10.1 Defining and diagnosing autism Flashcards
Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder, what is meant by this?
A severe impairment in several areas of development which starts in early childhood and becomes apparent as the child develops.
Diagnosis identified by Kanner are still used today, the DSM-IV is a table with criteria for diagnosing autism, there must be how many items on the table to diagnose someone with autism?
6 or more
The DSM-IV table. Name 2 examples of behaviours due to ‘qualitative impairment in social interaction’?
- Poor use of eye gaze
- lack of personal relationships
- lack of joint attention
The DSM-IV table. Name 2 examples of behaviours due to ‘qualitative impairment in verbal and non verbal communication’?
- Lack of speech
- Stereotyped and repetitive use of language
- Failure to sustain conversation
The DSM-IV table. Name 2 examples of behaviours due to ‘Restricted repertoire of activities and interests’?
- Repetitive or stereotyped movements (such as hand flapping)
- Interests that are abnormally intense
- routines or rituals
JOINT ATTENTION. Describe joint attention in stages on a normal child ages 9-15 months.
- Joint attention is used to share an interaction between child and another person.
1. The child’s gaze will shift from in interesting object/event to another person.
2. This will focus the other person’s attention on that object/event.
3. The focus is then drawn back to the child.
Why is joint attention important for a child to develop?
Because it is important to the development of mutual understanding and sharing. This is not developed in children with autism.
What are the triad of impairments?
- Social interaction
- Language used in social communication
- Symbolic or imaginative play
Some researchers propose that the triad of impairments present in autism can be considered a what?
Syndrome.
