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Psychology /Autism Spectrum Disorder: Key Concepts and Diagnostic Criteria

Autism Spectrum Disorder: Key Concepts and Diagnostic Criteria

Psychology30 CardsCreated 3 months ago

This deck covers the essential features, diagnostic criteria, and associated factors of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). It includes information on social communication deficits, repetitive behaviors, and the impact of ASD across different life stages.

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What are the two core diagnostic features of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)?

Persistent impairment in reciprocal social communication and social interaction, and restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities.

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Key Terms

Term

Definition

What are the two core diagnostic features of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)?

Persistent impairment in reciprocal social communication and social interaction, and restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activi...

What is Criterion A for diagnosing ASD?

Persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts.

What are examples of deficits in social-emotional reciprocity in ASD?

Abnormal social approach, failure of normal back-and-forth conversation, reduced sharing of interests or emotions, and failure to initiate or respond ...

What are the manifestations of deficits in nonverbal communicative behaviors in ASD?

Poorly integrated verbal and nonverbal communication, abnormalities in eye contact and body language, and a total lack of facial expressions.

What are the signs of deficits in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships in ASD?

Difficulties adjusting behavior to suit various social contexts, difficulties in sharing imaginative play, and absence of interest in peers.

What is Criterion B for diagnosing ASD?

Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities.

Give examples of stereotyped or repetitive motor movements in ASD.

Simple motor stereotypies, lining up toys, flipping objects, echolalia, and idiosyncratic phrases.

What does 'insistence on sameness' mean in the context of ASD?

Inflexible adherence to routines or ritualized patterns of behavior, such as extreme distress at small changes and difficulties with transitions.

What are highly restricted, fixated interests in ASD?

Interests that are abnormal in intensity or focus, such as strong attachments to unusual objects or excessively circumscribed interests.

What sensory issues might individuals with ASD experience?

Hyper- or hyporeactivity to sensory input, such as indifference to pain, adverse responses to specific sounds, or excessive smelling or touching of ob...

When must symptoms of ASD be present according to Criterion C?

Symptoms must be present in the early developmental period.

What does Criterion D specify about the impact of ASD symptoms?

Symptoms cause clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of current functioning.

What is Criterion E in the diagnosis of ASD?

The disturbances are not better explained by intellectual developmental disorder or global developmental delay.

How are severity levels for ASD specified?

Based on social communication impairments and restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, with levels ranging from requiring support to very substant...

What are the three severity levels for ASD?

Level 1: Requiring support, Level 2: Requiring substantial support, Level 3: Requiring very substantial support.

What is the prevalence of ASD in the United States?

Between 1% and 2% of the population.

What is the male-to-female ratio for ASD diagnosis?

Approximately 3:1, with concerns about underrecognition in females.

What are some common comorbidities with ASD?

Intellectual developmental disorder, language disorder, anxiety disorders, depression, and ADHD.

What is the significance of early language development in ASD prognosis?

Functional language by age 5 years is a good prognostic sign.

What are some environmental risk factors for ASD?

Advanced parental age, extreme prematurity, and in utero exposures to certain drugs or teratogens like valproic acid.

What is the heritability estimate for ASD?

Estimates range from 37% to higher than 90% based on twin concordance rates.

What are some cultural factors affecting ASD diagnosis?

Cultural differences in norms for social interaction and communication can influence the perception and diagnosis of ASD.

What are some sex-related diagnostic issues in ASD?

Females may have subtler manifestations of social and communication difficulties, leading to later diagnosis.

How does ASD affect functional abilities in young children?

Lack of social and communication abilities may hamper learning, especially through social interaction.

What is a common cause of accidental death in children with ASD?

Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death.

How can ASD be differentiated from ADHD?

ADHD lacks the restricted, repetitive behaviors and unusual interests characteristic of ASD.

What distinguishes ASD from social (pragmatic) communication disorder?

ASD includes restricted and repetitive behaviors, whereas social (pragmatic) communication disorder does not.

What is a common feature of both ASD and obsessive-compulsive disorder?

Repetitive behaviors, although in ASD they may be perceived as pleasurable and reinforcing.

