ASD Flashcards
What is ASD?
- Impairment in social interaction and communication AND the presence of restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRB)
- Many have abnormal responses to sensory stimulation
*Hyper or Hypo sensitive - Not intelligence or motor skills
- Impacts physical development even though it is not directly affected.
- Restricted behavior: inability to make eye contact, inability to pick up on social cues
- Repetitive behavior: turning the light on and off 3x before leaving a room, only eating spaghetti on Tuesdays
ASD terminology
Criteria for ASD
Levels of ASD
ASD etiology
Genetic or heredity
- Brain size is smaller.. is brain small because of ASD or ASD because brain is small
- 100 genes have been associated with ASD
Environment: once blamed, not so much
- Age of parents
- Toxins
- Nutrition
- Prematurity
Gastrointestinal Disorders: Gluten
Combination of Factors
ASD incidence
Idea of over diagnosis??
- No, we just know what we’re looking for now.
1-2% of population (1 in every 44 births) in the US
- One study found that the diagnosis rate INCREASED in higher socioeconomic areas.
Boys 5x more likely to be dx
Diagnosed in all walks of life, race, country, ethnicity, socioeconomic group.
Signs and symptoms of autism
Difficulty with social communication and interaction
- Verbal and nonverbal
- Decreased eye contact
- Difficulty with Social cues
Restrictive and Repetitive Behaviors (RRBs)
Others:
- Seizures
- Sleep disturbances – they don’t require a lot of sleep
- GI issues
- Difficulty without structure
Lack of Friends
Lack of Empathy (theory of mind); don’t have the ability to recognize anything having a soul
Failure to seek approval
Inconsistent milestones
Auditory/visual and sensory processing issues. Sensory Discrimination issues
- Over-hyper responsive, under-hypo responsive
- Fine and Gross Motor
*Dyspraxia (Praxis) – inability to coordinate movements
- Food Selectivity
How is ASD diagnosed?
Multi Level
Consistent Symptoms
No other Cause
Screens
Full on Evaluation
- History
- Physical Exam
- Parent Interview
- Standardized tests
Rule out everything else
How does ASD affect social participation?
Difficulty with imitation and communication
Difficulty with ideation – thinking about doing something
Limited friendships
As teens and young adults: underemployed and undereducated
How does ASD affect play?
Preoccupation with unusual objects
Sensory exploration beyond accepted age
Difficulty with functional play and being flexible or novel
Less likely to engage in pretend play
How does ASD affect ADLs?
Typically become independent, but slower
Do well with routine, don’t like to vary
Problems especially with feeding, toileting
- Also, clothing, bathing, oral care (sensory stuff)
How does ASD affect education?
Academic abilities often limited by social and behavioral issues
May be in normal classroom, may need special ed
How does ASD affect performance patterns?
Often find comfort in routines
Can disrupt the whole family to keep the child’s routine
How does ASD affect performance skill and client factor?
Social and emotional regulation, praxis, sensory perceptual skills
How does ASD impact family?
Social isolation
Stress (higher than other disabilities)
Poor physical and psychological health
Siblings-jealousy, loneliness
Parental failure
