Autism Spectrum Disorders

Question 1

Repetitive behaviors are defined as repetitive, non-functional activities or interests that occur regularly or interfere with daily functioning. Of the following classes of repetitive behaviors, which is most often associated with low IQ and adaptive functioning?

A) Narrow Interests
B) Tics
C) Self-Injury
D) Compulsions

Answer 1

C) Self-Injury

Question 2

Which of the following interventions for young children with ASDs has been demonstrated empirically to lead to significant improvement in adaptive functioning and cognitive functioning?

A) Applied Behavior Analysis
B) Interpersonal Therapy
C) Cognitive Therapy
D) Selective Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs) and SSRIs

Answer 2

A) Applied Behavior Analysis

Question 3

In children with ASDs, which of the following is most successful in treating aggression, hyperactivity, anxiety, and sleep problems?

A) Relaxation Strategies
B) Restricted Diet
C) Deep Pressure/Sensory Stimulation
D) Psychotropic Medications

Answer 3

D) Psychotropic Medications

Question 4

High functioning children with ASDs tend to perform well on tasks that requires which of the following type of memory?

A) Verbal
B) Spatial
C) Working
D) Episodic

Answer 4

B) Spatial

Question 5

The best estimate of male to female sex ratio in cases diagnosed with high functioning ASD is ____.

A) 2 males for every female
B) 1 male for every female
C) 2 females for every male
D) 4 males for female

Answer 5

D) 4 males for female

Question 6

Which symptom of ASD would be least likely to be observed in an infant or toddler, but is more likely to be present by 5 years of age?

A) Stereotyped interests and/or repetitive behaviors
B) Delayed Language Acquisition
C) Absent referential pointing
D) Atypical or absent eye contact

Answer 6

A) Stereotyped interests and/or repetitive behaviors

Question 7

Compared to typically developing peers, children with high functioning autism are most likely to display the most severe deficit in which of the following executive functions?

A) Organization
B) Problem Solving
C) Inhibition
D) Planning

Answer 7

C) Inhibition

Question 8

Children with autism display deficits in face processing and atypical attention strategies when attending to faces. Children with autism typically pay significantly reduced attention to which facial feature?

A) Cheeks
B) Nose
C) Mouth
D) Eyes

Answer 8

D) Eyes

Question 9

Which of the following accurately describes the incidence of ID in children with ASDs?

A) 50-70%
B) 10-40%
C) <10%
D) 70-90%

Answer 9

A) 50-70%

Question 10

Rett’s Disorder can be differentiated from autistic disorder by ____.

A) Presence of a significant regression within the social domain
B) Loss of purposeful hand movements
C) Presence of repetitive stereotypic movements
D) Age of symptom onset

Answer 10

B) Loss of purposeful hand movements

Question 11

What is the earliest age at which the diagnosis of autism tends to be reliable and stable across time?

A) 48-60 months
B) 0-6 months
C) 36-48 months
D) 18-24 months

Answer 11

D) 18-24 months

Question 12

Which of the following biological trends has been demonstrated to be consistent across a majority of young children with ASDs?

A) Impaired hearing
B) Impaired eyesight
C) Enlarged head circumference
D) Increased sensitivity to pain

Answer 12

C) Enlarged head circumference

Question 13

In individuals with ASDs, which type of memory is most likely unimpaired?

A) Autobiographical memory
B) Recognition memory for names
C) Recognition memory for places
D) Recognition memory for social events

Answer 13

C) Recognition memory for places

Question 14

In most children with ASDs, communicative ability during the third through fifth years of life ____.

A) Improves with time, but contains abnormalities ( e.g. echolalia, unusual prosody)
B) Declines to the point of loss of all language and limited nonverbal communication
C) Declines but is marked by an increase in non-verbal communication ability
D) Improves to the point of age appropriate coupled with appropriate social gestures

Answer 14

A) Improves with time, but contains abnormalities ( e.g. echolalia, unusual prosody)

Question 15

Which of the following would most likely facilitate the participation of an adolescent with an ASD in a therapeutic intervention to alleviate difficult behaviors?

A) Intensive language based therapy
B) Increased communicative and social skills
C) Insight oriented psychotherapy
D) Well developed gross motor abilities

Answer 15

B) Increased communicative and social skills

Question 16

The following are all indicative of limited non-verbal communication in children with ASDs except ____.

A) Preference toward verbal communication and presence of echolalia
B) Limited range of facial expressions
C) Less integration of gaze with vocalization
D) Reduced frequency of gestures

Answer 16

A) Preference toward verbal communication and presence of echolalia