Objective: This report is concerned with the classification of children in whom an "autistic-like" syndrome develops after some years of normal development. In DSM-IV the term "childhood disintegrative disorder" (CDD) is used to describe such cases.
Method: Data collected as part of the international, multisite DSM-IV field trial for autism and related conditions were examined and cases that met DSM-IV criteria for CDD were identified.
Results: In 16 cases the clinician had given a CDD diagnosis; in an additional 10 cases criteria for the condition were met even though this diagnosis was not given by the clinician rating the case.
Conclusions: The available data suggest that CDD cases can be differentiated from those with autism; these two groups appear to differ in important ways. The identification of cases of CDD may be of particular importance for research.