Autism & Childhood disorders

Final exam

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Involved impairments across contexts in..

1. Social defecits (communications & interaction)

2. Restricted, repetitive behaviors and interests

ASD symptoms

• Social interaction defecits

  • Visual attention

  • Lack of emotional reciprocity

• Theory of mind

  • Not understanding that others have a different point of reference

• Restricted interests

• Communication Defecits

Severity spectrum of ASD

Autism — Problems in interaction + restricted activity/interest

Asperger’s Disorder — Intelligence (IQ) and communication are near normative range, buy some symptoms are present

• Least severe end of spectrum

Profound Autism — More severe end: significant impairments in IQ and abilities

Social interaction Defecits

Impairment in non-verbal social behaviors, eye contact, facial expressions (especially when young)

Emotional reciprocity

The ability to recognize others’ emotions and respond to them well

What are the visual attention tendencies of those with autism

Viual attention gravitates to movement and sound, rather than socially-relevant stimuli

Social communication defecits

Wide range of defecits in communication

• Difficulty initiating or sustaining conversation

• May be mute or speak in an atypical manner

  • Dysprosidy

  • Echolalia

• Lack of make believe

  • Repetitive, non-functional play

  • Low interest in playing with others

Dysprosidy

Subtle disruption in the rate, rhythm, & intonation

Echolalia

Repeating others’ speech (sometimes repeatedly)

Theory of mind (and defecits in it)

Understanding that others have a different point of reference

• May not comprehend that other people have their own plans, thoughts, feelings, and points of view

Not understanding that other people think differently than themselves furthers problems relating with others

• May not be able to anticipate what others will say or do in various situations

• Difficulty empathizing with others

Restricted interests

Preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restrictve patterns of interest

• Excessively interested in topics and themes unusual for their age

• Stereotyped and restrictive:

  • Do same activity over and over (Stereotyped)

  • And no variety to what they do—won’t do other things (restrictive)

• Fascination with objects or parts of objects (more so than people)

  • Staring at movements (Ex, ceiling fans), focus on specific features of objects (veins on a leaf)

Developmental psychopathology

Sudying abnormal behavior within context of normal development

• Only abnormal if it deviates from developmental norms

Developmental norms

Behavior that is typical for children of a given age

Externalizing disorders (definition and commonalities)

Maladaptive behaviors directed toward a client’s environment

• Oppositional Defiant Disorder

• Conduct Disorder

Oppositional Defiant disorder

• Angry/Irritable mood

  • Loses temper, touchy or easily annoyed, angry and resentful

• Argumentative/Definat Behavior

  • Argues with authority figures/parents

  • Defies or refuses to follow rules or requests

  • Deliberately annoys others

Vindictiveness — shows malice, ill will, or a strong desire for revenge

• Younger use of tobacco, alcohol, drugs, and sex than normal

Vindictiveness

Shows malice, ill will, or a strong desire for revenge

Conduct disorder

• Persistent and repetitie pattern of serious rule violations and disregard of other’s rights

  • Violate societal norms, rules, and the basic rights of others

• Aggression to people and animals

• Destruction of property

• Deceitfulness or theft

• Truancy or running away

• ODD at younger ages often develops into CD

Callousness

Indifference to the suffering of others

Relational aggression

Hurting others’ feelings in non-physical ways, such as rumors, insults, gossip, and exclusion

• More common in girls

Delay of gratification

Putting off immediate rewards to work towards long-term rewards

• They want the reward NOW

Homotypic continuity

Assumption that mental issues are expressed similarly between children and adults

Internalizing disorders

Psychological problems affecting the child’s internal, subjective experience (“Upsetting feelings”)

Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder

Severe temper outbursts highly out of proportion with the situation at hand, either in intensity or duration

• Persistently irritable between outbursts

• Tantrums inconsistent with developmental level

• Occur 3+ times a week

• Must onset before 10 years old

General internalizing symptoms

• Anxiety, mood, and neurodevelopmental disorders in children

  • Homotypic Continuity — Assumption that mental issues are expressed similarly between children & adults

• Separation Anxiety Disorder

• Selective Mutism

• Disruptive Learning Disorder

• Neglect-Related Disorders