Pervasive Developmental Disorders

Mitzi Waltz has been a professional journalist, writer, and editor for ten years, covering a range of topics from computers to domestic spy operations. She is the parent of a son diagnosed with PDD-NOS and other neurological problems. The first seven years of trying to solve the puzzle of her son's illness required all her research skills, and brought her into contact with top researchers in the field. She has been heavily involved in parent support work, both face-to-face and online, and has done a great deal of advocacy work in the medical, insurance, and education systems. "I know from my advocacy work that there are thousands of families like mine out there, looking for answers but finding only a few pages in a neurology text, or perhaps a paragraph or two in a book about autism. Most parents are not trained researchers, and most would be afraid to cold-call a researcher at the National Institutes of Health or to challenge a school psychiatrist's incorrect assessment. I hope that my willingness to do so can help others better understand these disorders and how to treat them," says Mitzi.