The Mohave Daily News reports:
Repeatedly, step-by-step, Angle explained how the Reid campaign has used half-truths to twist her statements.
Outside the new party branch office in upper Laughlin, she added another, about autism. She explained health insurance companies now have 52 mandated coverages to provide. When the government required autism it added a loophole “and any other developmental disabilities not otherwise classified” — meaning those paying for autism coverage also pay the freight for a lot of other conditions.
“Autism spectrum disorders” means a neurobiological medical condition including, without limitation, autistic disorder, Asperger’s Disorder and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified.
PDD-NOS is not a "loophole." It is an autism spectrum disorder. Autism Speaks explains:
Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified, or PDD-NOS, for short, is a condition on the spectrum that has those with it exhibiting some, but not all, of the symptoms associated with classic autism. That can include difficulty socializing with others, repetitive behaviors, and heightened sensitivities to certain stimuli.
How it's similar to classic autism
Those with PDD-NOS behave like those with classic autism in many ways. First, they are all different (meaning one person with PDD-NOS doesn't act exactly like another; the same holds true for classic autism). When interacting with others, they may appear unemotional or unable to speak, they could have trouble holding eye contact, or they may have trouble transitioning quickly from one activity to the next.
How diagnosis differs
Those with PDD-NOS are different from others on the spectrum in one specific way: While they may exhibit some symptoms of those conditions, they don't fit the bill closely enough to fully satisfy all criteria set by the experts. Perhaps they started having difficulties at a much later age than others on the spectrum. (According to the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities, they are often diagnosed between the ages of 3 and 4 years old.) Or they may have the same challenges — for example, they may be oversensitive to their surroundings — but not to the extreme that others on the spectrum do.
Consequently, those with PDD-NOS are sometimes thought to have a "milder" form of autism, though this may not be technically true. One symptom may be minor, while another may be worse.
