Autism Spectrum Disorder Flashcards

Flashcards covering key concepts related to Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), including diagnostic criteria, core deficits, and intervention strategies.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

A neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in social communication, social interaction, and restricted/repetitive behaviors/interests/activities.

Intellectual Disability

Intellectual Functioning & Adaptive Functioning

Specific Learning Disorder

Core Academic Skills: Reading, Writing, Mathematics

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Social Communication, Social Interaction coupled with Restricted & Repetitive Behaviours/ Interests/ Activities

Criterion A for ASD

Deficits in social-emotional reciprocity; deficits in nonverbal communicative behaviors; deficits in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships.

Criterion B for ASD

Stereotyped or repetitive motor movements, insistence on sameness, highly restricted fixated interests, hyper- or hyporeactivity to sensory input.

Criteria C, D, & E for ASD

Symptoms must be present in the early developmental period, cause clinically significant impairment, and not be better explained by intellectual disability.

Specifiers for ASD

With or without accompanying intellectual impairment or language impairment; associated with a known medical, genetic, or environmental factor; associated with another neurodevelopmental, mental, or behavioral disorder; with catatonia.

Severity Levels for ASD

Requiring support (level 1); requiring substantial support (level 2); requiring very substantial support (level 3).

Core Deficits: Social Interaction

Deficits in social and emotional reciprocity, unusual nonverbal behaviors, limited social expressiveness, atypical processing of faces and facial expressions, and impaired joint attention.

Core Deficits: Social Communication

Inconsistent use of early preverbal communications, use of protoimperative gestures rather than protodeclarative gestures, pronoun reversals, echolalia, perseverative speech, and impairments in pragmatics.

Core Deficits: Restricted & Repetitive Behaviours/Interests

Stereotyped body movements, repetitive sensory and motor behaviors, insistence on sameness, and self-stimulatory behavior.

Goals of Intervention for ASD

Minimise core problems of ASD, maximise independence and quality of life, and help child and family cope effectively with the problems.

Working with Parents (ASD Intervention)

Understanding parental emotions, helping parents accept the diagnosis, training programs (knowledge, support groups, modelling, PECS training), and involving siblings.

Education System and ASD Intervention

Appropriate school placement at either specialised school for children with ASD, or at a school that is able to cater specifically for children with ASD.

Overview of Treatment Strategies for ASD

Engaging children in treatment, decreasing disruptive behaviors, teaching appropriate social behavior, increasing functional communication, promoting cognitive skills, and teaching adaptive skills.

Initial Stages of ASD Treatment

Building rapport and teaching learning-readiness skills, discrete trial training, and incidental training.

Reducing Disruptive Behaviours

Rewarding competing behaviours, Ignoring behaviour and when necessary Punishment

Teaching Appropriate Social Behaviours

Teaching expression of emotions, social skills training (initiating and maintaining interactions, turn-taking, sharing), and peer-focussed approaches.

Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)

Teach spontaneous social communication skills through symbols (pictures) in order to request desired objects.

Early Intervention Characteristics

Early, intensive, low student-teacher ratio, high structure, family inclusion, peer interactions, Generalisation, and ongoing assessment.