Autism

Question 1

What is the DSM Diagnostic Criteria for ASD?

Answer 1

1. Persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across contexts.
2. Restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests, or activities.
   - Symptoms must be present in early childhood, but may not become apparent until social demands exceed limited capacities.
   - Symptoms together limit and impair everyday functioning.

Question 2

What are the three functional levels of ASD

Answer 2

ASD Level 1: Difficulty initiating social interactions; organisation and planning problems can hamper independence.
ASD Level 2: Social interactions limited to narrow special interests; frequent restricted/ repetitive behaviours.
ASD Level 3: Severe deficits in verbal and non verbal communication skills; great distress/difficult changing actions or focus.

Question 3

What are the assessments used for clients with ASD

Answer 3

• Sensory Profile.
• MFUN.
• PEGS.
• Beery VMI
• Knox Playscale.
• Movement ABC

Question 4

What is Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)?

Answer 4

ASD is characterised by impaired social interaction, social communication and by the presence of restricted and repetitive behaviours.

Question 5

What should you look for when doing an ASD screening for children under 2 years?

Answer 5

• Inactive: Limp/floppy, very little crying.
• Irritable: Difficult to comfort, comfort, comforted only be motion, limp/stiff when held.
• Difficulty communication: Limited understanding and/or use of specific gestures.
• Limited social responses: Limited social smile/eye contact, limited interest in or awareness of others.
• Unusual sensitivity (high/low) to environment. Sensory seek or avoid behaviour.
• Difficulty communicating.

Question 6

What should you look for when doing an ASD screening for children over 2 years?

Answer 6

• Difficulty communicating: Limited conversation skills, difficulty expressing wants or needs, difficulty expressing wants or needs.
• High levels of distress over minor changes: Change in placement of items, change in play sequence, routines.
• Significant time spent seeking sensory input: Slamming into objects/people, spinning in circles, wedging in tight places.
• Repetitive motor movements of self and/or objects: Toe walking, repetitive movement of objects, flapping hands/flickering fingers
• Loss of language skills.
• Decreased sensitivity to pain.
• Interacting with others only to meet a particular need.
• Difficulty in understanding social rules/interactions, dec. theory of mind and executive function.
• Difficulty w/ imaginative play: Strong interests.
• Strong visual learners: Splinter skills.

Question 7

What is the sensory profile?

Answer 7

Focuses on the sensory development of children.

• Profile for different ages.
• Birth to 14 years 11 months.
• Toddler: 7 to 35 months.
• Child: 3 to 14 years.
• School 3 to 14 years (quick info for screening/research).

Question 8

What is the MFUN?

Answer 8

Assesses functional performance related to school participation.

• Ages 2.6 to 7.11.
• 20 to 30 minute subtest; 40 to 60 minutes entire assessment.
• Workbook to stimulate early school activities (writing, drawing, tracing, cutting).
• Scaled scored and percentile ranks based on age equivalent fine, gross and visual motor.

Question 9

What is the Knox Preschool Play Scale?

Answer 9

Evaluates play in children and correlate it to an approximate developmental age.

• Birth to 72 months.
• 2x 30 min observation of child in indoor and outdoor settings.
• Space management; material management; pretense/symbolic and participation.

Question 10

What is the Movement ABC?

Answer 10

Identifies, describes and guides treatment of motor impairments of ages 3 to 16 11 months.

• 20 to 40 minutes.
• Identify children who are behind their peers in motor development.

Question 11

What is the PEGS?

Answer 11

Enables children to self-report perceived competence in everyday activities to set goals for intervention.

• Card short activity with items for semi-structured intervention with child.
• Caregiver and teacher complete separate questionnaires.

Question 12

What is the Beery VMI?

Answer 12

Assess how individual integrate their visual and motor abilities.
Identifies individuals who may be encountering difficulties in visual motor integration.
- Short and full format tests (10-15 minutes).
- Visual perception and motor coordination (5 minutes each).
- 2 to 100 years old.
- Present drawings of geometric forms which increases in difficulty.