Week 1: An Overview Flashcards
What is the APA (1994) definition of autism?
It’s a neurological disorder that limits an individual’s ability to function normally
What are the three main impairments of autism?
1) behavioural abnormalities
2) social limitations
3) communication impairments
What is the prevalence of autism? (Kanner)
It’s a lifelong disorder
- 1.1% in the U.K.
- 1.5% in the US
What is the ratio of males to females? (Kanner)
4: 1 male/female ratio
- under diagnosing females
- increasing prevalence since 2000
When did Kanner identify ‘Early Infantile Autism?)
1943
What did Kanner identify to be the key points of Early Infantile Autism?
- 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
What was Asperger’s syndrome (1944) originally known as?
Autistic psychopathology
Which disorder was initially believed to be an ‘exclusively male disorder’?
Asperger’s
What did Asperger believe to be the fundamental deficit of Asperger’s?
Limited social relationships
At what age is Asperger’s syndrome believed to develop?
Characteristics develop at 2yrs
- genetic implications
What are the 2 main symptoms of Asperger’s?
1) Social
2) Stereotypes/abnormal motor mannerisms
Describe Wing and Gould’s (1979) Camberwell study.
There is a prevalence of impaired social interactions in children
Triad of social impairment
- imagination, interaction, communication
What disorders go under the PDD DSM-4 categories?
ASD
Asperger’s
Rett’s syndrome
PDD-NOS
Describe Chakrabarti, et al’s. (2005) study findings.
• 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
What is the DSM-4 criteria for Asperger’s?
• 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
Describe the DSM-4 criteria for Asperger’s?
• Diad of impairments
- communication is not relevant
- social impairment and RRB’s
• Same criteria for autism
Discuss DSM-5 criteria for autism (2013).
• controversial removal of Asperger’s
- insinuation in ASD as it is a spectrum
• diad of impairments
- communication added to social impairment
Name the different features associated with ASD.
1) sensory symptoms
2) intellectual disability
3) developmental regression
4) savant skills
5) sleep disturbances
6) epilepsy
Describe Tomchek & Dunn’s (2008) study findings.
• sensory processing of 281 children
• 95% showed sensory difficulties
- confirms prevalence of sensory impairments in ASD
Describe Kern, et al’s. (2007) study into sensory symptoms of ASD.
- 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
Describe Schwartz, et al’s. (2012) study into intellectual disability in ASD.
• 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
What is developmental regression?
• It follows a period of typical development
• loss of previously acquired skills
- around 12-36months
• 20-49% of cases
What do you know about savant skills?
• islets of ability
• only found in 10% of ASD sample
- not universal
- ‘little professors’ (Asperger)
What percentage of autistic individuals are affected by sleep disturbances?
40-80%
What is the clinical prevalence of epilepsy in ASD?
12-46% ASD
- only 1% in general population
What is macrocephaly and what is it’s prevalence in ASD?
- A head size larger than the 97th percentile
* occurs in 14-37% of ASD sample
Describe Bailey, et al’s. (1995) study into twin studies in autism.
• 90% of MZ twins are concordant with BAP
- substantial genetic influences
• ASD linked to obstetric hazards
Describe Folstein and Rutter’s (1977) study into twin studies of autism.
• 60-92% concordance for MZ twins
- different concordance rates for MZ & DZ twins suggests that ASD is genetically determined?
• multiple interacting genes can influence
What is the Broader Autistic Phenotype?
• 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
What techniques are used to diagnosis ASD?
- developmental history
- standardised interviews
- observations
- questionnaires
What percentage of ASD individuals have a comorbidity with another disorder?
- 70% with one of more comorbidities
* 40% with two or more comorbidities
