THEME 3: AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER

Question 1

What is the prevalence of autism?

Answer 1

1-2%, around 70% normal intelligence, 30% regression (loss of skills).

Question 2

Asperger syndrome

Answer 2

Children who have autism with better cognitive and language skills

Question 3

What is social cognition

Answer 3

• a construct at the intersections of self and other.
• social cognition starts when “like me” nurture starts.
• what is more or less important
• what is social and nonsocial

Question 4

What’s needed for successful social interaction?

Answer 4

1-Joint attention
2- Theory of mind

Question 5

Joint attention

Answer 5

capacity to coordinate one’s vşsua attention with the attention of another person.

Question 6

Theory of mind

Answer 6

ability to attribute mental status of others.

Question 7

Affective social competence

Answer 7

the coordination of the capacities to experience emotion, send emotional messages to others and read other emotional signals.

Question 8

What are the deficits that characterises autism?

Answer 8

1- social and communication deficit
2- repetitive behaviours and fixated interest

Question 9

Social and communication deficits:

Answer 9

1-Struggles to understand complicated emotions
2-Talks more concrete and intellectualized way
3-Use language for instrumental reasons ( when they want or need smth)
4- Most people with autism show a secure attachment with the caregiver

Question 10

Repetitive behaviours and fixated interest

Answer 10

• Exhibiting repetitive movements: rocking, hand flapping, twirling
  -Fixated interest refers to strong attachments to certain objects.
  -Insist on sameness of the environment
  -sensory sensitivities

Question 11

What is needed to diagnose one with autism?

Answer 11

-3 kinds of social and communication deficits:
-2 types of repetitive behavior
1-social-emotional reciprocity
2-deficits in nonverbal communication during social interactions
3-deficits developing and maintaining relationships.
!! not responding to your own name as a toddler is a predictive of autism.

Question 12

Autism in childhood symptoms

Answer 12

1- Life-long disorder
2-Impaired social interaction
3- Most children don’t show regression instead show progress

Question 13

Long-term study of( high, medium low functioning groups)

Answer 13

1- The stability is highest in the children with most severe clinical presentations.
2- Lower stability with the middle group
3- highest functioning group is the least stable and likely to change diagnosis over time
—Language is the most important when predicting.
– Children with high nonverbal IQ more likely to improve.

Question 14

Autism in adult symptoms

Answer 14

• Poor regulation of emotions ( frustration, anger)
  -Less independent than adults with mental disorders.
  -Part time employment not full time

Question 15

Heritability and how does it occur?

Answer 15

-Genes and environment
- High heritability and familial clustering

Question 16

Physiological functions?

Answer 16

1-Growth without guidance: unusual brain growth.
2- Over-prunning: overly agressive synaptic pruning in sensory and motor regions.
3-Dysfunction in the mirror-neutron system: respond to observation of others actions.
4-Atypical connectivity across brain regions
5- Hierachial Organization: prefrontal uniqely placed to influence other regions.
6-Niche construction: active construction of the environment
7- developmental rate: adaptation

Question 17

3 most important cognitive skills for autism?

Answer 17

1- Theory of mind
2- Central coherence: perceive and construct meaning from the environment. (better at attention)
3- Executive functioning: processes that include planning, memory impulse control.

Question 18

Children at the age of 5 show more symptoms than children at the age of 8.

Question 19

Baron-Cohen approach?

Answer 19

Empathising-systemazing theory: below average empathy, above average systemising

Question 20

Social-motivational , social-brain theory:

Answer 20

emphasises socio-emotional deficits related to social-attention, social-engagement and social rewards.

Question 21

Two hit-model:

Answer 21

First-hit: genetic and neurodevelopment disruptions.
Second-hit: adolescent-related developmental tasks and pubertal hormones.

Question 22

Interventions

Answer 22

-prevention efforts
- pharmacological treatment
- Psychological treatment:
- Applied behavior analysis: intensive behavioral approach with high levels of control and direction of the chid and his environment.
-school based programme
-long-term treatment