Exploring Autism and Child Disintegrative Disorder - Essay Example

Under the umbrella of the Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) exists the highest functioning Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) subtype called Asperger’s Syndrome (Kurita, Koyama & Osada, 2005). This is characterized by several deficits in age-appropriate social interactions and restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior interests (American Psychiatric Association, 2000).The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV (DSM-IV) defines “children with symptoms such as restricted social interaction, poor verbal and non-verbal communication skills strict and/or stereotypical behaviors but without full diagnostic criteria of Autism” (APA, 1994 cited in Karabekiroglu & Akbas, 2011, p. 142) as Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS).

The symptoms for this disorder may be observed in other disorders under the umbrella of Autism which makes it difficult to differentiate PDD-NOS from the rest of the disorders in the spectrum. Examples of these shared symptoms are deficits in social reciprocity or communication, as well as the presence of restricted or repetitive behaviors, severe mental retardation or language delay as well as reactive attachment disorder, psychotic disorders (Karabekiroglu & Akbas, 2011).It is more frustrating for parents to know that their healthy and normal children suddenly change for the worse after the first two years of life.

Childhood Disintegrative Disorder (CDD) is one of the disorders that belong to the Autistic spectrum characterized by normal development of communication, social, and motor skills during the child’s first two years of life followed by a drastic regression between the ages of 2-10 years in at least two of the developmental areas. Other names for childhood disintegrative disorder are Heller's syndrome, Dementia Infantillis, and disintegrative psychosis (Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders, 2012)