lecture 9 - neuropsychology and autism Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
1
Q

what is autism

A

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

  • DSM-IV (dsm 4 a book that defines many disorders) :* “Autistic disorder” was the umbrella term for multiple diagnoses
  • e.g., Asperger’s disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder (CDD), pervasive developmental disorders (PDD), Rett’s syndrome
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

what is the updated diagnosis criteria (DSM 5)

A

DSM 5:
* Updated the diagnosis criteria
* Autism disorder
 now labelled autism spectrum disorder

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

describe autism medically speaking

A

Autism is known as “Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)”
* A diagnosis with deficits
* Medical descriptions often focus on deficits and challenges associated with autism, such as difficulties in social skills, communication, and sensory processing.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

describe autism socially speaking

A

Autism is (currently) preferred to beknown as “Autism” or “Autism Spectrum”

  • Social models of disability highlight the importance of accommodating diverse needs and promoting inclusion rather than focusing solely on medical diagnoses.
  • Neurodiversity perspective views autism as a natural variation of human neurology rather than solely as a disorder or deficit
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

what is autism categorised as in DSM 5

A

DSM 5 – Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (2013)

  • Autism categorized as a neurodevelopmental disorder because symptoms are present in childhood
  • Even if diagnosis only occurs in adulthood
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

what is the general criteria for ASD - DSM 5

A

Criteria A – deficits in social communication (must have at least 3 deficits in this area)
* Criteria B – repetitive, restrictive behaviours or interests (at least 2 deficits in this area)
* Criteria C – symptoms present during childhood
* Criteria D – symptoms cause impairment in regular functioning
* Criteria E – symptoms can’t be better explained by another diagnosis

  • Assessing autism needs to be comprehensive and multidisciplinary.
  • Assessing autism usually takes time
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

what is autism like across the lifespan
-is it stable?
-what symptoms of autism vary through life

A

Unlike ADHD, autism behaviours considered stable across lifespan (i.e., symptoms persist from childhood to adulthood).

Some variability in symptom persistence in recently literature:
* Social communication deficits
* Persist from adolescence to adulthood (Seltzer et al., 2004)
* Possible reduction in later adulthood (Howlin et al., 2013)

  • Restrictive behaviours and interests
  • Restrictive behaviours less frequent and less severe as individuals age (Esbensen etal., 2009)
  • Rigidity and insistence on sameness doesn’t change in adulthood (Zohar & Dahan,2016
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

-how can autism be assessed in children
-who can asses autism

A

-usually includes medical assessments of associated conditions
-testing might include
-EEG use
-vision tests
-hearing tests
-genetic testing
-allows us to rule out alternate possible diagnoses

Can include a team of trained clinicians:
* Speech and language pathologist,
* occupational therapist
* behavioural therapist
* psychologist
* special education teaching
* early childhood educators

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

assessing autism in children
-how is vision tested

A

vision testing
-done using the snellen letters of allen pictures
-test there’s no other vision issue causing the symptoms (rule out)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

assessing autism in children
-how is hearing tested in verbal and non verbal children

A

Hearing testing:

  • Verbal children: regular hearing test using tones of various frequencies
  • Non-verbal children: Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR

to check the child can actually hear, and symptoms are due to deficit hearing

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

what assessments are included in testing autism (after medical exams are complete and other diagnoses ruled out)
-what is diagnosis based on

A

Assessment includes:
* Interviews with parents / other important adults
* e.g., ADOS questionnaire for parents

  • Standardized tests
  • e.g., IQ testing, executive function tests
  • Behavioural observations
  • e.g., home visits, observations of play in children

diagnosis is based on behaviour

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

can MRIs diagnose autism

A

Brain imaging (e.g., MRI, CT, EEG) cannot be used to diagnose autism.
* No gross anatomical differences between autism vs non-autism
* i.e., doctors can’t “spot” autism using brain imaging

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

when researchers detect differences between autism vs non autism populations in mri studies, it is related to:

A

Functional differences
* E.g., What part of the brain is recruited to do a particular task
* Micro-structural differences
* E.g., Brain wiring, cortical thickness in micro-millimetres

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

can clinicians spot anatomical abnormalities in MRIs

A

Trained clinicians can sometimes spot large anatomical abnormalities in diseases, disorders, and illnesses
-example of gross anatomical issues : eg tumours

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

theories of autism

A

-deficits of theory of mind in autism
:Early theory suggest deficits in perspective-taking in children with autism (Baron-Cohen, Leslie & Frith, 1985)
* 80% of children diagnosed with autism fail the Sally-Ann task of ToM
* Replicated with other ToM tasks

-deficits of executive functioning in autism
Difficulties with planning and task shifting

not really supported anymore

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

criticisms of cognitive theories

A

Theory of Mind tasks might explain social communication deficits but not repetitive behaviours (a main criteria of autism behaviour)
* Some children with autism perform well on False-Belief tasks
* Children with autism perform more poorly on some EF tasks  but not all!

17
Q

theories of autism based on brain imaging studies

A

hyper connectivity hypothesis
-Posits that autism behaviours are related to an over-connection between brain areas

Default Mode Network hypo-connectivity hypothesis
DMN  a major network related to social cognitive processing
* There is a biological difference in the functioning of the DMN in children with autism (under connected in children with autism)

18
Q

what is brain connectivity
-why do we care about brain connectivity

A

-brain connectivity - the connections between multiple brain regions

-we care because brain regions work together to perform cognitive functions
-brain connectivity can tell us how the brain functions

19
Q

hyper connectivity hypothesis - what does it suggest to us

A

Hyperconnectivity hypothesis of autism suggests that individuals with autism have much higher connectivity (hyperconnectivity) across the brain (Supekar et al., 2013)

There is too much cross-talk between brain regions (i.e., hyperstimulation of the brain)- activating too many brain regions just to do a simple task

  • Sheds light on the sensory symptoms of autism
20
Q

what is the default mode network

A
  • a brain network involved in cognitive abilities and emotion regulation
21
Q

when is the default mode network active

A

-active during
self referential processing
Processing social information relative to oneself
* Processing self-related versus other-related judgments
* Social-cognitive functions

ToM
* Inferring the perspectives, beliefs, intentions, and emotions, of others
* False-belief tasks

dmn underonnected in children with autism

22
Q

development of the DMN paralells……

as the DMN matures , ______ and ______ abilities improve

A

Development of the DMN parallels development of cognitive and social abilities

  • As the DMN matures, social and cognitive abilities improve
23
Q

Since children with autism demonstrate differences in social and cognitive processes ,does the DMN function differently too?
experiment and findings

A

yes

-experiment done by yerys et al 2015
-question : is the DMN connectivity different in children with autism

method: Compared DMN connectivity in autism vs non-autism children
* Evaluated severity of autism symptoms
* Children ages: 8-13 years

findings
Findings:
* Children with autism had lower connectivity of the DMN compared to non- autism
* Negative correlation: higher autism symptoms = lower connectivity

24
Q

default mode network hypoconnectivity
conclusions

A

The biological function of the Default Mode Network is different in children with autism
* There is less communication between brain regions of the Default Mode Network
* Might shed light on the social-cognitive behaviours of autism

25
Q

emerging theories?
-double empathy theory

A

Milton (2012)
*based on Social communication involves multiple parties
* Challenges in social communication between two individuals  is a mutual problem

(so not just the autistic individual cant communicate with person 1 its that person 1 also cant communicate with the autistic individual)

  • i.e., double problem with empathy
  • Could include interactions between:
  • Autistic and non-autistic individuals
  • Autistic individuals