4. Autism Spectrum Disorder Flashcards

Flashcards generated from lecture notes on Autism Spectrum Disorder.

What percentage of the UK population is estimated to be autistic?

Approximately 1% (around 700,000 people).

What does DSM-V stand for?

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fifth Edition. It provides standardized criteria to help diagnose ASD.

What are the two main clinical features that define autism?

Impairments in social communication and restricted/repetitive patterns of behavior.

Give an example of deficits in social-emotional reciprocity.

Difficulty with back-and-forth conversation.

Give an example of a restricted, repetitive pattern of behavior.

Insistence on sameness, inflexible adherence to routines, or ritualized patterns of verbal or nonverbal behavior.

During what period must symptoms be present to meet DSM-V criteria?

The early developmental period, specifically within the first three years of life.

What main components have to be present for a good theory?

Specificity, Uniqueness, Universality

Name the 3 main theories to explain autism

Theory of Mind, Executive Dysfunction, and Weak Central Coherence

What is Theory of Mind?

It refers to the ability to understand that others have their own thoughts, beliefs, and intentions that may differ from one's own.

What does executive dysfunction refer to?

Deficits in inhibition, planning, and executive memory.

What does 'weak central coherence' mean?

Preference for local details over global whole or context. Affects both perceptual ability and conceptual.

What was the conclusion of the Sally-Ann task results regarding typically developing children and those with down syndrome?

Results suggest TOM difficulties are unique to autism and not associated with general intellectual disability

What is the Enactive Mind Hypothesis

Klin (2000) reconceptualised ToM - referred to the Enactive Mind Hypothesis (Klin et al.) According to hypothesis autistic people are not attuned to social world early on in development, impacting learning opportunities, and has a knock on effect on subsequent development

How does Theory of Mind account for social and communication impairments in autism?

It suggests that difficulties in relating and communicating stem from a lack of understanding of others' minds.

How can Executive Dysfunction be described?

The ability to maintain an appropriate problem-solving set for the attainment of a future goal.

What did early systematic review and meta-analysis show about ABA?

Systematic review and meta-analysis show limited evidence in support of ABA (Rodgers et al. 2020)

What is the double empathy model?

When people with very different experiences of the world interact with one another, they will struggle to empathise with each other.

What is the key component of Autism Acceptance Training?

Non-autistic adults in the autism acceptance training condition reported more positive impressions of autistic adults fewer misconceptions and lower stigma about autism, endorsed higher expectations of autistic abilities, expressed greater social interest in hypothetical and real autistic people