Chapter 6. Autism Spectrum Disorder Flashcards
Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) system
Techniques used to supplement the communication skills of children with ASD as they acquire spoken language or compensate for spoken language in children who are mute
Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network
A group of programs funded by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention to estimate the number of children with ASD in the United States, using medical and educational records
Autism Genome Project
A private/public partnership of researchers in 19 different countries who are investigating the genetic causes of ASD
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
A DSM-5 disorder characterized by persistent deficits in social communication and the presence of restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities that begin in early life and cause significant impairment in social functioning
Developmental social–pragmatic (DSP) model
An evidence-based approach to treating youths with ASD that encourages imitation, pretend play, and spontaneous social interaction in everyday contexts
Discrete trial training
A behavioral technique to teach skills to children; each skill is broken into component parts; each part is systematically introduced, modeled, practiced, and reinforced; parts are combined to produce more complex behaviors
Early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI)
A behavioral treatment for ASD that relies on intensive use of direct instruction to teach and reinforce social communication and language skills
Early Start Denver Model (ESDM)
A developmental social–pragmatic approach to treating young children with ASD; children are taught imitation, social orientation, joint attention, and positive emotion communication skills using a developmentally sequenced curriculum
Echolalia
The repetition of words or sounds uttered by others
Empathy
The ability to take the perspective of another person in order to understand her thoughts, intentions, and feelings
False belief task
A laboratory-based test of theory of mind
Growth dysregulation hypothesis
Posits that youths with ASD show abnormal maturation of the cortex, large head circumference, and high synaptic density in early childhood but poor neural connectivity, especially in brain regions responsible for social communication and language
Hand-over-hand assistance
A scaffolding technique to help children acquire new skills; the therapist guides the child’s hands with her own
Joint attention
An infant’s ability to share attention with a caregiver on a single object or event in the outside world; often delayed in children with ASD
Joint attention symbolic play engagement and regulation (JASPER)
An intervention for young children at risk for ASD; therapists reinforce joint attention and symbolic play in naturalistic interactions
MSSNG
A project involving the genetic mapping of 10,000 individuals with ASD with the goal of determining the genetic risk factors for the disorder
Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)
A low-tech AAC in which children communicate by pointing to or exchanging cards with symbols or pictures that represent actions, feelings, ideas, or objects
Pivotal response treatment
A behavioral intervention usually administered by parents in naturalistic settings; designed to increase the motivation and self-regulation skills of children with ASD
Pragmatics
The use of language in specific social contexts, especially the natural give-and-take that occurs during conversation and the ability to tell coherent stories with appropriate background information
Pronoun reversal
The tendency of a child with ASD to say “You are happy” when he means “I am happy”
Prosody
The pattern of stress or intonation in a person’s speech
Reciprocal imitation training (RIT)
An intervention for young children at risk for ASD; teaches imitation skills through modeling and natural reinforcers
Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities
A problem shown by all youths with ASD; characterized by (1) stereotyped or repetitive behaviors, (2) excessive adherence to routines or resistance to change, (3) restricted, fixated interests, or (4) unusual reactivity to sensory input
Right fusiform gyrus
A brain region responsible for processing human faces and interpreting social behavior; often underactive in youths with ASD
Scaffolding
A term used by Vygotsky to describe guidance and support provided to help children learn new skills as they interact with the environment
Social communication
A deficit shown by all youths with ASD; reflects problems with (1) social–emotional reciprocity, (2) nonverbal communication, and (3) interpersonal relationships
Social brain
A term used by some researchers to explain a neural pathway involved in social cognition and communication; includes the amygdala, right fusiform gyrus, and portions of the prefrontal cortex
Social orientation
A child’s ability to attend to, and interact with, important aspects of interpersonal interactions(e.g., eyes, faces, emotional expressions, interactions between people); often delayed in children with ASD
Structured teaching
A component of TEACCH; the use of structures and supports to help children understand and master the classroom environment
Symbolic play
The child’s ability to allow one object to represent another object; important for language acquisition; often delayed in children with ASD
Theory of mind
The understanding that people have mental states (e.g., thoughts, beliefs, intentions) that motivate their behavior; often deficient in children with ASD
Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication-Handicapped Children (TEACCH)
A classroom-based intervention that relies on a highly structured teaching environment and scaffolding to improve social communication and reduce challenging behaviors in children with ASD
UCLA Young Autism Project
An EIBI study conducted by Lovaas and colleagues that relied on discrete trial training for young children with ASD who were largely nonverbal; participants demonstrated gains in IQ and language
Visual scene display (VSD)
A high-tech AAC system; children communicate and develop language skills by pressing on pictures on tablets that depict everyday scenes (e.g., bedroom, kitchen, school)
Visual schedules
A chart containing pictures and symbols to organize and direct children’s daily behavior at home or school
