MT1: Week 2

Question 1

Is autism more common in boys or girls??

Answer 1

Boys (1/42)

Question 2

What is the incidence ?

Answer 2

Autism is increasing (1/68)

Question 3

What are the causes of Autism?

Answer 3

-Unknown
-Some likely contributors:
-genetics(twin studies, recurrence rates in siblings)
-parental age
(not a single cause which is also know as the “autisms”)

Question 4

what are NOT causes of autism?

Answer 4

• vaccines
• refrigirator mother (bettleheim) :said it was mothers fault for not giving love to children/ being mean which made them have autism
• gluten or other dietary foods

Question 5

Who made autism an official diagnostic?

Answer 5

Leo Kanner 1943

• described 11 children who had:
• difficulties with communication
• difficulties with socialization
• restricted interests

Question 6

What is the Diagnostic and Statistics Manual of Mental Disorders? (DSM) what has changed?

Answer 6

manual that lists all different mental and behavioral disorders.
-Before in DSM 4 would list all separate disorders ex asperger, autism, PDD-NOS. But now in DSM 5 all listed under a single umbrella term of “autism spectrum disorder”

Question 7

what is the DSM5 characterized by?

Answer 7

• deficits in social comm.
• restricted or repetitive patterns of behavior or interests
• symptoms must be present in early childhood
• symptoms together impair everyday functioning

Question 8

what are some deficits that people with autism have?

Answer 8

• apparent sensory deficit: looks like they don’t experience pain but they do.
• verbal comm: non-verbal; echolalic(imitate things)
• play: don’t play as much as kids should
• affect
• social interaction

Question 9

what are some excesses?

Answer 9

• self-stimulatory behavior: rocking, spinning objects, hand flapping
• tantrums
• self-injurious behavior

Question 10

What are some ways to diagnose autism?

Answer 10

• Autism diagnostic observation schedule(ADOS)(structured and semi- structured tasks): do things with child like tea party, look for symptoms.
• Autism Diagnostic Interview(ADI): parent interview, 93 questions then give child a rating
• clinical impression: go to doctor’s office based on intuition
• ADOS and ADI are more reliable and specific

Question 11

Why should we diagnose?

Answer 11

• communication b/w professionals
• treatment/early intervention
• prognosis/research

Question 12

wHat are differential diagnosis that are non-ASD?

Answer 12

• schizophrenia: occurs after age 5, asd occurs before age 5
• mental retardation: flat subscale, asd has scattered subscale
• aphasia: only a language problem not social
• Communication delay: late talkers who start talking after age 5, kids with ASD don’t talk.