Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, School Age

You said you were very concerned that your child has 2 or more of the following problems:

• Has an odd way of dealing with other children which leads to problems making or keeping friends
• Speech is strange or unclear
• Unable to use words as well as other kids his/her age to communicate
• Does the same movement over and over
• Makes sounds or words without purpose
• Needs to have things done or said in exactly the same way over and over

You also said that your child seemed normal for at least the first 2 years of his/her life. Your child has recently become unable to do some things that s/he used to be able to do. Your child has probably lost some of his/her skills in 2 or more of the following areas:

• Understanding what others tell him/her to do
• Talking
• Social skills
• Bowel or bladder control
• Play
• Motor skills (e.g., running, jumping, bouncing a ball)

Your child is having lots of trouble because of this loss of skills. S/he may be having trouble in 2 or more of the following areas:

• Trouble making friends; trouble getting along with other children.
• Speaking very little or not at all; trouble starting a conversation; repeating words or sounds.
• Does the same movement over and over; makes sounds or words without purpose; needs to have things done or said in exactly the same way over and over.

Some children who have these types of problems have something called Childhood Disintegrative Disorder. The things you reported suggest that your child may have this problem. This type of problem is very rare. It may be more common in boys than girls. The most common age for this problem to start is 3 or 4 years old. Some children with this problem continue to lose more skills while others stay the same. Some children even get a little better over time.

American Academy of Pediatrics (1996). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Primary Care. Elk Grove Village, Illinois: Author.

American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.