What is childhood disintegrative disorder (CDD)?

Childhood disintegrative disorder (CDD) is a developmental disorder characterized by a loss of thinking, communicating and speaking skills that occur sometime between ages 2 and 4. Normal development is seen until then.

The cause of childhood disintegrative disorder is not known. Symptoms include poor social skills, lack of bowel and bladder control, impaired language and motor skills and difficulties developing relationships. The condition is very similar to autistic disorder (autism) in its more severe forms.

The condition affects girls and boys in equal numbers. More research is needed to find out how many children are affected by childhood disintegrative disorder. But it is considered to occur much less frequently than autism.

Children with childhood disintegrative disorder (CDD) develop normally until they’re three or four (sometimes older) but then dramatically regress, losing language, social, and self-help skills, including loss of bowel and bladder control, and may also develop seizures. Eventually, the child may display autistic characteristics, including mental retardation. CDD is very rare and the least common form of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

From The Smart Parent's Guide: Getting Your Kids Through Checkups, Illnesses, and Accidents by Jennifer Trachtenberg.

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