F80 vs F84
F84 — Pervasive developmental disorders
Distinguish an isolated specific developmental disorder of speech and language (F80) from a pervasive developmental disorder (F84), using whether the full social-interaction/communication/restricted-behaviour triad is present rather than treating any language delay as potentially autism.
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Show overlap — what both share
Both can present with a young child who has delayed or unusual spoken language, and communication difficulty is a feature that can appear in either category, which can make an isolated language delay look, on the surface, like it might be part of a broader pervasive pattern.
Show decisive evidence
- F80 involves a specific impairment in spoken language development, with age-appropriate social interaction (eye contact, shared enjoyment, imaginative play) and no restricted or repetitive behaviour pattern.
- F84 requires the full triad: qualitative abnormality in reciprocal social interaction, qualitative abnormality in communication, and a restricted, repetitive, stereotyped pattern of behaviour or interests, present across situations.
- A child with delayed language but typical eye contact, shared enjoyment, imaginative play, and no repetitive behaviour favours F80.
- A child with delayed language together with limited eye contact and shared enjoyment, and repetitive behaviour or insistence on sameness, favours F84.
What weakens F80: Age-appropriate social interaction and no restricted/repetitive behaviour weakens F84 regardless of language delay; the presence of the full triad weakens a language-only F80 classification.
Show duration / course
Both require early onset; F84's childhood autism subtype specifically requires onset evident before age 3, while F80 requires onset during the normal developmental window for spoken language without a specific age-3 threshold.
Show exclusions / context
A communication difficulty alone should never be read as sufficient for F84 — the social-interaction and restricted/repetitive-behaviour domains must both also be established; without them, an isolated language delay is directed to F80 instead, per the exclusions_distinctions entry on the F84 category record.
Show information still needed
Whether social interaction (eye contact, shared enjoyment, imaginative play) and restricted/repetitive behaviour are present or age-appropriate, not just whether spoken language is delayed.
Show the common trap
Treating any spoken-language delay in a young child as a possible sign of autism, without checking the other two domains of the F84 triad.
Mini challenge — practise this distinction
Apply the discriminating evidence above to a fresh case before checking the full feedback.