ABAT EXAM PREP QUESTIONS &
ANSWERS(RATED A+)
What is autism? - ANSWERA 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? - ANSWER1. Social
2. Communication
3. Restrictive/Repetitive Behavior
What are common characteristics of social/communication? - ANSWER-intrusive
touching
-all "businesss 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? - ANSWER-
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? - ANSWER1. 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 - ANSWER- 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
What is Asperger Syndrome? - ANSWER- 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? - ANSWEROccurs 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? - ANSWER-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? - ANSWER- 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? - ANSWER-the act of attending to and processing
one item at a time
- information is sequential or in stages
-similar to DTT
EXAMPLE: when teaching a kid about coins, you introduce each coin individually
What is parallel memory processing? - ANSWER-the act of attending to and processing
all items simultaneously
—knowing your color, motion, shape, and depth
-similar to PRT
What are the functions of behaviors? - ANSWER1. SELF STIMULATORY : the
individual behaves in a specific way because it feels good to them
2. ESCAPE/AVOIDANCE : the individual engages in a behavior to get out of doing
something he/she does not want to do
3. ATTENTION SEEKING : the individual engages in a behavior to get focuses attention
from parents, teachers, siblings, or peers
4. TANGIBLES (ACCESS/TARGETING) : individual engages in a hagiography in order
to get a highly preferred item or participate in a highly preferred activity
What is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)? - ANSWER- GOAL : to
provide students with disabilities the same opportunity for education as those students
who do not have a disability; providing free appropriate public education (FAPE) with no
cost and Special Education specifically designed to meet the needs of the students
unique needs
ANSWERS(RATED A+)
What is autism? - ANSWERA 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? - ANSWER1. Social
2. Communication
3. Restrictive/Repetitive Behavior
What are common characteristics of social/communication? - ANSWER-intrusive
touching
-all "businesss 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? - ANSWER-
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? - ANSWER1. 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 - ANSWER- 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
What is Asperger Syndrome? - ANSWER- 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? - ANSWEROccurs 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? - ANSWER-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? - ANSWER- 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? - ANSWER-the act of attending to and processing
one item at a time
- information is sequential or in stages
-similar to DTT
EXAMPLE: when teaching a kid about coins, you introduce each coin individually
What is parallel memory processing? - ANSWER-the act of attending to and processing
all items simultaneously
—knowing your color, motion, shape, and depth
-similar to PRT
What are the functions of behaviors? - ANSWER1. SELF STIMULATORY : the
individual behaves in a specific way because it feels good to them
2. ESCAPE/AVOIDANCE : the individual engages in a behavior to get out of doing
something he/she does not want to do
3. ATTENTION SEEKING : the individual engages in a behavior to get focuses attention
from parents, teachers, siblings, or peers
4. TANGIBLES (ACCESS/TARGETING) : individual engages in a hagiography in order
to get a highly preferred item or participate in a highly preferred activity
What is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)? - ANSWER- GOAL : to
provide students with disabilities the same opportunity for education as those students
who do not have a disability; providing free appropriate public education (FAPE) with no
cost and Special Education specifically designed to meet the needs of the students
unique needs
