Childhood Disintegrative Disorder: Causes, Symptoms And Diagnosis
Childhood Disintegrative Disorder (IDD) is the psychiatric category which was used until recently to talk about one of the forms that Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) takes in its early stages of development.
This category has had important modifications since the last update of the manuals used in psychiatry and psychology as a clinical guide. However, as they are recent changes, they are categories that continue to be used in some contexts, and even in combination, so it is worth reviewing them.
Before starting to describe Childhood Disintegrative Disorder and due to the transformations that its diagnostic criteria have had, it is important to clarify how the diagnoses themselves work.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manuals of Mental Disorders (DSM) are compendiums published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), which describe and group a set of clinical manifestations. known as mental disorders.
These manuals have existed since the second half of the previous century in five different versions, and although initially their focus was merely descriptive and informative, currently They are among the clinical guidelines most used by mental health professionals
Mentioning this is important to understand what Childhood Disintegrative Disorder was, what criteria continue and what its name is currently.
TDI: a Pervasive Developmental Disorder
Childhood Disintegrative Disorder is a psychiatric classification proposed by the DSM-IV (the DSM in its fourth version) and is part of the Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD); which, in turn, They are part of the category of Disorders with onset in infancy, childhood or adolescence
According to the DSM-IV, the general characteristic of PDD is the presence of a severe and widespread disturbance of several areas of early development which, being serious, is considered inappropriate for the level of development and mental age of the boy or girl.
It manifests itself in the following areas: skills for social interaction and communication; as well as the presence of stereotyped interests and behaviors (stereotypies is the technical name). In the PDD category, there were also Autistic Disorder, Rett Disorder, Asperger’s Disorder, Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, and Childhood Disintegrative Disorder.
Main characteristic of Childhood Disintegrative Disorder
The main characteristic of TDI is a marked regression of multiple areas of activity after a period of at least 2 years of development that apparently corresponded to the age of the child.
That is, TDI appears when the child is at least two years old, has acquired skills expected for his age and, unexpectedly, regression occurs in at least two of the following areas: verbal and non-verbal communication (expressive or receptive language), social relationships and adaptive behavior, play, sphincter control, motor skills.
It was also known as Heller Syndrome, Dementia Infantilis or Disintegrative Psychosis.
From TDI to TEA
As of May 2013, when the latest version of the statistical manuals of mental disorders (the DSM-V) was published, Disorders of Onset in Infancy, Childhood or Adolescence were no longer called that, to become Neurodevelopmental Disorders.
Childhood Disintegrative Disorder (along with other childhood disorders that fall into the PDD subclassification), They became part of a single spectrum : Autism Spectrum Disorder.
DSM-IV Disorders of Infancy, Childhood, or Adolescence included Mental Retardation, Pervasive Developmental Disorders, Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders, Motor Skill Disorders, Tic Disorders, Learning Disorders, Communication Disorders, Intake and Eating Disorders of Childhood, Elimination Disorders, and Other Disorders.
In DSM 5, Neurodevelopmental Disorders are a group of conditions that appear in the early stages of early development, especially characterized by **difficulties in establishing interpersonal, socio-adaptive, and academic relationships. **
Thus, the subcategories of the DSM-IV that we explained above become the following: Intellectual Disability, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders, Motor Disorders, Specific Learning Disorder, Communication Disorders, Eating Disorders , Excretion Disorders and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Not Otherwise Specified.
What are the current diagnostic criteria?
TDI is currently considered to be one of the many forms that the early phases of ASD development take; question that today It is increasingly easier to diagnose and monitor from the early stages
As such, it is not a disease, so it has no cure or treatment, but rather the intervention is about stimulating adaptive skills within the child’s own capabilities and limits, while detecting and meeting the needs of the child. support.
ASD is defined in the DSM by mild, moderate or severe levels, and through two basic criteria: 1. the existence of a persistent difference in communication (verbal and non-verbal) and in social interaction with difficulties in establishing interpersonal relationships. and to adapt in various contexts; and 2. by the presence of restrictive and repetitive patterns of behavior, for example stereotypies, monotony or very restricted rituals.
The causes and mechanisms that generate it are nonspecific , although there are suspicions about a lesion of the central nervous system and its relationship with medical diseases or genetic conditions. It generally begins with significant increases in activity levels accompanied by periods of irritability and anxiety, followed by loss of speech.
