It can significantly impair young children's abilities to relate with adults and peers, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,[1] as well as put them in dangerous and potentially unsafe conditions.
Infants and young children are at risk of developing DSED if they receive inconsistent or insufficient care from a primary caregiver.
A child with DSED shows no sign of fear or discomfort when talking to, touching, or accompanying an adult stranger.
DSED can cause symptoms commonly associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) It can be comorbid with cognitive, language and speech delay.
[10] Over time the nature of the behaviors of a child with disinhibited social engagement disorder can evolve during their preschool, middle school, and adolescence years.
With this being said, most of the symptoms exhibited by children significantly lessen to the point of almost no detection after approximately twelve years of age.
Pre School: In this early stage DSED is exhibited by a need for attention such as being overly boisterous at the playground in attempts to get the attention of unfamiliar adults Middle School: There are two main identifiers of DSED in this stage including physical and verbal overfamiliarity of inauthentic emotions and being overly forward.
With that being said “They [also] tend to develop superficial relationships with others, struggle with conflict, and continue to demonstrate indiscriminate behavior toward adults.” [2] The exact prevalence is unknown.