autism Flashcards
what does the autism spectrum look like
not linear
- more a pie full of different domains
when were the first records of autism
feral children of france (late 1700s)
labelled by clinicians
- little to no language skill
- isolated
- moved differently
when and what was the first definition of autism
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
what was the rationale of hans asperger
eugenics
- idea was that kids with “high functioning autism” were great to have in an ideal world because of their IQ and special interests
what is rett syndrome (syndromic ASD)
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)
what is fragile X syndrome (syndromic ASD)
X linked
primarily affects boys
mainly developmental delays
what is non syndromic ASD
most common form of autism
can be the results of many things
what are the early “signs” of autism (many kids can display these behaviours)
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
what are traits of level 1 autism
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
what are traits of level 2 autism
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
what are traits of level 3 autism
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
what is masking / camouflaging
process of suppressing certain behaviours or hiding traits so the person looks more neurotypical
what are other versions of masking
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
is masking that bad
yes
leads to:
- exhaustion, burnout, meltdowns, loneliness, low self esteem (don’t know who you are - esp late diagnoses)
what are special interests
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)
what is the benefit of special interests
great way to engage
can help reduce anxiety
what occurs with special interests in dual diagnosis with intellectual disability
special interests take a more repetitive form (building, organising, lining up, etc)
what can sensory needs be in ASD
hyper or hyposensitive
very responsive or non responsive to pain - different pain thresholds
(differences in interoception)
what are stims
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)
why do stims occur
experiencing big emotions and it’s a way to regulate that emotion
- response to stress and anxiety induced by the environment
what is the first way to help with stims (if they are causing harm - if not, leave them alone)
figure out what changed in the environment to make that stim occur
what are the 6 main types of stims
- 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
what is a tantrum
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
what is an autistic meltdown
- result of sensory overwhelming environments
- involuntary - no thought put into them, no cognitive processing
- dysregulated state - not related to behaviour
what can’t you do during an autistic meltdown
- can’t really verbalise what you need, not working in logical state
- can’t definitively say why it happened (different from panic attack)
what are ways to support an autistic person
- “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
what is PECS
Picture Exchange Communication System
- binder full of every type of activity, sport, and daily living pictures
- use for schedules and order of activities
how do most people take in info
polytropic - able to connect several channels of info at one time
- able to listen, type, and filter out other info all at once
what is the difference between a polytropic and monotropic brain
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)
how can a monotropic brain complete tasks
- understand the goal - see the point of the task
- be motivated by it - know the value of the task and why it’s important
- understand what the task it - how to perform it
- identify the steps of the task - precise steps
how can monotropism affect PA
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
what is object permanence
knowledge that an object or person still exists even if you can’t see them
what occurs with lack of object permanence (seen in ASD)
- if they don’t see it, it’s not there
- can be distressing
- applies to relationships with people as well
what is interoception
ability to get info from body about physical and emotional state
- hungry, tired, knee hurts, anxiety, sad, etc
- not great in people with ASD
how can lack of interoception impact PA
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
