Disorder Of Uninhibited Social Engagement – Being Parents

Parents appreciate that their children show good socialization, that they are able to have appropriate relationships with others. But, sometimes,  uninhibited behaviors in children can be a sign that they are suffering from uninhibited engagement disorder.

This disorder commonly occurs between the ages of 9 months and 5 years, during infancy. Although it can also persist over time.

It is characterized by the fact that  the little one does not present any fear or difficulty in initiating an interaction with unfamiliar people. His social behavior is uninhibited. Want to learn more about Uninhibited Engagement Disorder? This article is for you.

Characteristics of uninhibited engagement disorder

• Children with this disorder exhibit shameless social behavior. In other words, they don’t feel confused by the presence of other people they don’t know and immediately establish a relationship with them as if they know them.

• These behaviors  make their relationships with other children or adults difficult.
• This disorder occurs in childhood, between 9 months and 5 years old,  and can continue later as well.
• Since they come into contact with any stranger, they can be life threatening if they are not aware of the risks of establishing a conversation or leaving with a stranger.
• Children seek to bond, even if it is with strangers.

Diagnostic criteria

These criteria are those listed in the DSM-V manual:

1. Bringing together unsuspecting strangers  .
2. The child experienced  situations in which he lacked care or attachment  from his primary caregivers.
3. An age between 9 months and 5 years.
4. For a diagnosis, these behaviors must be present for at least 12 months. Beyond 4 years, the symptoms tend rather to permanent demands for attention with the expression of a disproportionate affection.

Symptoms associated with uninhibited engagement disorder

Most of the symptoms are related to the child’s behavior. More precisely to the way he behaves socially with others, mainly with adults.

• Absence of feelings of fear towards strangers.
• The child interacts uninhibitedly with unfamiliar or unfamiliar adults.
• In general, he does not turn to his parents or educators after having been in an unfamiliar environment.
• Tendency to go away with unknown adults.
• Excessive verbal and physical emotional behavior for his age and social norms.

Causes of uninhibited engagement disorder

1. It can be caused by  attachment disorder in childhood  if he did not receive the necessary care and affection as a baby.
2. In addition, there are theories that  there may be some biological circumstances associated with the character of the child and its regulation of affect. They indicate that certain alterations in areas of the brain, such as the hippocampus, the amygdala or the prefrontal cortex, are at the origin of these behavioral problems. Although this is not entirely confirmed.
3. Finally, other essential and observed causes of this disorder are lack of care, family violence,  education in an orphanage in which there is emotional neglect or frequent changes of primary educator. Thus, the child could not establish a healthy attachment bond with an adult, which led to the development of this disorder.

Treatment

In these cases,  it is advisable to offer the child a stable attachment figure. Indeed, children suffering from this disorder have completely distorted relationship models. It is therefore important to work with both parents and the child, in order to establish a positive interaction between the two.

Therefore, the goal is to change the behavior of the parents and the child.

• With parents, the emphasis is on how to impart security  to the child, to be emotionally available and to remain attachment figures.
• In children, the work consists in rebuilding their sense of security in  order to be able to re-establish a positive and healthy bond of attachment.

What help for uninhibited engagement disorder?

If you suspect an uninhibited engagement disorder in your child, it is important to seek  professional help in order to get a more thorough assessment and resolution as soon as possible.