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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffChildhood disintegrative disorder is a condition in which children develop normally until age 3 or 4, but then demonstrate a severe loss of social, communication and other skills.
Doctors sometimes confuse this disorder with late-onset autism. Both conditions involve normal development followed by significant loss of language, social, play and motor skills. Childhood disintegrative disorder and autism are among several disorders known as pervasive developmental disorders or autism spectrum disorders.
Autism typically occurs at an earlier age than childhood disintegrative disorder. There's also a more dramatic loss of skills with childhood disintegrative disorder and a greater likelihood of mental retardation. In addition, childhood disintegrative disorder is far less common than autism.
Treatment for childhood disintegrative disorder involves a combination of medications, behavior therapy and other approaches.
