Regressive Autism is when a child who has developed normally for the first three to four years of heir lives, meeting all the social, communicative and motor skill milestones, suddenly begins to regress you may be looking at a case of Childhood Disintegrative Disorder. This is a rare and frightening form of regressive autism. Studies have shown that a mere two out of one hundred thousand autistic children will be found to have this condition. And like autism itself this regressive disorder favors the males.

To clarify, this is different than Rett Syndrome, which favors girls, because of the extended phase of normal development.  A child with Rett Syndrome begins their regression at no later than eighteen months. A child with Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, CDD, will learn age appropriated communication skills; they will have learned to talk. The child will have had normal social interactions, been cuddly and affectionate. Then it will stop and over a few short months the child will begin to regress and all the things they will have learned will disappear. They will completely lose their vocabulary no matter how developed it was. Their motor skills will suffer, as will their social abilities. They will pull away from the hugs they used to crave.

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