis: Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS). As vague as their names, PDD-NOS and its cousin, Atypical PDD, are neurological conditions related to autism. Many children with PDD-NOS or Atypical PDD are simply called "autistic-like". My search to find out what was wrong with my son was frustrating and sometimes frightening -- and even when the final verdict was given, no one could adequately explain what it would mean for him. For my son, the outcome is promising. At the age of eight, he is beginning to read, working at grade level in math, able to participate in Cub Scouts, and making friends. Most importantly, he is a healthy, happy, loved and loving person. I now know that these labels have been given to hundreds of thousands of children in the US alone. Like my son, these children have often been misdiagnosed or left undiagnosed for years, they are usually denied proper special education help, and they frequently do not find much assistance from medical professionals. I wrote this book to give parents of children with these disorders, as well as adults with PDDs and professionals who work with people who have PDDs, the resources and information that I needed so badly at the beginning of my journey. My book covers the process of diagnosis, current medical knowledge about PDDs, medications, therapies, possible treatments from the world of alternative healthcare, special education issues, dealing with insurance and healthcare problems, transitioning to adulthood, and much more. Throughout the book you'll find references to the latest medical data, carefully balanced with the real-life experiences of parents. If you or your child has been diagnosed with PDD-NOS, Atypical PDD, autism, or an "autism-like" condition, I intend for my book to give you help and hope. I believe that speech therapists, teachers, doctors, and other caring professionals can also learn much from it. I welcome e-mail on this topic.
Rating:
Summary: the MOST incredible resource book!
Review: Mitzi Waltz has devastingly written one of the most poignant books about PDD-NOS I have seen YET on the market. The resources, alone, are worth their weight in gold. This is a MUST HAVE book for parents, educators, medical professionals and the like. Kudos to Ms. Waltz for her fine and valuable efforts.
Rating:
Summary: A must-have for newbie parents and all professoinals
Review: Mitzi Waltz has thoroughly researched and documented the tragedy and triumph of getting a diagnosis for PDD. The tests and resources are invauable and most is unprecedented. This is a great book for families and professionals. It's light in the biological treatments aspects and heavy in the drugs section but there are other books to serve that purpose, such as William Shaw's "Biological Treatments of Autism and PDD" or Karyn Seroussi's upcoming "Unraveling the Mystery of Autism". It is certainly the best all-around beginners book I have seen to date. Kudos to Ms. Waltz.
Rating:
Summary: This book is an indispensable resource!
Review: Mitzi Waltz has written a fabulous book for both parents and professionals who live and/or work with persons with PDD or autism. It is a marvelous compilation of common sense, practical guidance and insight. Lucky for me, I have two copies--one to keep for my library and one to share. A must have book!
Rating: 
Summary: This book doesn't deliver.
Review: Pervasive Developmental Disorders : Finding a Diagnosis and Getting Help, is misleading, at best, lacking many multiple issues parent needs to consider. It needs to be revised and expanded with the assistance of knowledgeable professional currently researching the field.
Rating:
Summary: Author states facts that are taken as opinions!
Review: Since I feel that the majority of the reviews below give a good picture of this text, I will confine
myself to commenting on the review headed "The author gived some opinions as facts!" Actually, it is well-established that there are genetic factors in some forms of autism, and that
autistic-spectrum behaviors are much more likely to occur in families with autistic children
than in the general population. The fact that Bettleheim was wrong about "refridgerator
mothers" does not mean that there are no mothers of autism-spectrum children who have
autistic behaviors. The occurances of allergies and resultant sinus problems are certainly more
common in persons on the autism-spectrum. And there are a number of medical conditions
that have a genetic component that are commonly co-morbid with autism-spectrum disorders. None of these facts would actually imply that "being a parent of an autistic child will
compromise their health!" Parents are no more responsible for the specific genetic makeup of
their children than they are responsible for whether a coin they toss turns up heads or tails. In
fact, the genetic traits associated with autism are now believed to be also so strongly
associated with extreme skill in science, mathematics, engineers, and related areas. Genetically speaking, people who are severely "classically" autistic are massively similar to those who are
sciences "whizzes" (and, of course, both autism and strong science skills often occur in
the same people). Additionally, parents with autistic behaviors and traits are of great benefit to their aut-spec
children, as such parents have more ability to empathize with them. It certainly was/is true in my relationships with my parents! The above statements re family traits and co-morbidity can be confirmed by looking up a few
of the following (in order of ease of reading): Grandin, Temple 1995. _Thinking in Pictures_ (chapters 9 and 10). Silberman, Steve 2001. "The 'Geek Syndrome'." _Wired Magazine_ December 2001. Delong and Dwyer, 1988. "Correlation of family history and specific autistic subgroups:
Asperger's syndrome and bipolar affective disease." _Journal of Autism and Developmental
Disorders_ 18: 593 - 600 Smalley, McCracken, and Tanguay 1995. "Autism, affective disorder and social phobia."
_American Journal of Medical Genetics 60: 19 - 26 _The Biology of the Autistic Syndromes_ by Christopher Gilberg and Mary Coleman (see
section III: "Diseases that Have a Subgroup of Patients With Autistic Symptoms.")
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