F84.3

Billable

Other childhood disintegrative disorder

HCC Category Mapping

RxHCCHCC 133 — Personality Disorders, Anxiety, and Other Specified Mental Disorders

0.000

What This Code Means

A developmental disorder where a child shows normal development for at least 2 years, then experiences a significant loss of previously acquired skills in multiple areas.

Coding Tips

•Distinguish this from Rett syndrome (F84.2) by confirming normal development for at least 2 years before regression
•Document the specific skills lost and the timeline of deterioration

Clinical Significance

Childhood disintegrative disorder (Heller's syndrome) is a rare condition characterized by normal development for at least 2 years followed by clinically significant regression in multiple areas of functioning (language, social skills, bowel/bladder control, play, motor skills). The regression is typically more severe and later in onset than in autistic disorder. This rare condition requires extensive multidisciplinary support.

Documentation Requirements

✓Provider documentation of childhood disintegrative disorder diagnosis
✓Evidence of apparently normal development for at least the first 2 years of life (normal age-appropriate verbal/nonverbal communication, social relationships, play, adaptive behavior)
✓Documentation of clinically significant loss of previously acquired skills in at least two areas
✓Exclusion of other conditions that could account for the regression (e.g., metabolic disorders, degenerative neurological conditions)
✓Current functional assessment and multidisciplinary treatment plan

Excludes 1 — Do NOT code together

Asperger's syndrome (F84.5)
Autistic disorder (F84.0)
Rett's syndrome (F84.2)

Use Additional Code

code to identify any associated neurological condition.

Commonly Confused Codes

F84.0 — Autistic disorder; autism typically presents earlier and with less dramatic regression than CDD F84.2 — Rett's syndrome; Rett also involves regression but has specific genetic (MECP2) and clinical features (hand stereotypies)G31.x — Degenerative diseases of the nervous system; neurodegenerative conditions must be ruled out F84.9 — Pervasive developmental disorder, unspecified; use F84.3 when CDD is specifically documented

Code Hierarchy

└F84Pervasive developmental disorders └F84.3Other childhood disintegrative disorder

└F84.3Other childhood disintegrative disorder