ASD Exam Practice Questions and
Answers 100% Pass
What is Autism Spectrum Disorder? - ✔✔-a continuum of neurodevelopment impairments, specifically
in the domains of social communication and restricted and repetitive behaviour
-can be associated with intellectual disabilities, but not all have them
ASD population stats - ✔✔-1 in 68
-1-2% of worlds population
Prevalence of ASD Increasing - ✔✔-not sure why
-could be due to awareness, willingness to disclose, the way we collect information, diagnosis, criteria or
ASD is just more broad now
Autism Characteristics - ✔✔-typical symptoms can occur as early as 6-12 months (diagnosis usually at 18
months)
-12-24 months, symptoms may improve or regress
-25%-75% of children with autism have intellectual delays
-access to service is based on absence/presence of intellectual disability
Leo Kanner - ✔✔-published book in 1943
-first account of autistic disturbances
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-found there was a lack of emotional contact, resistance to change, rote memory and visual/spatial skills
-first medical model considered it a physical illness
-originally suggested it was due to relationship between kid and mother (treatment for mothers)
Before Leo Kanner - ✔✔-possible diagnosis' for ASD
psychoanalysts: a neurotic condition caused by maladaptive maternal relationships
-learned behaviour
Hans Asperger - ✔✔-Hans Asperger was writing about Aspergers disorder, and characteristics
overlapped
-autistic psychopathy, little professors, intense absorption in special interest
-came to north america 40 years later
Asperger Disorder - ✔✔-not always delay in language/development in language
-monotone
-affects more boys than girls
-repetitive routines
-socially emotionally inappropriate behaviour and unsuccessful peer interaction
-cognitive ability in normal range
Moving to Medical Model - ✔✔-started looking at brain abnormalities, wanted to see which area of the
brain was affected
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-able to link ASD to mothers or rubella (similar virus)
-1980 was first autism distinct condition
Pervasive Development Disorders - ✔✔-childhood disintegrative disorder
-retts disorder
all include:
-only feeling simple emotions
-sensory/perceptual processing, either over sensitive or have low sensitivity
-impaired motor skills
Autism & Language - ✔✔-low functioning autism: little or no use of understanding speech, may have
grammar difficulties
-high functioning autism: normal language
Diagnosis of ASD - ✔✔-involves in-depth gathering of information
-direct observation and interaction
-no clear boundary, hard to diagnose
-benefits of age of onset, family history, genetic research
Difference in ASD Distribution - ✔✔-more common in males (low-functioning, 4:1 and high-functioning,
6:1)
-little evidence (but some have attempted) to explain difference in geography/race/social class
Reasons Why Diagnosis is Useful - ✔✔-make treatment decisions
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