Multisystem developmental disorder

Not to be confused with Multiple complex developmental disorder.

Multisystem developmental disorder (MSDD) is a term used by Stanley Greenspan to describe children under age 3 who exhibit signs of impaired communication as in autism, but with strong emotional attachments atypical of autism. It is described in the DC:0-3R manual.

Other uses of the term

The term multisystem developmental disorder has also been used to describe various developmental disorders. These include:

• Cornelia de Lange syndrome, an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by short stature, excessive hairiness, mental retardation, and problems with the sensory organs such as hearing loss, dry eyes, and lack of sensitivity to pain.
• Alagille syndrome, an autosomal dominant disorder with a wide range of features and manifestations. Its five most significant features are chronic choleostasis, a condition where bile cannot flow from the liver to the duodenum, occurring in 95% of cases; heart abnormalities (over 90%); butterfly vertebrae; posterior embryotoxon and a distinctive face (prominent forehead, deep-set eyes, and a pointed chin).
• Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome, a mental retardation syndrome characterized by broad thumbs, facial abnormalities, and big toes alongside mental retardation.
• Renal-coloboma syndrome
• Williams syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by a unique profile of strengths and deficits; most with the condition have mild mental retardation but have grammatical and lexical abilities above what would be expected from their IQs. They are hypersocial and empathetic, but social isolation is commonly experienced.
• Proteus syndrome, a congenital disorder causing disproportionate growth of skin, bone, and other tissues.
• Asphyxiating thoracic dysplasia, a autosomal recessive skeletal disorder with an estimated prevalence of between 1 in 100,000 and 1 in 130,000 live births.

Symptoms

• Toe walking
• Pragmatic speech problems
• Clumsiness
• Obsessions and rituals
• Sensory issues
• Disinterest in social interaction
• Autistic characteristics

References

Sources

Other sources

• Multisystem Developmental Disorder, Developmental Behavior Pediatrics Online
• Increasing Interaction with Children with Multisystem Developmental Disorder (MSDD), Developmental Delay Resources
• Wieder, Serena (1996). "Integrated treatment approaches for young children with multisystem developmental disorder". Infants & Young Children. 8 (3): 24–34.