Autism

Question 0

Autism?

Answer 0

behavioral disorder encompasses a very large spectrum and sx
comorbid disorders are also present 
diagnostic tools are observational 
spectrum 
associated medical dx 
social difficulties
communication difficulties
restrictive/repetitive behaviors
intellectual disability (mental retardation)
males >> females

Question 1

Autism - sx?

Answer 1

social interaction difficulties
communication challenges
has repetitive behaviors
+/- medical conditions

Question 2

Autism - etiology?

Answer 2

unknown - many theories
GENETICS
fragile X (?)
environmental factors

Question 3

Autism - tx?

Answer 3

no cure

earlier intervention the better

Question 4

Autism -timeline?

Answer 4

8-10 mo: cannot response to names; delayed babbling
toddlerhood: difficulty w/ social games, playing alone
attachment to parents

Question 5

Autism - social challenges?

Answer 5

difficulty with:

• social cues
• seeing things from another’s perspective****
• regulating emotions: may lose control w// unfamiliar situations

Question 6

Autism - communication diffculties?

Answer 6

delays:
-babbling
-speaking
-using gestures
REGRESSION of communication skills
language may be characterized by not being able to COMBINE words
repetition of same phrase
echolalia (repetition of what they heard/seen)
cannot hold a convo
cannot understand body language, tone, expressions
+/- prosody impacted (“sing songy tone/intonation goes higher at the end of words spoken)

Question 7

Infant is babbling and cooing and then loses ability?

Answer 7

Autism w/ communication difficulties: REGRESSION

Question 8

Autism - repetitive behaviors?

Answer 8

participating in restricted range of activities
hand-flapping, rocking, jumping, twirling
arranging and rearranging objects
UPSET if not in correct order
DAILY ROUTINE is IMPORTANT
preoccupations/obsession

Question 9

Autism-comorbidities?

Answer 9

1) sleep disorders
2) seizures
3) Gi sx
4) hyperlexia - able to read words but they dont know what it means
5) PICA - eating this that is not edible

Question 10

Autism - other sx?

Answer 10

tactile- hypo/hyper responsive to touch
vestibular - moving/standing/balance
proprioceptive - clumsiness, manipulating objets, poor posture
auditory - hypersensitivity to sounds

Question 11

Autism - sex ratio?

Answer 11

males&raquo_space; females

Question 12

Autism - prevalence?

Answer 12

increasing overtime

1/42 boys

Question 13

Autism - why is prevalence increasing?

Answer 13

more professional awareness
more public awareness
access to services/diagnostic substitution
broader diagnostic criteria and better instruments
ENVIRONMENTAL TOXINS

Question 14

Autism - NICHD 5 warning behavior signs?

Answer 14

does not:

1) babbling -12 mo
2) gesture (point, wave, reach) -12 mo
3) say single words - 16 mo
4) two -word phrases by self -24 mo
5) HAS ANY LOSS of language social skill at ANY age

Question 15

Autism - when to dx?

Answer 15

3-4yrs

rare before age of 2yo

Question 16

Autism- surveillance and screening RF?

Answer 16

sibling w/ autism
parent concern
report of concern of another caregiver ie) child care provider
physician concern

Question 17

Autism - gold standard tools?

Answer 17

MCHAT: 18-24mo (screening- gold standard)
gold standard for diagnosing:
ADI-R
ADOS-2

Question 18

Autism - dx?

Answer 18

NO medical test avail
diagnosis is BEHAVIORAL
+/- SLP

Question 19

Autism - DSM 5 changes?

Answer 19

SINGLE diagnosis: autism spectrum disorder
NO Asperger
NO PDD-NOS
NO Rett sx: there is a genetic cx (known)
NO childhood disintegrative disorder

Question 20

Autism - levels of severity?

Answer 20

Change in DMS 5
Level 1- requiring support
Level 2 - requiring substantial support
Level 3- requiring very substantial support

Question 21

Autism - intervention?

Answer 21

behavioral intervention

developmental intervention

Question 22

Developmental intervention?

Answer 22

evaluating and treating children w/ ASD
reciprocal interaction
all aspects of development should be addressed

Question 23

Developmental and naturalistic behavioral intervention?

Answer 23

developmental:
-matching child’s developmental level
-imitating
-using indirect language stimulation (parallel, talk, modeling)
-making the situation as interactive as possible
naturalistic:
-controlling the environment using the developmental interventions that work

Question 24

Developmental interventions examples?

Answer 24

• floor time/DIR
• relationship development inventory (RDI)
• SCRETS