Week 1: An Overview

Question 1

What is the APA (1994) definition of autism?

Answer 1

It’s a neurological disorder that limits an individual’s ability to function normally

Question 2

What are the three main impairments of autism?

Answer 2

1) behavioural abnormalities
2) social limitations
3) communication impairments

Question 3

What is the prevalence of autism? (Kanner)

Answer 3

It’s a lifelong disorder

• 1.1% in the U.K.
• 1.5% in the US

Question 4

What is the ratio of males to females? (Kanner)

Answer 4

4: 1 male/female ratio
- under diagnosing females
- increasing prevalence since 2000

Question 5

When did Kanner identify ‘Early Infantile Autism?)

Answer 5

1943

Question 6

What did Kanner identify to be the key points of Early Infantile Autism?

Answer 6

• extreme autistic aloneness
• innate inability to form connections
• over/under sensitivity of senses/sounds
• typified by communication problems, lack of social engagement, motor abnormalities, stereotypies

Question 7

What was Asperger’s syndrome (1944) originally known as?

Answer 7

Autistic psychopathology

Question 8

Which disorder was initially believed to be an ‘exclusively male disorder’?

Answer 8

Asperger’s

Question 9

What did Asperger believe to be the fundamental deficit of Asperger’s?

Answer 9

Limited social relationships

Question 10

At what age is Asperger’s syndrome believed to develop?

Answer 10

Characteristics develop at 2yrs

- genetic implications

Question 11

What are the 2 main symptoms of Asperger’s?

Answer 11

1) Social

2) Stereotypes/abnormal motor mannerisms

Question 12

Describe Wing and Gould’s (1979) Camberwell study.

Answer 12

There is a prevalence of impaired social interactions in children

Triad of social impairment
- imagination, interaction, communication

Question 13

What disorders go under the PDD DSM-4 categories?

Answer 13

ASD
Asperger’s
Rett’s syndrome
PDD-NOS

Question 14

Describe Chakrabarti, et al’s. (2005) study findings.

Answer 14

• looked at DSM-4 definition of PDD
• impairments in social, language and communication
• 30/60 per 10,000
- increasing
• early interventions can alter developmental trajectories
• PDD-NOS is most frequently diagnosed: 1.7x more than autism

Question 15

What is the DSM-4 criteria for Asperger’s?

Answer 15

• TRIAD OF IMPAIRMENTS
- develop by 36mths, minimum of 6 needed

1) social:
- lack of shared enjoyment
- lack of socio-emotional reciprocity

2) communication:
- lack of make believe play
- no initiated/sustained convo

3) RRB’s:
- adherence to non-functional routines
- preoccupation with parts of an object

Question 16

Describe the DSM-4 criteria for Asperger’s?

Answer 16

• Diad of impairments

• communication is not relevant
• social impairment and RRB’s

• Same criteria for autism

Question 17

Discuss DSM-5 criteria for autism (2013).

Answer 17

• controversial removal of Asperger’s
- insinuation in ASD as it is a spectrum

• diad of impairments
- communication added to social impairment

Question 18

Name the different features associated with ASD.

Answer 18

1) sensory symptoms
2) intellectual disability
3) developmental regression
4) savant skills
5) sleep disturbances
6) epilepsy

Question 19

Describe Tomchek & Dunn’s (2008) study findings.

Answer 19

• sensory processing of 281 children
• 95% showed sensory difficulties
- confirms prevalence of sensory impairments in ASD

Question 20

Describe Kern, et al’s. (2007) study into sensory symptoms of ASD.

Answer 20

• sensory dysfunction caused by brain’s inability to correctly process sensory stimuli
• extends across all modalities and can therefore be assumed to be a global dysfunction
• adaption/maturation of sensory symptoms with age

Question 21

Describe Schwartz, et al’s. (2012) study into intellectual disability in ASD.

Answer 21

• overlap of ASD and ID:

• 70% ASD have ID
• 10% ID have autistic traits

• ASD/ID are interconnected due to shared molecular pathways
- understanding one, facilitates understanding of the other

Question 22

What is developmental regression?

Answer 22

• It follows a period of typical development
• loss of previously acquired skills
- around 12-36months
• 20-49% of cases

Question 23

What do you know about savant skills?

Answer 23

• islets of ability
• only found in 10% of ASD sample
- not universal
- ‘little professors’ (Asperger)

Question 24

What percentage of autistic individuals are affected by sleep disturbances?

Answer 24

40-80%

Question 25

What is the clinical prevalence of epilepsy in ASD?

Answer 25

12-46% ASD

- only 1% in general population

Question 26

What is macrocephaly and what is it’s prevalence in ASD?

Answer 26

• A head size larger than the 97th percentile

* occurs in 14-37% of ASD sample

Question 27

Describe Bailey, et al’s. (1995) study into twin studies in autism.

Answer 27

• 90% of MZ twins are concordant with BAP
- substantial genetic influences
• ASD linked to obstetric hazards

Question 28

Describe Folstein and Rutter’s (1977) study into twin studies of autism.

Answer 28

• 60-92% concordance for MZ twins
- different concordance rates for MZ & DZ twins suggests that ASD is genetically determined?

• multiple interacting genes can influence

Question 29

What is the Broader Autistic Phenotype?

Answer 29

• features found in relatives
- Asperger (1944)

• communication and socially triggered
- RRBs rarely done when alone

• BAP more common in MZ twins due to greater shared genetic material

Question 30

What techniques are used to diagnosis ASD?

Answer 30

• developmental history
• standardised interviews
• observations
• questionnaires

Question 31

What percentage of ASD individuals have a comorbidity with another disorder?

Answer 31

• 70% with one of more comorbidities

* 40% with two or more comorbidities