ABAT EXAM PREP QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS | ABAT CERTIFICATION EXAM
STUDY GUIDE & PRACTICE TEST 2026/2027
What is autism? - ANS ✔✔A developmental disorder of variable severity that is characterized by
difficulty in social interaction and communication and by restricted or repetitive patterns of thought and
behavior
-autism as a spectrum disorder with a triad of primary impairments
What are the triad of impairments? - ANS ✔✔1. Social
2. Communication
3. Restrictive/Repetitive Behavior
What are common characteristics of social/communication? - ANS ✔✔-intrusive touching
-all "business talk" (taking things seriously and can not catch on social queues in a way/ how Chloe acts)
-lack of eye contact
-limited facial expressions
-does not play with others
-does not initiate conversation
-abnormal volume of voice
What are common characteristics of restrictive/repetitive behaviors? - ANS ✔✔-repetition of words/rate
of language
-rigid adherence (no budging)
-repetitive behavior hand flipping ( stim)
-spinning (stim)
-teeth grinding
-atypical sensory behavior to texture/smell/sound/5 senses
What are the 5 disorders that make up ASD? - ANS ✔✔1. Autistic Disorder - also known as causal autism
2. Aspergers Syndrome
3. Pervasive Developmental Disorder - also known as PDD-NOS
4. Rett's Syndrome
5. Childhood Disintegrative Disorder - also known as CDD
Social and Emotional Interaction issues - ANS ✔✔- standing too close to people
-unaware of different ways of interacting with others
-has desire to have friends and relationships but struggles to initiate and maintain these
Imagination and Flexibility of Thought issues - ANS ✔✔- does not understand others points of view or
feelings
-takes everything literally
-agitated by change in routine
Social communication and Language issues - ANS ✔✔- asks repetitive questions
- cannot read between the lines of what people mean
, - communicates for own needs rather than for 'social' engagement
- makes factual comments inappropriate to the context
Terminology associated with diagnosis - ANS ✔✔-pragmatic language
-receptive and expressive language
-sensory motor
-social skills
-joint attention
-stereotypy
What is Comorbidity? - ANS ✔✔Children with ASD may also have other medical or psychiatric conditions
What are common conditions that might be diagnosed with children with ASD? (Comorbid disorders) -
ANS ✔✔- anxiety
- ADHD
- Bipolar disorder
- Clinical Depression
- Down Syndrome
- Fragile X syndrome
- Gastrointestinal Symptoms
- Intellectual disability and developmental delays
- Motor difficulties
- OCD
- Seizures and epilepsy
- Tourette syndrome
- Tuberous Sclerosis
What is Asperger Syndrome? - ANS ✔✔- high functioning autism
- have difficulty interacting socially
-exhibit a restrictive range of interests / repetitive behavior
- motor development may be delayed causing clumsiness or uncoordinated motor movements
What is joint attention? - ANS ✔✔Occurs when two people share interests in an object
-when the child points to something, not because they want it, but to show it to someone for a social
purpose
-child can respond to someone initiating the joint attention or they can initiate it
EXAMPLE: pointing to a toy, bringing attention to something
What is HYPERsensitivity? - ANS ✔✔-over reactivity to sensory input
-being overwhelmed by a stimulus that most people would consider normal or common
EXAMPLE: whenever the phone rings, a child with hypersensitivity might close their ears shut because
they are sensitive to the noise
What is HYPOsensitivity? - ANS ✔✔- under reactivity to sensory input
- brain does not register incoming stimuli appropriately so the child is not as affected by the stimuli
EXAMPLE: child spinning constantly and never appears to be dizzy
What is serial memory processing? - ANS ✔✔-the act of attending to and processing one item at a time
STUDY GUIDE & PRACTICE TEST 2026/2027
What is autism? - ANS ✔✔A developmental disorder of variable severity that is characterized by
difficulty in social interaction and communication and by restricted or repetitive patterns of thought and
behavior
-autism as a spectrum disorder with a triad of primary impairments
What are the triad of impairments? - ANS ✔✔1. Social
2. Communication
3. Restrictive/Repetitive Behavior
What are common characteristics of social/communication? - ANS ✔✔-intrusive touching
-all "business talk" (taking things seriously and can not catch on social queues in a way/ how Chloe acts)
-lack of eye contact
-limited facial expressions
-does not play with others
-does not initiate conversation
-abnormal volume of voice
What are common characteristics of restrictive/repetitive behaviors? - ANS ✔✔-repetition of words/rate
of language
-rigid adherence (no budging)
-repetitive behavior hand flipping ( stim)
-spinning (stim)
-teeth grinding
-atypical sensory behavior to texture/smell/sound/5 senses
What are the 5 disorders that make up ASD? - ANS ✔✔1. Autistic Disorder - also known as causal autism
2. Aspergers Syndrome
3. Pervasive Developmental Disorder - also known as PDD-NOS
4. Rett's Syndrome
5. Childhood Disintegrative Disorder - also known as CDD
Social and Emotional Interaction issues - ANS ✔✔- standing too close to people
-unaware of different ways of interacting with others
-has desire to have friends and relationships but struggles to initiate and maintain these
Imagination and Flexibility of Thought issues - ANS ✔✔- does not understand others points of view or
feelings
-takes everything literally
-agitated by change in routine
Social communication and Language issues - ANS ✔✔- asks repetitive questions
- cannot read between the lines of what people mean
, - communicates for own needs rather than for 'social' engagement
- makes factual comments inappropriate to the context
Terminology associated with diagnosis - ANS ✔✔-pragmatic language
-receptive and expressive language
-sensory motor
-social skills
-joint attention
-stereotypy
What is Comorbidity? - ANS ✔✔Children with ASD may also have other medical or psychiatric conditions
What are common conditions that might be diagnosed with children with ASD? (Comorbid disorders) -
ANS ✔✔- anxiety
- ADHD
- Bipolar disorder
- Clinical Depression
- Down Syndrome
- Fragile X syndrome
- Gastrointestinal Symptoms
- Intellectual disability and developmental delays
- Motor difficulties
- OCD
- Seizures and epilepsy
- Tourette syndrome
- Tuberous Sclerosis
What is Asperger Syndrome? - ANS ✔✔- high functioning autism
- have difficulty interacting socially
-exhibit a restrictive range of interests / repetitive behavior
- motor development may be delayed causing clumsiness or uncoordinated motor movements
What is joint attention? - ANS ✔✔Occurs when two people share interests in an object
-when the child points to something, not because they want it, but to show it to someone for a social
purpose
-child can respond to someone initiating the joint attention or they can initiate it
EXAMPLE: pointing to a toy, bringing attention to something
What is HYPERsensitivity? - ANS ✔✔-over reactivity to sensory input
-being overwhelmed by a stimulus that most people would consider normal or common
EXAMPLE: whenever the phone rings, a child with hypersensitivity might close their ears shut because
they are sensitive to the noise
What is HYPOsensitivity? - ANS ✔✔- under reactivity to sensory input
- brain does not register incoming stimuli appropriately so the child is not as affected by the stimuli
EXAMPLE: child spinning constantly and never appears to be dizzy
What is serial memory processing? - ANS ✔✔-the act of attending to and processing one item at a time
