Childhood disintegrative disorder

Summary & key facts

This paper reports a 10-year-old girl who developed childhood disintegrative disorder after normal development until about age 5. She lost language, social skills, toilet control, and self-care, showed repetitive hand movements, had a CT scan showing reduced brain volume and an IQ of 37.5, and then showed partial improvement in behavior and communication after treatment with risperidone and special training. The authors note CDD is very rare, its cause is unknown, and treatments focus on behavioral and educational approaches while some medications may help behavioral problems.

Key facts:

• The patient was a 10-year-old girl who had normal development until about age 5 and then began to lose previously acquired skills such as talking in sentences and calling family members by name.
• Symptoms included loss of language and social skills, stereotyped hand movements, irritability, aggression, loss of toilet training, poor sleep, reduced self-care, and putting non-food items in her mouth.
• Routine blood tests, liver and kidney tests, and urine tests were reported as normal in this case.
• Brain CT showed marked reduction of brain volume, less sulci and gyri, and enlarged ventricles in this child.
• An IQ test for the child measured 37.5.
• The child had a history of a severe prolonged respiratory infection before the decline, but the report does not identify a single medical cause for her disorder.
• The child was given risperidone 1 mg once daily; within 3 weeks she had less anger and better sleep, and over about 6 months she showed improved naming of objects, social interaction, motor coordination, and self-feeding.
• The authors state CDD usually begins after age 3 (often around 3–4 years but it can happen up to age 10) and is diagnosed after at least 2 years of apparently normal early development followed by loss in at least two areas (for example lang
• CDD is rare: the paper cites an estimated prevalence of about 1 in 100,000 boys and a reported male:female ratio of about 8:1, and notes that about half of children with CDD have abnormal EEGs and some have seizures.
• The report says no single cause is known; treatments emphasize early, intensive educational and behavioral therapies, and while no drugs are proven to fix core developmental features, atypical antipsychotics and SSRIs have been reported to

Abstract

We are presenting a case of a 10-year-old female child who presented with normal development till 5 years of age followed by deterioration in previously acquired language and social skills with stereotypic hand movements suggestive of childhood disintegrative disorder. This case is reported as this condition is very rare.

Topics

Autism Spectrum Disorder Research Genetics and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Language Development and Disorders

Categories

Cognitive Neuroscience Life Sciences Neuroscience

Tags

Medicine Pediatrics Psychiatry