Autism Spectrum Disorder Flashcards
What is the definition of autism spectrum disorder?
Persistent deficits in the ability to initiate and to sustain reciprocal social interaction and social communication, range of restricted, repetitive and inflexible patterns of behaviour, interests or activities that are clearly atypical or excessive for the individual’s age and sociocultural context
What are some risk factors for autism spectrum disorder?
Rubella in pregnant mother
Tuberous sclerosis
Fragile X syndrome
Encephalitis
Untreated PKU
Gender identity
What is the pathophysiology of autism spectrum disorder?
Frontal lobes, amygdala, cerebellum implicated
Glutamine receptors, GABA and serotonin implicated
- GABA has role in regulation of early developmental stages of cell migration, neuronal differentiation, and stages of maturation
- Glutamate is excitatory neurotransmitter which dysregulation can lead to neuronal damage
- Serotonin system has critical role in regulation of crucial steps of neuronal development
What are some social communication features of autism spectrum disorder?
Good language skills but hard to grasp underlying meaning of conversation
Difficulty understanding jokes, sarcasm, metaphors
Voices often sound monotonous
Pedantic and idiosyncratic language
Narrow interests which dominate conversations
What are some social interaction features of autism spectrum disorder?
Difficulty picking up non-verbal cues
Appear self focused and lacking empathy, when really figuring out social situations
Continually struggle to make and sustain personal and social relationships
What are some social imagination features of autism spectrum disorder?
Difficulties thinking flexibly and in abstract ways
Inability to understand other people’s points of view, taking things literally
Difficulties applying knowledge and skills across settings with different people
Difficulties projecting themselves into the future or planning goals sensibly
What are some repetitive impairment features of autism spectrum disorder?
Stereotyped or repetitive motor movements, use of objects or speech
Insistence on sameness, inflexible adherence to routines, or ritualised patterns of behaviour or nonverbal behaviour
Highly restricted, fixated interests that are abnormal in intensity of focus
Hyper- or hypo- reactivity to sensory input or unusual interest in sensory aspects of the environment
What assessment tools are used to diagnose autism spectrum disorder?
ADOS
What are essential criteria for diagnosing autism spectrum disorder?
Symptoms must be present in the early developmental period
Symptoms cause clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of current functioning (regardless of age)
Disturbances are not better explained by other mental health problems, intellectual disability, or global developmental delay
What is the management of autism spectrum disorder?
Education and social interventions
Medication rarely required other than for comorbidities (risperidone for severe aggression and significant self-injury)
