Chap 15: Autism and ADHD Flashcards
Approximately how many children have clinically important disorders that cause significant distress and impairment?
14%. Mental health problems are arguably the leading health problems Canadian children face after infancy
How many children with psych disorders receive specialized treatment?
Less than 25%
How many children with a disorder have more than one?
More than 50%
What is developmental psychology?
nvolves disorders of childhood with context of normal lifespan development, allowing us to identify behaviours appropriate at one stage but disturbed at another.
What is the Child Behaviour Checklist?
The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) lists over 100 problems children may experience across multiple areas. There are parent and teacher rating versions of the CBCL as well as youth self-report version.
How did Virginia Douglas change understanding of ADHD?
Virginia Douglas played instrumental role in understanding of ADHD - until then, hyperactive children were identified as having minimal brain damage, or minimal brain dysfunction because of similarities between hyperactive behaviours and behaviours expressed by certain children with brain damage. It was known as hyperactive child syndrome and hyperkinetic reaction of childhood.
What are the characteristics of ADHD?
difficulty with peer-relations, learning disabilities in 15-30%, comorbid with conduct problems and oppositional behaviour. Prevalence in word: 5.29%, prevalence in adults 4.4%, more common in boys - may be overestimated because of aggression in boys.
What are the biological theories of ADHD?
Genetic predisposition - considered one of most heritable phenotypes, 75% heritability, cognitive marker of genetic risk: Inhibitory control deficit in both children with ADHD and their parents. Differences in brain structure and function - implication of frontal striatal circuitry, reductions in volume in cerebrum and cerebellum (or greater volume, lower density), delays in cortical maturation, smaller basal ganglia volumes, dysfunctions in dopaminergic and noradrenergic systems.
What are the psychological theories of ADHD?
diathesis-stress theory - hyperactivity develops when predisposition to disorder is coupled with an authoritarian upbringing, attention-seeking and hyperactivity, reinforced by getting attention, thus increasing misbehaviours in frequency or intensity (NOT SUPPORTED BY RESEARCH)
What are some treatments of ADHD?
Stimulant (Smart) Drugs - such as methylphenidate (Ritalin) - reduces attention deficit, side effectsL sleep problems, loss of appetite, increase in prescriptions in recent years, are they being overprescribed? Dopamine = pleasure, norepinephrine =stimulation, serotonin = contentment. Elevates dopamine levels, cannot feel as much pleasure. SNRI - increases norepinephrine - and serotonin - changes reactions to environment
Behavioural treatment - parental and teacher training based on operant conditioning - reinforcement for behaving appropriately. Neurofeedback - monitor EEG states, signaling sent when state is not optimal for task. TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) - repeatedly stimulate info processing pathways, reinforce normal operational parameters.
What are the DSM-V criteria for ADHD?
Two factors: Attention deficit: careless mistakes, difficulty sustaining attention, does not appear to listen, difficulty following instructions, difficulty with organization, loses things, easily distracted, forgetful. Impulsivity/Hyperactivity: fidgets, extreme restlessness, difficulty engaging in activities quietly, feels compelled to move, takes excessively/rapidly, difficulty waiting or taking turns, interrupts or intrudes upon others.
Can be diagnosed if 6+ criteria are met for either factor and patterns persist for 6+ months.
Pattern of abnormality must also - be present prior to age 12, be demonstrated in 2+ settings, have a clear, negative impact on functioning, cannot be better explained by another disorder
How did the diagnosis of ADHD change in DSM-IV-TR?
DSM-IV-TR considered it from childhood disorder to neurodevelopmental disorder. Reflects increased awareness of impact in adulthood. More indicative of life-long difference. Minimum age of onset increased from 7 to 12. Hard to diagnose outside childhood as there are fewer records prior to age 7. More difficult to separate kids being kids prior to age 7.
Who was Kanner?
First diagnosed ASD in 1943 - named infantile autism. He considered autistic aloneness as most fundamental symptom.
What is the history of autism in DSM?
Appeared in DSM-III. In DSM-IV-TR it was alongside pervasive developmental disorders including Rett’s, childhood disintegrative disorder and Asperger’s. DSM-V proposed name ASD subsuming Asperger’s, childhood disintegrative and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specific (PDD-NOS). DSM-V eliminated subcategories, distinctions more related to symptom severity, language levels, intellectual levels. Prevalence has gone from 0.04% to about 1%.
What is the DSM-V criteria for ASD?
DSM-V Criteria: Category A: Persistent deficits in social communication interaction - deficits in social-emotional reciprocity, deficits in nonverbal communicative, deficits in developing, maintaining and understanding relationships. B: Restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour (2+) - repetitive motor movements, use of objects or speech, insistence on sameness, inflexible adherence to routines, or ritualized patterns or verbal nonverbal behaviour, restricted + fixated interests that are abnormal in intensity or focus, hyper or hyporeactivity to sensory input.
