Autism Spectrum Disorders/Condition Flashcards
Autism refers to auto as in ones self, meaning they are alone and isolated from others due to their lack of social interaction and communication, which is essentially the traits of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
ASD can range from mild impairments to severe impairments and is not a singular diagnose, but rather a spectrum
What is the prevalence (number of people with a condition over a specified time) of Autism Spectrum Disorder in children and adolescents?
1 - 0.9%
2 - 9%
3 - 29%
4 - 59%
1 - 0.9%
What % of those with ASD also have a learning disability?
1 - 0.9-9%
2 - 9-19%
3 - 20-30%
4 - 50-70%
4 - 50-70%
- important to rule out other potential causes for symptoms of ASD, such as deafness, poor vision, learning disability
Neurodevelopment disorders arise due to abnormalities in growth and development of the CNS. What is the key feature of Autism Spectrum Disorders?
1 - deficits and delays in social and communication development
2 - hyperactivity
3 - inattention
4 - anger
1 - deficits and delays in social and communication development
- also associated with restricted patterns of interest and behaviour
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are characterised by specific impairments. Which 2 of the following are diagnostic of ASD?
1 - deficits in social and communication interactions
2 - learning difficulties
3 - inattention and frustration
4 - restricted, repetitive inflexible interests and behaviours
1 - deficits in social and communication interactions
4 - restricted, repetitive inflexible interests and behaviours
Are men or women more likely to be diagnosed with ASD?
- men
- BUT this is though to be because women are able to mask it better and imitate normal behaviours
How is ASD diagnosed?
- -imaging
2 - clinical
3 - biomarkers
4 - psychomotor tests
2 - clinical
- psychomotor tests can be useful
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are characterised by specific impairments. One of these is deficits in social interactions:
- difficult to initiate and maintain interactions
- not interested in affection from parents
- difficult to make and maintain friends
- difficulty sharing with others
- babies that don’t like being held
- lack of social cues
- these deficits must be persistent and affect all aspects of life
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are characterised by specific impairments. One of these is deficits is communication difficulties:
- 25% of patient are speech deficient
- Aspergers syndrome is commonly used to refer to children with ASD who have normal language abilities
- unusual speech form, type
- use a string of questions to maintain conversation
- these deficits must be persistent and affect all aspects of life
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are characterised by specific impairments. One of these deficits is: - restricted, repetitive inflexible interests and behaviours:
- specific, often unusual fixed interests
- lack of interest to play with toys
- repetitive movements and sounds, similar to OCD
- fixed inflexible routines and stressed when changes are introduced
- sensory hyper or hyposensitivitycifc
- these deficits must be persistent and affect all aspects of life
In the definition of autism spectrum disorders, does the disorder develop in the development phase (<18 y/o) or in adulthood?
- development phase (<18 y/o)
Parents tend to notice subtle symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in their children. However, typically what age are children diagnosed with ASD?
1 - <1 y/o
2 - 3-4 y/o
3 - 7-10 y/o
4 - <16 y/o
2 - 3-4 y/o
- can be missed until adulthood though
In a young child which of the following are signs that may be present, suggestive of autism spectrum disorder (ASD)?
1 - not looking at faces, even parents
2 - failure to show interest
3 - reduced pretend/imaginative play
4 - all of the above
4 - all of the above
Which of the following is NOT a risk factor for developing ASD?
1 - MMR Vaccine
2 - Gestational diabetes
3 - Parents aged >30
4 - Valproate during pregnancy
1 - MMR Vaccine
- no evidence for this
Genetics play a key role in ASD. Is this most likely to be polygenic or a single gene?
- polygenic
- evident with range of phenotypes
In twin studies, what % of ASD is heritable?
1 - 0-9%
2 - 20-29%
3 - 40-50%
4 - 75-90%
4 - 75-90%
- if a sibling has ASD, then theres a 10-20% chance of another sibling developing ASD
Although not the only cause, imaging has identified some changes in the brain in patients with ASD. Changes in which of the following has NOT been linked with autism?
