Childhood Psychopathology
Chapter 5
Autism
*Psychosis
*Child is out of touch with reality or operating in a fantasy world. Child may or may not
be aware that s/he is having these difficulties
*Some history
*Kanner in 1943 published a report on 11 children who displayed such symptoms as
extreme social withdrawal, idiosyncratic and delayed use of language, restriction of
interests, and insistence on sameness
*At around same time, Hans Asperger of Austria described a high-functioning
form of autism, in which he likened such children to absent-minded professors.
*Today these children would likely be classified as autistic
*Following Kanner’s work, there was great debate as to whether these children
had a form of childhood Schizophrenia
*Autism
*Autism can be considered a developmental disorder, which may include deficits in
language, perceptual and motor development, poor reality testing, and an inability to
function in social situations
DSM-5 Criteria
*Characteristics of Autism
1. Deficits in social communication and social interaction:
*Deficits in social-emotional reciprocity, e.g., failure of normal back and forth
conversation
*Deficits in nonverbal communicative behaviors used for social interaction, e.g.,
abnormal eye contact and body language
*Deficits in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships, e.g.,
difficulties in making friends
2. Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities, with at least two
of the following:
*Stereotyped or repetitive motor movements
*Insistence on sameness of routines, as well as in verbal and non-verbal behavior
*Restricted, fixated interests that are abnormal in intensity and scope
*Hyper- or hypoactivity to sensory input or unusual interest in sensory aspects of
environment
*Can become obsessed with topics such as plane or train schedules
*Can attach to bizarre objects (piece of leather belt) and become easily
distressed if it is lost
*May carry object in exactly the same manner every day
*Stereotyped and repetitive movements (one aspect of body or while body
rocking or spinning – self-stimulatory behaviors)
*Additional criteria
*Onset in the early developmental period (typically by 3 years of age)
Chapter 5
Autism
*Psychosis
*Child is out of touch with reality or operating in a fantasy world. Child may or may not
be aware that s/he is having these difficulties
*Some history
*Kanner in 1943 published a report on 11 children who displayed such symptoms as
extreme social withdrawal, idiosyncratic and delayed use of language, restriction of
interests, and insistence on sameness
*At around same time, Hans Asperger of Austria described a high-functioning
form of autism, in which he likened such children to absent-minded professors.
*Today these children would likely be classified as autistic
*Following Kanner’s work, there was great debate as to whether these children
had a form of childhood Schizophrenia
*Autism
*Autism can be considered a developmental disorder, which may include deficits in
language, perceptual and motor development, poor reality testing, and an inability to
function in social situations
DSM-5 Criteria
*Characteristics of Autism
1. Deficits in social communication and social interaction:
*Deficits in social-emotional reciprocity, e.g., failure of normal back and forth
conversation
*Deficits in nonverbal communicative behaviors used for social interaction, e.g.,
abnormal eye contact and body language
*Deficits in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships, e.g.,
difficulties in making friends
2. Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities, with at least two
of the following:
*Stereotyped or repetitive motor movements
*Insistence on sameness of routines, as well as in verbal and non-verbal behavior
*Restricted, fixated interests that are abnormal in intensity and scope
*Hyper- or hypoactivity to sensory input or unusual interest in sensory aspects of
environment
*Can become obsessed with topics such as plane or train schedules
*Can attach to bizarre objects (piece of leather belt) and become easily
distressed if it is lost
*May carry object in exactly the same manner every day
*Stereotyped and repetitive movements (one aspect of body or while body
rocking or spinning – self-stimulatory behaviors)
*Additional criteria
*Onset in the early developmental period (typically by 3 years of age)
