avoidant disorder of childhood

A childhood disorder characterized by intense efforts to avoid strangers. The child with this disorder wants relationships with familiar people but has difficulty in peer relationships and new contacts. The child may act embarrassed, relatively immature, self-conscious, and inarticulate when compelled to confront strangers. These symptoms are similar to the normal developmental behavior known as stranger anxiety, which disappears in healthy children younger than age two to three. The DSM-IV no longer uses this as a diagnosis. See also social phobia.