Autism Spectrum Disorder

Question 1

Diagnostic criteria of autism

Answer 1

All of the following:
- Impaired social-emotional reciprocity
- Deficits in nonverbal communicative behaviors
- Deficits in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships

At least two of the following restricted and repetitive behaviors:
- Stereotyped or repetitive motor movements
- Insistence on sameness/inflexible adherence to routines
- Highly restricted, fixated interests
- Hyper- or hypo-reactivity to sensory input or unusual interest in sensory aspects

Question 2

Consistent neuropathological findings

Answer 2

Brain size is often larger than average in younger subjects
–> brain size is normal or slightly small at birth, followed by a growth spurt between six and 24 months that results in larger than average brains, followed by a slowed growth that returns the brain size to average by later childhood.
–> corpus callosum is typically undersized and not enlarged proportionally to overall enlargement of the brain

Question 3

“weak central coherence”

Answer 3

Neuropsychological theory that suggests people with ASD have difficulties in the integration of information from the environment into a meaningful whole. In particular, these individuals process featural and local elements of stimuli at the expense of global meaning. As a result, they have strengths in understanding and acquiring rote skills rather than those that require abstract thinking, inferences, or complex problem solving.

Question 4

Male to female ratio for ASD

Answer 4

4:1

Question 5

Comorbid conditions

Answer 5

ID (40–70%)
ADHD (>55%)
Anxiety disorders (22–84%) Depression (4–58%),
Tic disorders (6%)
Seizure disorders (11–39%; more common in cases with comorbid ID)

Question 6

ASD is frequently comorbid with what syndrome?

Answer 6

Fragile X (~50%)

Question 7

Children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder are most likely to display the most severe deficit in which of the following executive functions?

Answer 7

inhibition and flexibility - as is observed in individuals who perseverate in their interests and have diminished behavioral control

Question 8

Imaging studies of ASD individuals have shown:

Answer 8

• delayed maturation of frontal lobes
• reduced activation of the amygdala during processing of facial emotion
• enlargement of lateral ventricles