Childhood disintegrative disorder (CDD) is very rare. It occurs mostly in males. Symptoms may appear by age 2, but the average age of onset is between 3 and 4 years. Until this time, the child has normal skills in talking and getting along with others. There is a relatively long period of normal development before regression. This sets CDD apart from Rett's Disorder.
The loss of skills is more dramatic in CDD than in classical autism. Loss of skills is wide-spread. Losses occur in motor and language, as well as social skills. CDD is also leads to loss of bowel and bladder control.
Seizures and a very low IQ are also common.Adapted from Strock, M. (2004). Autism Spectrum Disorders (Pervasive Developmental Disorders). NIH Publication No. NIH-04-5511, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD, 40 pp. Accessed on April 4, 2006 http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/autism.cfm