1 - Frontal lobe
2 - Occipital lobe
3 - Limbic system
4 - Temporal lobe
5 - Corpus Callosum
6 - Cerebellum
2 - Occipital lobe
- ASD brains are often described as disorganised
- image shows 2 patients brain activity after being asked to talk about a social event
Although genetics plays a key role in the aetiology of ASD, there are other factors as well. One of these is organic brain disorder. What is this?
1 - children’s brains developing faster in childhood
2 - inability to judge what people are thinking and use the knowledge to predict their behaviour (lack of theory of mind)
3 - adverse events in perinatal period (pregnancy and first 12 months of life)
1 - children’s brains developing faster in childhood
What is theory of mind?
1 - ability to process emotions and thoughts
2 - ability to judge what people are thinking and use the knowledge to predict their behaviour
3 - ability to process information and think about alternatives
2 - ability to judge what people are thinking and use the knowledge to predict their behaviour
- this is hypothesised to be the main deficit in ASD
Patients with ASD are often described as having sensory integration that can be hypo or hypersensitive. Which of the following are examples?
1 - deep pressure blankets
2 - response to pain (often higher threshold for pain)
3 - trampolines and rocking chairs
4 - all of the above
4 - all of the above
- trampolines and rocking chairs are generally because some ASD patients can have a dysfunctional vestibular system
Is understanding sensory integration important in patients with ASD?
- yes
- if we know what is hypo and hyper, we can use them to manage patients
Patients with ASD can have meltdowns or shutdowns. How are these typically managed?
1 - wait and see
2 - pharmacotherapy
3 - restraint
4 - all of the above
1 - wait and see
- patients with ASD need time to process, so give this to them
Do children and adolescents with the features of ASD, such as abnormal behaviour continue into adulthood to the same extent?
- can, but with behavioural intervention they can improve and become less socially impairing
What % of children with ASD attend a regular school in the UK?
1 - 7%
2 - 20%
3 - 40%
4 - 70%
4 - 70%
- its 20% in the USA
Patients with ASD are often at increased risk of comorbidities. Which of the following is NOT a common comorbidity in ASD?
1 - anxiety
2 - depression
3 - dementia
4 - attention deficit hyperactivity disorders
5 - GI disorders
3 - dementia
All of the following are mental disorders that typically occur in ASD. Which is the most common?
1 - ADHD
2 - Anxiety disorders
3 - Depressive disorders
4 - Bipolar disorder
5 - Schizophrenia spectrum disorders (psychosis)
1 - ADHD
- aprox 28% of patients with ASD will have ADHD
Alexithymia is common in ASD and is a term to describe problems with feeling emotion, essentially the difficulty recognising their own emotions. Can this affect diagnosis?
- yes
- patients may be anxious or depressed but not be able to recognise and articulate this
There are 3 major categories of treatment for patients with ASD. Which of the following is the main treatment?
1 - pharmacotherapy
2 - hospital admission
3 - psychological therapy
4 - electroconvulsive therapy
3 - psychological therapy
Psychological therapy is the main treatment for patients with ASD. Which of the following is NOT a type of treatment typically used:
1 - speech and language therapy
2 - social skill training
3 - behavioural modification program
4 - behavioural and attendance monitoring
4 - behavioural and attendance monitoring
- social skill training are generally only useful for high functioning ASD patients
Psychological therapy is the main treatment for patients with ASD. Speech and language therapy is important to ensure children at a young age achieve their verbal potential, which defines what they can achieve in later life.
Pharmacotherapy are generally only used when what criteria are reached?
1 - children is disruptive at home and in school
2 - child is becoming aggressive
3 - behavioural and psychological interventions have made no change
4 - support system for the child has failed
3 - behavioural and psychological interventions have made no change
Pharmacotherapy can be used in patients with ASD, only if behavioural and psychological interventions have made no change. Which of the following are NOT commonly used in the treatment of ASD?
1 - atypical anti-psychotics
2 - Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
3 - atomoxetine (stimulant)
4 - melatonin
5 - benzodiazepines
5 - benzodiazepines
- Risperidone is the atypical anti-psychotics of choice, but comes with lots of adverse events
Are learning difficulties and learning disability the same thing?
- no
- difficulties = a specific difficult in one aspect of learning, dyslexia or dyscalculia
- disability = impaired development in early childhood affecting both intellectual and adaptive functioning deficits in conceptual, social, and practical domains
