Autism Spectrum Disorder Flashcards
What is ASD?
- Lifelong neurodevelopment disability
- Includes Asperger’s disorder & pervasive developmental disorder
How was ASD previously defined?
As a triad of impairments;
- Communication
- Social Interaction
- Restricted and repetitive behaviours and interests
What is DSM-V diagnostic criteria A for ASD?
- Persistent deficits in social communication & interaction across multiple contexts
- Must be pervasive & sustained
For diagnostic criteria A, what must the deficits be manifested by?
- Deficits in social-emotional reciprocity e.g. abnormal social approach; failure of back/forth conversation; reduced sharing of interests, emotions or affect
- Deficits in nonverbal communicative behaviours used for social interaction e.g. abnormalities in eye contact & body language
- Deficits in developing, maintaining & understanding relationships e.g. difficulties sharing imaginative play or in making friends
What is DSM-V diagnostic criteria B for ASD?
Restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests, or activities as manifested by at least two of the sub-criteria, currently or by history
What is the sub-criteria for DSM-V diagnostic criteria B for ASD?
- Stereotyped or repetitive motor movements, use of objects, or speech
- Insistence on sameness, inflexible adherence to routines, or ritualized patterns of verbal or non verbal behaviour
- Highly restricted, fixated interests that are abnormal in intensity or focus
- Hyper- or hypo-reactivity to sensory input or unusual interest in sensory aspects of the environment
What is DSM-V diagnostic criteria C for ASD?
Symptoms must be present in the early developmental period (but may not become fully manifest until social demands exceed limited capacities, or may be masked by learned strategies in later life
What is DSM-V diagnostic criteria D for ASD?
Symptoms cause clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of current functioning
What is DSM-V diagnostic criteria E for ASD?
Disturbances are not better explained by intellectual disability or global developmental delay. ID and ASD frequently co-occur
Children who demonstrate marked deficits in social communication without the other criteria for ASD diagnosis should be evaluated for what?
Social (pragmatic) communication disorder
What individual clinical characteristics are noted under the diagnosis of ASD?
- With or without intellectual impairment
- With or without language impairment
When is ASD typically recognised?
- 12-24 months but may be seen earlier if developmental delay is severe or later if symptoms are subtle
- Some children have gradual/rapid developmental plateaus or regressions between 12-24 months (red flag for diagnosis of ASD)
How is ASD distributed?
- Across all ethnic & socio-economic groups
- Gender ratio 4:1 male:female
- Prevalence approx 1 in 160
What are the causes of ASD?
- Possible genetic cause
- Identical twins - more likely both have ASD
- Heritability estimates range from 37% - >90% from twin concordance rates
- Links to genetic disorders e.g. Fragile X
- Gender links (more males than females)
- 15% of cases associated with a known genetic marker
What is the prognosis for ASD?
- Non degenerative disorder
- Early intervention teaches compensatory strategies, reading facial expressions in others, addressing behaviour issues
- Presence of ID & language impairment limits outcomes
