QASP S FINAL PAPER 2026 QUESTIONS WITH
ANSWERS GRADED A+
◉ Comorbidity. Answer: The presence of two or more conditions in
an individual.
◉ Common comorbid diagnoses associated with autism. Answer:
ADHD, ODD, OCD, CD, GI issues, Seizure Disorders, etc.
◉ Persistent Deficits in Social Communication and Social
Interaction. Answer: Deficits in social-emotional reciprocity,
nonverbal communicative behaviors, and developing and
maintaining relationships.
◉ Deficits in social-emotional reciprocity. Answer: Difficulty in
initiating or responding to social interactions; limited sharing of
emotions, interests, or affect.
◉ Deficits in nonverbal communicative behaviors. Answer: Poor
integration of verbal and nonverbal communication (e.g., eye
contact, gestures); lack of facial expressions or understanding of
body language.
,◉ Deficits in developing and maintaining relationships. Answer:
Difficulty in adjusting behavior to different social contexts;
challenges in sharing imaginative play or making friends.
◉ Restricted, Repetitive Patterns of Behavior, Interests, or Activities.
Answer: Includes stereotyped or repetitive motor movements,
insistence on sameness, highly restricted interests, and hyper- or
hypo-reactivity to sensory input.
◉ Stereotyped or repetitive motor movements. Answer: Examples
include hand-flapping, rocking, or echolalia (repeating phrases).
◉ Insistence on sameness. Answer: Extreme distress at small
changes in routine.
◉ Highly restricted interests. Answer: Intense focus on specific
topics or activities.
◉ Hyper- or hypo-reactivity to sensory input. Answer: Overreaction
or underreaction to sensory stimuli (e.g., sounds, lights).
◉ Symptoms Present from Early Development. Answer: Symptoms
must be present in the early developmental period, though they may
not fully manifest until social demands exceed the individual's
capabilities.
,◉ Symptoms Cause Clinically Significant Impairment. Answer: The
symptoms must result in significant impairment in social,
occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
◉ Not Better Explained by Other Disorders. Answer: The symptoms
must not be better accounted for by another mental disorder (e.g.,
intellectual disability or global developmental delay).
◉ DSM-IV vs. DSM-5: Key Differences. Answer: DSM-IV divided
Pervasive Developmental Disorders into separate diagnoses; DSM-5
collapsed them into one diagnosis: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
◉ Triad of Primary Impairments (DSM-IV Legacy Framework).
Answer: Social interaction deficits, communication deficits,
restricted and repetitive behaviors and interests.
◉ Red Flags for Early Diagnosis. Answer: No babbling or gestures by
12 months; no single words by 16 months; no two-word phrases by
24 months; loss of speech or social skills at any age; lack of response
to name; poor eye contact; limited joint attention; repetitive
movements or speech; extreme resistance to change.
◉ Common Deficits in ASD. Answer: Social-emotional reciprocity,
nonverbal communication, stereotyped/repetitive motor
, movements, restrictive/ritualized behaviors, and pragmatic
language deficits.
◉ Social-emotional reciprocity. Answer: Difficulty engaging in back-
and-forth conversation or play.
◉ Nonverbal communication. Answer: Poor eye contact, facial
expressions, body language.
◉ Stereotyped/repetitive motor movements. Answer: Hand-
flapping, rocking, lining up toys.
◉ Restrictive/ritualized behaviors. Answer: Rigid routines, distress
at changes.
◉ Pragmatic language deficits. Answer: Trouble using language
appropriately in context (e.g., taking turns in conversation).
◉ Genetic predisposition. Answer: Family history of autism
spectrum disorder (ASD).
◉ Advanced parental age. Answer: Increased risk of ASD associated
with older parents, especially paternal age.
ANSWERS GRADED A+
◉ Comorbidity. Answer: The presence of two or more conditions in
an individual.
◉ Common comorbid diagnoses associated with autism. Answer:
ADHD, ODD, OCD, CD, GI issues, Seizure Disorders, etc.
◉ Persistent Deficits in Social Communication and Social
Interaction. Answer: Deficits in social-emotional reciprocity,
nonverbal communicative behaviors, and developing and
maintaining relationships.
◉ Deficits in social-emotional reciprocity. Answer: Difficulty in
initiating or responding to social interactions; limited sharing of
emotions, interests, or affect.
◉ Deficits in nonverbal communicative behaviors. Answer: Poor
integration of verbal and nonverbal communication (e.g., eye
contact, gestures); lack of facial expressions or understanding of
body language.
,◉ Deficits in developing and maintaining relationships. Answer:
Difficulty in adjusting behavior to different social contexts;
challenges in sharing imaginative play or making friends.
◉ Restricted, Repetitive Patterns of Behavior, Interests, or Activities.
Answer: Includes stereotyped or repetitive motor movements,
insistence on sameness, highly restricted interests, and hyper- or
hypo-reactivity to sensory input.
◉ Stereotyped or repetitive motor movements. Answer: Examples
include hand-flapping, rocking, or echolalia (repeating phrases).
◉ Insistence on sameness. Answer: Extreme distress at small
changes in routine.
◉ Highly restricted interests. Answer: Intense focus on specific
topics or activities.
◉ Hyper- or hypo-reactivity to sensory input. Answer: Overreaction
or underreaction to sensory stimuli (e.g., sounds, lights).
◉ Symptoms Present from Early Development. Answer: Symptoms
must be present in the early developmental period, though they may
not fully manifest until social demands exceed the individual's
capabilities.
,◉ Symptoms Cause Clinically Significant Impairment. Answer: The
symptoms must result in significant impairment in social,
occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
◉ Not Better Explained by Other Disorders. Answer: The symptoms
must not be better accounted for by another mental disorder (e.g.,
intellectual disability or global developmental delay).
◉ DSM-IV vs. DSM-5: Key Differences. Answer: DSM-IV divided
Pervasive Developmental Disorders into separate diagnoses; DSM-5
collapsed them into one diagnosis: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
◉ Triad of Primary Impairments (DSM-IV Legacy Framework).
Answer: Social interaction deficits, communication deficits,
restricted and repetitive behaviors and interests.
◉ Red Flags for Early Diagnosis. Answer: No babbling or gestures by
12 months; no single words by 16 months; no two-word phrases by
24 months; loss of speech or social skills at any age; lack of response
to name; poor eye contact; limited joint attention; repetitive
movements or speech; extreme resistance to change.
◉ Common Deficits in ASD. Answer: Social-emotional reciprocity,
nonverbal communication, stereotyped/repetitive motor
, movements, restrictive/ritualized behaviors, and pragmatic
language deficits.
◉ Social-emotional reciprocity. Answer: Difficulty engaging in back-
and-forth conversation or play.
◉ Nonverbal communication. Answer: Poor eye contact, facial
expressions, body language.
◉ Stereotyped/repetitive motor movements. Answer: Hand-
flapping, rocking, lining up toys.
◉ Restrictive/ritualized behaviors. Answer: Rigid routines, distress
at changes.
◉ Pragmatic language deficits. Answer: Trouble using language
appropriately in context (e.g., taking turns in conversation).
◉ Genetic predisposition. Answer: Family history of autism
spectrum disorder (ASD).
◉ Advanced parental age. Answer: Increased risk of ASD associated
with older parents, especially paternal age.
