Does My Child Have Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder?

Does your child show reduced or absent reticence in approaching and interacting with unfamiliar adults?

Does your child show overly familiar verbal or physical behavior when interacting with unfamiliar adults?

Does your child show diminished or absent checking back with adult caregiver after venturing away, even in unfamiliar settings?

Does your child show willingness to go off with an unfamiliar adult with minimal or no hesitation?

Can you confirm that the behaviors in the prior questions are not limited to impulsivity (as in attention-deficit/hyper-activity disorder) but include socially dis-inhibited behavior?

Has your child experienced social neglect or deprivation (i.e., persistent lack of having basic emotional needs for comfort, stimulation and affection met by caregiving adults)?

Has your child experienced repeated changes of primary caregivers that limit opportunities to form stable attachments?

Does your child rear in unusual settings that severely limit opportunities to form selective attachments (e.g., institutions with high child-to-caregiver ratios)?

Is the insufficient care described in questions 6,7 and 8 probably responsible for the disturbed behavior in questions 1,2,3 and 4 (i.e., the disturbances began following insufficient pathogenic care)?

Does your child have a developmental age of at least 9 months?

Your child does not have dis-inhibited social engagement disorder.

Your child does not have disinhibited social engagement disorder.

While it is unlikely that your child has disinhibited social engagement disorder, he is displaying several signs of the disorder. It may be essential to see your doctor when your child does not show any healthy fear or avoidance of strangers, connects with strangers, and when he does not feel inhibited about leaving a safe environment.

Unfortunately, your child is displaying symptoms typically seen among kids who have disinhibited social engagement disorder. It is recommended to take your child to the doctor. The doctor will do several assessments to better understand your child’s emotional development, how he functions, his medical and life history and his mental/psychological state. Your doctor may conclude that treatment is required. Treatment usually includes the entire family of the child. The caregivers will be educated about their child’s condition, and they will be helped to improve interactions. They will learn how to make a child feel safe, secure and cared for. Disinhibited social engagement disorder can be recovered with treatment.