Reviewing Graduate Studies (Master Thesis and Doctoral Dissertations) Regarding Pervasive Developmental Disorders Carried out between 1990-2011 in Turkey

The purpose of this study is to review graduate studies (master thesis and doctoral dissertations) regarding pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) carried out between 1990-2011 in Turkey. Graduate studies were reached through website of Higher Education Council of Turkey by using keywords of “autism, autistic disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder/autism spectrum disorders”. In addition, graduate studies listed in the book (Diken, Ünlü and Karaaslan, 2008) entitled “Bibliography of Graduate Studies on Intellectual Disability and Pervasive Developmental Disorder” were gathered. The following criteria were addressed while including the studies: a) Studies should be carried out with individuals with diagnose of one of PDD or with their families, b) Investigated issues (such as opinions, case studies, or comparison studies) should be related to individuals with diagnose of one of PDD or with their families, c) Studies should be either master thesis or doctoral dissertations. Seventy-nine studies met these criteria and were included in this study. Studies were categorized under six categories and studies in each category were compared. Suggestions were also provided for future research.