Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder: Treatment

Disinhibited social engagement disorder (DSED) is characterized by developmentally and culturally inappropriate, indiscriminate social behavior with strangers that develops in children with a history of exposure to social neglect and/or pathogenic care. The disorder has most commonly been described in children with a history of or currently in institutional care or severe maltreatment. This entry presents the natural course of the disorder and empirically supported intervention approaches.

Natural Course

Signs of DSED have been described as early as the second year of life in the context of adversity with a chronic and moderately stable course. Importantly, DSED does not reflect the quality of current caregiving or the quality of the attachment relationship and can persist for years after the caregiving adversity has ended. After removal from ...

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