Childhood disintegrative disorder

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Definition

Childhood disintegrative disorder is a condition in which young children develop normally until age 3 or 4, but then demonstrate a severe loss of social, communication and other skills.

Doctors sometimes confuse this rare disorder with late-onset autism because both conditions involve normal development followed by significant loss of language, social, play and motor skills. However, autism typically occurs at an earlier age. There's also a more dramatic loss of skills in children with childhood disintegrative disorder and a greater likelihood of mental retardation. In addition, childhood disintegrative disorder is far less common than autism.

Childhood disintegrative disorder and autism are among several developmental disorders known as pervasive developmental disorders or autism spectrum disorders. Others in the group include Asperger's syndrome, Rett syndrome and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified.

Childhood disintegrative disorder is also known as Heller's syndrome after the Viennese educator, Theodor Heller, who first described the condition. It's also called dementia infantilis, disintegrative psychosis and pervasive disintegrative disorder.

Treatment for childhood disintegrative disorder is similar to that for autism — a combination of medications for behavioral problems, behavior therapy and other approaches.

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Symptoms