Notes

Autism Spectrum Disorder Introduction (ASD)
ASD: people with ASD have persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple context. Estimated 1-2% of the US and non-US countries population have ASD.
(a) complex developmental disorders
(i) social communication
(ii) social interaction
(ii) engagement in repetitive or stereotypical movements, phrases, or manipulation of objects
1911 - Eugene Bleuler, a Swiss Psychiatrist
(a) a symptom of the most severe cases of schizophrenia
1943 - Dr. Leo Kanner, child psychologist = "autism" not schizophrenia
1944 - Dr. Hands Asperger, child psychologist
(a) some children don't have severe language delays
1960 - Dr. Kanner described the parents of autistic children as lacking affection
1965- Dr. Bernard Rimland, psychologist and parents
(a) suggested that autism was a biological disorder, not caused by parenting styles
1975 - IDEA required children with all abilities and disabilities to go to free, publish schools + create individualized programs for them, including colleges, etc
1980 - added into the DSM which with the use of treatments using APA.
1990 - ADA passed - freedom from discrimination in employment, education, etc
2013 - changes in term to ASD
Autism Spectrum Disorder = Autistic Disorder - Asperger's Disorder - Pervasive Developmental Disorder
DSM Autism Criteria
(i) Persistent deficits in social comm and social interaction across multiple context
(ii) restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities
(iii) symptoms must be present in the early developmental period (but may not become fully manifest until social demands exceed limited capacities, or may be masked by learned stragies in later life
(iv) symptoms cause clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of function
(v) these disturbance are not better explained by intellectual disability (intellectual developmental disorder) or global developmental delay
LEVELS
1 - requiring support; mostly with social communication + organization/planning
2 - requiring substantial support; social comm deficits, abnormal responses, difficulty with changing focus/action
3 - requiring very substantial support; few words of intelligent speech, only responds to simple, may self-injury when routine changes
Characteristics of Autism
(a) deficits of social-emotional reciprocity - from abnormal social approach and failure of normal convo to reduced sharing interests/emotions to failure to initiate social interactions - abnormalities in eye contact and body language and understanding the use of gestures, to total lack of facial expression and nonverbal communication - developing maintaining and understanding relationships; to an absence of interest in peers in their immediate environment
(b) stereotyped/repetitive motor movements (lining up toys, flipping objects, etc) - insistence on sameness, inflexible adherence to routines, fixated interested that are abnormal, hypo-reactivity to sensory input (too cold..)
Diagnoses Approaches
--ADI-R Interview Based Assessment (language and comm, reciprocal social interactions, and restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped behaviors/interest
--ADOS, observes social communication behaviors and coded to form diagnosis
--CARS, helps distinguish between ASD and other developmental disabilities
--GARS-3 consists of 58 Likert-type questions within 6 subscales including restricted/repetivtive behaviors, social comm/interaction, cognitive style, maladaptive speech and emotional responses
1 in 68 children in 2018 are diagnosed with Autism (the increase could be broader diagnostic approaches)
5 Behaviors that need evaluation:
(i) Child does not babble by 12 months old
(ii) Child does not gesture by 12 months old
(iii) Child does not say single words by 16 months old
(iv) Child does not say 2-word phrases on their own by 24 months
(v) Child has any loss of social skills or language at any age
Causes:
Environmental factors (toxins)
Inherited, Diet, etc = although the real/accurate cause is unknown
61% in 2011 - autism graduates; 35% was not employed or college
Organizations:
Autism Society - advocate for appropiate services and provide current research and treatment
Autistic Self - run by people with Autism - advocates for equal rights and provides education to the public
TEACCH - teaching, expanding, Appreciating, Collaborating and Cooperating
Treatments:
Evidence-based services
Many people are prescribed psychotropic medications for anxiety, stress, aggression, etc.
ABA - behavioral reinforcement by systematically applying interventions based on principles of behavior theory
Discrete Trial Training - ABA based used in a planned, small, organized manner
Functional Behavior Asses. - observes "why" a behavior might occur to serve as data to develop intervention plan