Developmental, learning and communication disorders Flashcards
Characteristics of pervasive developmental disorders
Impaired social skills
Language/communication difficulties
Restricted behaviour
Difference between DSM IV and DSM V regarding autism diagnosis
DSM IV has autism, Asperger’s syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified separately
DSM V has autism spectrum disorder which encompasses all the DSM IV diagnoses
Key features of autism spectrum disorder
Deficits in social communication and social interaction
Restricted repetitive behaviours, interests, and activities
Age of onset of childhood autism
<3 years
Male:female ratio of autism
4:1
Percentage of children with an autistic sibling who have autism
2-15%
Percentage of children with two autistic siblings who have autism
25-30%
Heritability of autism
90%
Percentage of children with autism who have Fragile X syndrome
1-4%
Percentage of children with autism who have tuberous sclerosis
2%
MRI findings in childhood autism
Larger brain volumes
Early acceleration in growth
Increase in size of lateral and 4th ventricles
Cerebellar hypoplasia
Maternal illness during pregnancy that is associated with autism
Rubella
Percentage of people with childhood autism who are unable to live independently as adults
60%
Autism intervention that involves 40 hours/week input and is based on operant conditioning, imitation and reinforcement
Applied behavioural analysis (ABA)
Licensed medication in the UK for autism and associated aggressive behaviour
Risperidone
Difference between childhood autism and Asperger’s syndrome
IQ normally within normal limits in Asperger’s syndrome
No delays in language development with Asperger’s syndrome
Age appropriate self care skills in Asperger’s syndrome
Mechanism of inheritance of Rett syndrome
X linked dominant
Gene associated with Rett syndrome
MECP2
Sex affected by Rett syndrome
Female (usually lethal in males)
Age at which microcephaly develops in Rett syndrome
6-18 months
Age at which developmental skills plateau in Rett syndrome
6-12 months
Characteristic features of Rett syndrome
Stereotypical hand movements including hand wringing
Loss of previously acquired speech
Psychomotor retardation
Ataxia
Percentage of children with Rett syndrome who have epilepsy
75%
Alternative name for childhood disintegrative disorder
Heller’s syndrome
Age at which symptoms begin in childhood disintegrative disorder
2-3
Areas in which children may lose skills in childhood disintegrative disorder
Language
Social behaviour
Bowel or bladder control
Play
Motor skills
Percentage of school aged children with learning disorders
5%
Four categories of learning disorders in DSM IV
Reading disorder
Mathematics disorder
Disorder of written expression
Learning disorder not otherwise specified
Percentage of school aged children with dyslexia
4%
Tools used to measure reading ability
Weschler Objective Reading Dimension (WORD)
Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE)
Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC)
Percentage of school aged children with disorder of written expression
2-8%
Prevalence of stuttering in the general population
1%
Peak age of onset of stuttering
5
Percentage of children with stuttering who do not stutter by adulthood
50-80%
Environmental risk factors for development of autism
Premature birth
Perinatal hypoxia
Maternal vitamin D deficiency
High paternal age
Maternal valproate exposure
Maternal obesity
Birthweight <1500g
Maternal SSRI use
Common comorbidities among children who stutter
Social anxiety
School refusal
Other anxiety symptoms
Most common psychiatric comorbidities of Asperger’s syndrome
Depression
Anxiety
Type of learning disorder most common in females
Developmental learning disorder with impairment in mathematics
Percentage of children with reading difficulties
5%
Percentage of children with autism who have ADHD
30-50%
Element of autism spectrum disorder which does not change over time despite intervention
Ritualistic and repetitive behaviours
Developmental disorder where irregular respiration is a common complication
Rett syndrome
Male:female ratio of Asperger’s syndrome
9:1
Sex predominance for dyslexia
Male
Comorbid condition most often found alongside dyslexia
ADHD
Concordance rate of autism in MZ twins
60%
Most common type of seizures seen in autism
Tonic clonic
Percentage of children with autism who have epilepsy
22%
Sex predominance for seizures in autism
Female
Age at which seizures in autism usually start
> 10 years old
Ability common in autism where people are able to recognise repeating patterns easily in stimuli
Hypersystemisation
Symptom often seen in autism where people are able to describe individual parts of an object but not see it as a whole
Central coherence theory
Male:female ratio of reading difficulties
2:1
Type of empathy more usually impaired in autism spectrum disorder
Cognitive empathy
Percentage of people with ASD who have a learning disability
30%
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