Childhood Disintegrative Disorder

childhood disintegrative disorder (CDD), also called Heller syndrome, disintegrative psychosis, or dementia infantilis, a rare neurobiological disorder characterized by the deterioration of language and social skills and by the loss of intellectual functioning following normal development throughout at least the initial two years of life. The disorder was first described in 1908 by Austrian educator Thomas Heller. However, because the disorder is rare, occurring in one in every 50,000–100,000 individuals, it was not officially recognized as a developmental disorder until the 1990s. Today, CDD is classified as a pervasive developmental disorder, a group that also contains the autism spectrum disorders and Rett syndrome. Similar to autism spectrum disorders, CDD affects boys more frequently than girls.

Children affected by CDD progress normally in their development at least until age two, acquiring communication, social, and intellectual abilities typical for their age. Symptoms of the disorder often appear between ages three and four, although in some cases symptoms may not be present until age nine or 10. Onset generally occurs over a period of several months to a year. The disorder becomes evident when a child loses the skills that he acquired previously, though this may manifest initially in the form of anxiety or increased, unexplained irritability. Children with CDD regress in motor function and intelligence, and many affected individuals develop symptoms similar to those of autism, including repetitive behaviour patterns, inability to interact with others, and delayed development of speech. In addition, children affected by CDD often lose control over bladder and bowel function and experience seizures.

The cause of CDD is not known. However, it is suspected that an abnormality in a gene or genes involved in the development of the central nervous system contribute to the disorder. Although CDD has been associated with other disorders, such as abnormalities in lipid storage and in immune response, none of these conditions appear to be an underlying cause of CDD. The prognosis of children with CDD is poor, since many individuals experience severe and permanent intellectual disability. Treatment consists of various types of therapies aimed at stabilizing or improving behaviour, communication, and language skills.