Stereotypic Movement Disorder (307.3)

A. Repetitive, seemingly driven, and nonfunctional motor behavior (e.g., hand shaking or waving, body rocking, head banging, mouthing of objects, self-biting, hitting own body).
B. The behavior markedly interferes with normal activities or results in self-inflicted bodily injury that requires medical treatment (or would result in an injury if preventive measures were not used).
C. If Mental Retardation is present, the stereotypical or self-injurious behavior is often of sufficient severity to become a focus of treatment.
D. The behavior is not better accounted for by a compulsion (as in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder), a tic (as in Tic Disorder), a stereotype that is part of a Pervasive Developmental Disorder, or hair pulling (as in Trichotillomania).
E. The behavior is not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance or a general medical condition.
F. The behavior persists for 4 weeks or longer.
Specify if:
- With Self-Injurious Behavior

Approximately 2-3% of children with some form of mental retardation suffer from Stereotopic Movment Disorder in the community.
25% of all people institutionalized with mental retardation have Sterotypic Movement Disorder.
Among those with severe or profound retardation, the rate is about 60%, with 15% showing behavior that causes self-injury (Steroetypic Movement Disorder).

Stereotypic Movement Disorder is extremely common in children who are considered severely retarded.
Occurs most often in children with autism, childhood degenerative disorder, Asperger’s disorder, and most other pervasive developmental disorders (Stereotypic Movement Disorder).

May be caused by major disorders such as Autism and/or mental retardation.
Children with Anxiety disorders may be more likely to suffer from Stereotypic Movement Disorder.

Few treatments used specifically for this disorder are successful.
Drugs that have been used with some success to treat stereotypic movement disorder include clomipramine (Anafranil), desipramine (Norpramin), haloperidol(Haldol) and chlorpromazine (Thorazine)(Stereotypic Movement Disorder).