Childhood disintegrative disorder
Children with this pervasive developmental disorder appear to develop normally for the first two years of their
lives, but then lose skills in areas such as language, play, and bowel control, and manifest impaired social
interaction and communication associated with “restrictive, repetitive, stereotyped” behaviors.
Children with CDD develop a condition that resembles autism, but only after a relatively prolonged period
(usually 2 to 4 years) of clearly normal development. This condition apparently differs from autism in the pattern
of onset, course, and outcome.
Although apparently rare, the condition probably has frequently been incorrectly diagnosed.
Very few children who have an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis meet the criteria for Childhood
Disintegrative Disorder (CDD). An estimate based on four surveys of ASD found fewer than two children per 100,000
with AS could be classified as having CDC. This suggests that CDDis a very rare form of ASD. Though it is rare, it
was actually discovered in 1908, long before classic autism. However, it has only recently been ‘officially’
recognized. CDD most commonly occurs in boys and is generally noticeable around 3 to 4 years of age. Until this
time, the child has age-appropriate skills in communication and social relationships.
The long period of normal development before regression helps differentiate CDD from Rett syndrome. The loss of
such skills as vocabulary is more dramatic in CDD than they are in classical autism.
The diagnosis requires extensive and pronounced losses involving motor, language, and socials kills. CDD is also
accompanied by loss of bowel and bladder control and oftentimes seizures and a very low IQ.
The cause is unknown but several lines of evidence suggest that it arises as a result of some form of central
nervous system pathology. Childhood disintegrative disorder is perhaps 10 times less common than more strictly
defined autism.
Several different patterns of onset and course have been identified. Patterns of onset include gradual vs.
spreading harmfully in a subtle manner, while patterns of course/development include progressive deterioration,
developmental plateau with little subsequent improvement, and (much less frequently) marked improvement.
The available data suggest that generally the prognosis for this condition is worse than that for autism.
Childhood disintegrative disorder
What are autism spectrum disorders?
Autism Guide: The Essential Guide To Autism
Asperger's Syndrome in Laymens Terms. Aspergers Checklist
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