AUTISM

define autism

developmental disorder on a spectrum

main features of autism?

spectrum

mildly autistic is aspergers syndrome

lifelong disability affects how a person views the world, processes info, relates to other people etc

main characteristics of autism

inappropriate emotional responses

poor speech development

inactivity or hyperactivity

don’t like change

autistic savant

DSM-V =

social and communication difficulties eg NVC deficit, problems with relationships

restricted and repetitive behaviours, routines and unusual reactions to sensory input

define autistic savant

10% high ability in one special area eg maths

what are the 2 explantations of autism

biological- amygdala dysfunction

cognitive- theory of mind

what are the 2 treatments for autism

PECS- picture exchange communication system

EIBI- early intensive behavioural intervention

what is the amygdala dysfunction explanation of autism and evaluate it

problems in this area can affect social, emotional, motivational behaviours

+baron-cohen don’t understand emotional expressions of others. struggled to choose correct expressions on photos compared with non ASD ppts

+create therapies eg drugs

-theory of mind baron-cohen

-other explanations eg hormone imbalance like serotonin

what is theory of mind explanation of autism and evaluate it

understanding thoughts and interpreting others behaviour. can effectively mind read. those with autism may be described as mind blind

+baron-cohen sally Anne experiment - kid didn’t have TOM as they couldn’t grasp the fact that sally didn’t know what they knew- different perspectives etc

+therapies eg counselling to understand better

-amygdala

-other explanations like hormone imbalance eg serotonin

describe PECS autism treatment

bondy and frost

used for students with limited or no vocal speech

pictures and uses applied behavioural analysis and SLT ideas to develop functional communication eg reinforcement etc

helps child initiate conversations rather than just respond

stages include…

prep. find things child interested in

1. physical exchange for the object and the child receives the object eg. ball positively reinforces this behaviour and also used across different objects so they generalise the behaviour

2. increase independence distance and persistence - pictures in binder with velcro and sit further apart

3. learn to discriminate among the pics depending on what they want

4. sentence structure - sentence strips eg i want ball

5. answer direct questions - eg what do you want and they respond with the pics etc

6. commenting - spontaneous and open ended questions

evaluate PECS therapy for autism

+SE christy et al 2002- 3 boys improved in spontaneous conversations etc and eye contact and behaviour improved

+charlop-christy 2002- easy and cheaper than other methods - mean time 170 mins for all 6 stages

-EIBI early intensive behavioural intervention may be another way to treat autism so PECS doesn’t suit everyone

-flippin et al 2010- meta analysis of 8 PECS experiments and found not long term effective and may have limited application

describe EIBI early intensive behavioural intervention

influence development course of the brain in early plasticity stage

children under 5 more successful in age 2, 20-50 hrs per week one to one therapy sessions- at home or school over 1-4 yrs

personal and focused on goals and targets

generalisation

what does PECS stand for

picture exchange communication system

what does EIBI stand for

early intensive behavioural intervention

evaluate EIBI

+generalisation so can apply to other elements of life in future

+prevention programme dawson 2008 said can change brain plasticity so prevents autism syndrome occuring fully

-PECS

20-50 hrs over 1-4 yrs very intensive and for young children this may be damaging