A chart review of schizotypal personality disorders in children

The objectives of this paper are to review the literature on the diagnostic validity of schizotypal personality disorders (SPD) in childhood and to present the results of a chart review of 20 DSM-III-defined SPD children. The literature on this disorder is relatively limited, and although there is some agreement on clinical presentation, various authors have used different diagnostic labels. The DSM-III criteria for SPD appear to have acceptable content validity, but whether these are the best criteria for identifying a disorder with a particular etiology and natural history has not been investigated. The chart review on 20 SPD children presents information on early history, family background, neurodevelopmental impairments, and the degree of overlap with other, better-established diagnoses. On the basis of the chart review, suggestions for further research on the diagnostic validity of SPD are made.