autism

Question 1

what does the autism spectrum look like

Answer 1

not linear
- more a pie full of different domains

Question 2

when were the first records of autism

Answer 2

feral children of france (late 1700s)
labelled by clinicians
- little to no language skill
- isolated
- moved differently

Question 3

when and what was the first definition of autism

Answer 3

leo kanner 1943
used 2 traits:
- children preferred to be alone
- resistant to change

thought that repetitive behaviour was a way of maintaining order for that child

Question 4

what was the rationale of hans asperger

Answer 4

eugenics
- idea was that kids with “high functioning autism” were great to have in an ideal world because of their IQ and special interests

Question 5

what is rett syndrome (syndromic ASD)

Answer 5

linked to X mutation
almost exclusively affects girls
rapid degradation of previously acquired skills
- develop appropriately from birth to around 18 months and then they rapidly decline and lose those skills
- low life expectancy (18 years at most) (eventually lose automatic skills)

Question 6

what is fragile X syndrome (syndromic ASD)

Answer 6

X linked
primarily affects boys
mainly developmental delays

Question 7

what is non syndromic ASD

Answer 7

most common form of autism
can be the results of many things

Question 8

what are the early “signs” of autism (many kids can display these behaviours)

Answer 8

delayed speech development - not always a trait of autism
ignoring danger - not the most accurate
tiptoeing - more commonly seen
preference to play alone - also see that they use their toys in unusual ways

Question 9

what are traits of level 1 autism

Answer 9

require some support

difficulty communicating / engaging
- fully developed language skills
- struggle with social cues and acceptable behaviour

trouble with change
- moving from one activity to the other

challenges with executive functioning
- struggle with organisation, planning, etc

Question 10

what are traits of level 2 autism

Answer 10

struggle with masking
- process of acting in a certain way to appear neurotypical
- struggle with changing focus and tasks

more significant struggle with socialising

repetitive behaviours

speak in a different way
- see more than in level 1
- monotonous tone with inflection at the end of sentence

Question 11

what are traits of level 3 autism

Answer 11

high support needs - much more complex than level 1
- limited to no verbal communication
- struggle with activities of daily living
- might have a much more extreme reaction to change

unable to mask and self regulate

problems with verbal and body language
- little interaction/imaginative play
- larger and more distinct stimming behaviours that potentially limit the person’s ability to do certain things

difficulty with executive functioning

Question 12

what is masking / camouflaging

Answer 12

process of suppressing certain behaviours or hiding traits so the person looks more neurotypical

Question 13

what are other versions of masking

Answer 13

mirroring - when they take on the feelings, emotions, inflection, movements, of another person
- can be used by the person as a way to communicate with the other person

movie talk - trying to act out what you perceive as socially appropriate behaviour

Question 14

is masking that bad

Answer 14

yes
leads to:
- exhaustion, burnout, meltdowns, loneliness, low self esteem (don’t know who you are - esp late diagnoses)

Question 15

what are special interests

Answer 15

Intense focus on a certain topic
- can be lifelong or transient and change over time
- most people have one (upwards of 8 at a time - seen in kids a lot)

Question 16

what is the benefit of special interests

Answer 16

great way to engage
can help reduce anxiety

Question 17

what occurs with special interests in dual diagnosis with intellectual disability

Answer 17

special interests take a more repetitive form (building, organising, lining up, etc)

Question 18

what can sensory needs be in ASD

Answer 18

hyper or hyposensitive
very responsive or non responsive to pain - different pain thresholds
(differences in interoception)

Question 19

what are stims

Answer 19

inappropriate motor movements used to self regulate as a response to an overwhelming environment
- purposeful micro movements
- can also be really big (jumping, running, clapping, etc)

Question 20

why do stims occur

Answer 20

experiencing big emotions and it’s a way to regulate that emotion
- response to stress and anxiety induced by the environment

Question 21

what is the first way to help with stims (if they are causing harm - if not, leave them alone)

Answer 21

figure out what changed in the environment to make that stim occur

Question 22

what are the 6 main types of stims

Answer 22

• visual - lava lamp, looking at moving objects
• auditory - music, singing, snapping, etc
• tactile - rubbing hands, playing with toys, textures
• vestibular - using sense of movement (spinning)
• olfactory - smells they like
• oral - biting, chewing, etc

Question 23

what is a tantrum

Answer 23

different from autistic meltdowns
- somewhat of a manipulation tactic
- usually they mellow out on their own (get what they want or tire out)
- usually a result of unmet needs or wanting something

Question 24

what is an autistic meltdown

Answer 24

• result of sensory overwhelming environments
• involuntary - no thought put into them, no cognitive processing
• dysregulated state - not related to behaviour

Question 25

what can’t you do during an autistic meltdown

Answer 25

• can’t really verbalise what you need, not working in logical state
• can’t definitively say why it happened (different from panic attack)

Question 26

what are ways to support an autistic person

Answer 26

• “first and then” statements - set what happens next (esp transition)
• consistency - same schedule over weeks
  -support times of change - give clear warnings of when change will happen so they are prepared
• limit sensory overload - can be challenging

Question 27

what is PECS

Answer 27

Picture Exchange Communication System
- binder full of every type of activity, sport, and daily living pictures
- use for schedules and order of activities

Question 28

how do most people take in info

Answer 28

polytropic - able to connect several channels of info at one time
- able to listen, type, and filter out other info all at once

Question 29

what is the difference between a polytropic and monotropic brain

Answer 29

polytropic
- can allocate attention to other things while focussing on one task

monotropic
- need to put as much attention as possible on one task (assuming they like what they’re doing) and have very little attention on other things
(miss other things in the process - tunnel vision)

Question 30

how can a monotropic brain complete tasks

Answer 30

1. understand the goal - see the point of the task
2. be motivated by it - know the value of the task and why it’s important
3. understand what the task it - how to perform it
4. identify the steps of the task - precise steps

Question 31

how can monotropism affect PA

Answer 31

lack of motivation - if they don’t value it, they won’t do it
no interest - need to engage
need to practise and repeat the activity to develop intentional change

Question 32

what is object permanence

Answer 32

knowledge that an object or person still exists even if you can’t see them

Question 33

what occurs with lack of object permanence (seen in ASD)

Answer 33

• if they don’t see it, it’s not there
• can be distressing
• applies to relationships with people as well

Question 34

what is interoception

Answer 34

ability to get info from body about physical and emotional state
- hungry, tired, knee hurts, anxiety, sad, etc
- not great in people with ASD

Question 35

how can lack of interoception impact PA

Answer 35

can’t notice if the activity is painful or extremely fatiguing can be detrimental
if they’re in pain after, they’re less likely to do it again