What is a key difference between ASD and schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia includes hallucinations and delusions, which are not features of ASD.

What are some associated features of ASD?

Intellectual and/or language impairment, theory-of-mind deficits, and motor deficits such as odd gait or clumsiness.

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Autism Spectrum Disorder: Key Concepts and Diagnostic Criteria

Term	Definition
What are the two core diagnostic features of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)?	Persistent impairment in reciprocal social communication and social interaction, and restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities.
What is Criterion A for diagnosing ASD?	Persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts.
What are examples of deficits in social-emotional reciprocity in ASD?	Abnormal social approach, failure of normal back-and-forth conversation, reduced sharing of interests or emotions, and failure to initiate or respond to social interactions.
What are the manifestations of deficits in nonverbal communicative behaviors in ASD?	Poorly integrated verbal and nonverbal communication, abnormalities in eye contact and body language, and a total lack of facial expressions.
What are the signs of deficits in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships in ASD?	Difficulties adjusting behavior to suit various social contexts, difficulties in sharing imaginative play, and absence of interest in peers.
What is Criterion B for diagnosing ASD?	Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities.
Give examples of stereotyped or repetitive motor movements in ASD.	Simple motor stereotypies, lining up toys, flipping objects, echolalia, and idiosyncratic phrases.
What does 'insistence on sameness' mean in the context of ASD?	Inflexible adherence to routines or ritualized patterns of behavior, such as extreme distress at small changes and difficulties with transitions.
What are highly restricted, fixated interests in ASD?	Interests that are abnormal in intensity or focus, such as strong attachments to unusual objects or excessively circumscribed interests.
What sensory issues might individuals with ASD experience?	Hyper- or hyporeactivity to sensory input, such as indifference to pain, adverse responses to specific sounds, or excessive smelling or touching of objects.
When must symptoms of ASD be present according to Criterion C?	Symptoms must be present in the early developmental period.
What does Criterion D specify about the impact of ASD symptoms?	Symptoms cause clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of current functioning.
What is Criterion E in the diagnosis of ASD?	The disturbances are not better explained by intellectual developmental disorder or global developmental delay.
How are severity levels for ASD specified?	Based on social communication impairments and restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, with levels ranging from requiring support to very substantial support.
What are the three severity levels for ASD?	Level 1: Requiring support, Level 2: Requiring substantial support, Level 3: Requiring very substantial support.
What is the prevalence of ASD in the United States?	Between 1% and 2% of the population.
What is the male-to-female ratio for ASD diagnosis?	Approximately 3:1, with concerns about underrecognition in females.
What are some common comorbidities with ASD?	Intellectual developmental disorder, language disorder, anxiety disorders, depression, and ADHD.
What is the significance of early language development in ASD prognosis?	Functional language by age 5 years is a good prognostic sign.
What are some environmental risk factors for ASD?	Advanced parental age, extreme prematurity, and in utero exposures to certain drugs or teratogens like valproic acid.
What is the heritability estimate for ASD?	Estimates range from 37% to higher than 90% based on twin concordance rates.
What are some cultural factors affecting ASD diagnosis?	Cultural differences in norms for social interaction and communication can influence the perception and diagnosis of ASD.
What are some sex-related diagnostic issues in ASD?	Females may have subtler manifestations of social and communication difficulties, leading to later diagnosis.
How does ASD affect functional abilities in young children?	Lack of social and communication abilities may hamper learning, especially through social interaction.
What is a common cause of accidental death in children with ASD?	Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death.
How can ASD be differentiated from ADHD?	ADHD lacks the restricted, repetitive behaviors and unusual interests characteristic of ASD.
What distinguishes ASD from social (pragmatic) communication disorder?	ASD includes restricted and repetitive behaviors, whereas social (pragmatic) communication disorder does not.
What is a common feature of both ASD and obsessive-compulsive disorder?	Repetitive behaviors, although in ASD they may be perceived as pleasurable and reinforcing.
What is a key difference between ASD and schizophrenia?	Schizophrenia includes hallucinations and delusions, which are not features of ASD.
What are some associated features of ASD?	Intellectual and/or language impairment, theory-of-mind deficits, and motor deficits such as odd gait or clumsiness.