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Autism summary
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Summary on lecture Autism, module Understanding Mental Health, course Psychology. The notes are summarised in preparation for an end of semester MCQ test. I passed the test with 1st (A+).
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AutismAutism Spectrum Disorders
Definition and classification
• Autism spectrum disorders is a term often used to refer to a set of disorders listed
under the term Pervasive Developmental Disorders in the DSM 4.
• In the DSM 4 these disorders included: Autistic Disorder, Asperger’s Disorder,
Childhood Disintegrative Disorder (CDD) and Pervasive Developmental Disorders Not
Otherwise Specified (PPD-NOS).
• In fact, before the DSM 3 children showing symptoms associated with autism were
given the label Schizophrenic Reaction Disorder.
• In DSM-V the above diagnoses are replaced by a broad diagnosis of Autism Spectrum
Disorders (ASD).
• This change has been made in an attempt to create more specific and consistent
criteria for these disorders which share a variety of symptoms.
• It is also believed that the disorders are on a continuum, and the previously separate
disorders represent different levels of severity (rather than different disorders).
• When making a diagnosis two core areas of communication are taken into account.
Diagnostic criteria 1 ASD
A: Impairments in social communication and impairments in social interaction as manifested
by:
1: Deficits in social-emotional reciprocity (e.g., failure to go back and forth in conversations,
failure to respond to or initiate social interactions).
2: Deficits in nonverbal communication (e.g., eye contact or body language).
3: Deficits in developing, maintaining and understanding relationships (e.g., difficulties in
adjusting behaviour to social context or in showing an interest in peers).
- Individual must show all three for a diagnosis.
Diagnostic criteria 2 ASD
B: Restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviours, interests or activities:
, 1: Stereotyped or repetitive motor movements, use of objects or speech (e.g., lining up toys,
echolalia). .
2: Highly restricted, fixated interests that are abnormal in intensity or focus (e.g., need to
eat same food, extreme distress to small changes).
3: Insistence on sameness, inflexible adherence to routines or ritualized patterns of verbal
or nonverbal behaviour (e.g. have the same routine everyday).
4: Hyper or hyporeactivity to sensory input or unusual interest in sensory aspects of the
environment (e.g., extreme sensitivity/insensitivity to noises or temperatures).
- Individual must show at least two for a diagnosis.
Diagnostic Criteria 3 ASD
C: Symptoms must be present in the early developmental period.
D: Symptoms cause clinically significant impairment in social, occupational or other
important area of current functioning.
E: The disturbances are not better explained by intellectual disability or global
developmental delay.
Autistic savants.
Savant syndrome – a condition where people with developmental disorders have one or
more amazing abilities in contrast to their overall limitations (e.g., an incredible memory or
forming complex calculations in head).
It is widely speculated that Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, Andy Warhol, are on the autism
spectrum.
• Intellectually handicapped but display amazing and specific spontaneously emerging
cognitive or artistic abilities.
• 1 in 10 autistic people display some savant ability.
– Feats of memory.
– Naming day of the week in future or past dates.
– Identifying prime numbers.
– Drawing.
– Playing musical instruments.
– 50% of savants are diagnosed with autism.
• Phenomenon poorly understood.
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