Let 15-18 Flashcards
Overall aspects of autism
- Exucative function def (lack of comprehension)
- Sensory processing diff
- Repatative behaviours
- motor skills difficulties (more sedentary)
- preservative thinking
- Lack of social awareness
- Verbal + non verbal probs
- Information processing diff
Lvl1 autism
(lowest)
- requiring support
- diff initiating social interaction
- inflexability of behaviour
- dif switching activities
- probs w organization
Lvl2 autism
requiring substantial support marked social deficits w social interactions inflexibility of behaviour difficulty or distress coping w change repetitive bahviours
Lvl3 autism
requiring very substantial support severe deficits w social interactions inflexibility of behaviour extremem difficult or distress w change repetitive behaviours interfere w functioning
Autism spectrum is characterized by qualitative impairments in:
- social communication
- socail interaction
- socail imagination
- restricted range of interests
- stereotyped repetitive beahviours and mannerisms
organic aetiologies of autism
Prenatal insults- rubella inf, unix metabolic disorders such as phenylketonuria, anticonvulsants during preg
Localised lesions- TB, postnatal inf (encephalitis)
medical cause (in 6-10%)- epilepsy, genetics
Brain regions that could be indicated in autism
Amygdala
basal ganglia
cerebellum
medial prefrontal cortex (integrates info from various cortical structures)
Where are mirror neurons located and how do they impact autism
found in inf frontal gyrus and inf parietal lobule
FMRI- shows dec activity in inf frontal gyrus in autism
Why are mirror neurons sig
Important for understanding the actions of others
sig for learning new skills by imitation
a basic social brain system
What is theory of mind and when does it start
normally attained at 3-4y of age
- understanding desires of others
- understanding the emotional state of others
- having ability to figure out intentions
- what u are thinking can be converted to others
Why is there an increase in prevelence of autism
changing the conceptualism to a spectrum
diagnostic methods
inclusion of other disorders (ADHD, tourette’s, tb)
public education
3 alerting signals for autistic spectrum disorder
- communication impairment @2-3years
2 Social impairments @ 2-3years
- Impairments of interests, activities and other behvaiours @ 2-3
What is identification of regression in autistic children
25-30% of autistic children bw 15-21 will have obvious stasis and sometimes clear regression of development occurs
(loss of words, social withdrawal, change in sleep, eating)
Adult impairments in autism
- small number achieve some independence/have friends etc
- nealry 70% have fair to good language
- many dependent on fam
- increased rates of depression/anxiety
common ddx of autism
language disorder
other dev disorder (reactive attachment disorder, early onset epilepsy, neurodegenerative disorder)
What is asperger syndrome
no apparent cognitive impairment
no apparent receptive or expressive language impairment
-restricted, repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behaviours
- Impaired nonverbal saviour
- Impaured social communication
What is childhood disintegrative disorder (hellers syndrome) and criteria
-normal dev in 1st 2 years
Sig loss of skills in at least 2 areas:
- Expressive/receptive language
- Social skills or adaptive behaviour
- Bowel or bladder control
- Play+motor skills
abnormal functioning in at least 2 of the following areas
- Qualitative impairments in social interaction and comm
- restricted, repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behaviour, interests and activities
What is rett syndrome
genetic cause
-muations in the X linked transcriptional regulator MECp2
-with infant growth these is a regression of skills including volitional hand use and spoken language
What is pervasive developmental disorder
atypical autism (criteria not met for another ASD)
- impairents of social interactions
- impairments in verbal/non verbal
- stereotyped behaviours interests or activities
What is the gold standard for early intervention in autism
Applied behavioural analysis
What is the process of applied behavioural analysis
Antecedent- question/command is given (clue is given and create an opportunity for new behaviour)
Behaviour- correct response= immediate reward
consequence- incorrect responses=ignored or just corrected
Families with children w ASD are more likely to try complementary and alternative tx like
melatonin
massage therapy
horseback riding
what are some non recommended therapies for ASD
- Vit B6
- Auditory integration traing
- Facilitated communication
- gluten or casein free diets
- hyperbaric oxygen
- secretin
What is visceral osteopathic technique
manual therapy applied to the abdomen
-may be beneficial to children w autism and GI disturbance
What are the 5 prognostic concepts of ASD
- proportional to functioning (do better w daily support, family programs, funding)
- affected by manageability (self control, focus)
- affected by personal development (self control, focus)
- affected by cognition (greater activity lvl, manageable behaviours, self help skills etc)
- Affected by comorbid disorders
What is the goal of craniosacral therapy (LMAO)
Application of light manual therapy techniques
- restrictions in the craniosacral system can be released
- improve the functioning of the CNS
What is the optimal rate of cranial rhythmic impulse
8-12 cycles per min
