A condition occurring
in 3 to 4 year olds which is characterized by a deterioration, over
several months of intellectual, social, and language functioning.
Also known as; disintegrative psychosis or Heller's syndrome. This
rather rare condition was described many years before autism but has
only recently been 'officially' recognized. With CDD children develop
a condition which resembles autism but only after a relatively prolonged
period 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. The following is prominent with the condition:
Loss of social skills.
Loss of
bowel and bladder control.
Loss of
expressive or receptive language.
Loss of
motor skills.
Lack of
play.
Failure
to develop peer relationships.
Impairment
in nonverbal behaviors.
Delay
or lack of spoken language.
Inability
to initiate or sustain a conversation.
Childhood
Disintegrative Disorder is usually associated with severe mental
retardation. But this may not always be present. There also
appears be an increased frequency of EEG abnormalities and seizure
disorder.
Differential
Diagnosis:
Some disorders
have similar or even the same symptoms. The clinician, therefore,
in his/her diagnostic attempt has to differentiate against the
following disorders which need to be ruled out to establish a
precise diagnosis.
Cause:
The
etiology is unknown but several lines of evidence suggest that it
arises as a result of some form of central nervous system pathology.
More boys than girls appear to be affected. Childhood disintegrative
disorder is perhaps 10 times less common than more strictly defined
autism.
Treatment:
Treatment is
the same for autistic disorder (autism)
because of the similarity in the two disorders. Treatment is can
be very difficult and prolonged. Parents, teachers, and therapists
work together in coordinated efforts to encourage social adjustment
and speech development in the child. Positive reinforcement techniques
for appropriate behavior or language responses have been successful
in promoting skills. Family members may also need counseling because
they often feel guilty or inadequate.
Counseling
and Psychotherapy [ See
Therapy Section ]:
Intensive behavior
modification programmes such as; Behavior Analysis and Applied Behavior
Analysis (ABA).
