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
