Intro to Dev (5) Flashcards
(16 cards)
What is autism?
complex neurodevelopmental disorder, on a spectrum
What are the triad of impairments in autism?
- Impairments of social behavior
- Impairment in communication
- Narrowing of interests, resistant of change
What is an impairment of social behavior?
Deficits in attention on others
Irregular eye contact
Poor understanding of social context
What is an impairment of communication?
Mutism or echolalia
Overly honest
Delays in verbal and non verbal communication
What is narrowing interests?
Obsessions
Lack of pretend play
Stereotyped behaviors
3 cognitive theories of autism?
- Theory of mind
- Executive Dysfunction
- Weak Central Coherence
What is the Theory of Mind hypothesis?
Persons concepts of mental activity, ability to perceive intention and predict behavior of others.
What do children with autism lack, according to the theory of mind hypothesis?
ability to attribute mental states to self and others
What is the Executive Dysfunction hypothesis?
there are cognitive processes involved in goal directed tasks and problem solving
3 examples of cognitive processes according to the Executive Dysfunction hypothesis?
- Working memory
- Self Control
- Mental flexibility
What do children with autism lack according to the Executive Dysfunction hypothesis?
executive function (e.g., planning; impulse control)
What is the Weak Central Coherence hypothesis?
processing bias for feature and local information and failure to extract gist or see the “big picture” in everyday life
What do children with autism have according to the Weak Central Coherence hypothesis?
Superior local processing
What does the Sally Ann task test?
Ability of child to take into account another persons state of mind.
What does the Wisconsin Card Sort task test?
Ability of child to problem solve and have mental flexibility
What does the Embedded Figures task test?
Ability of child to focus on abstract and minute details
