Presentation for course Mental, Emotional, and Behavior Disorders, Virginia Commonwealth University by Jacqueline Corcoran

1. Autism Spectrum
Disorder
• severe and pervasive impairment
in development
•Impaired ability to communicate
•presence of stereotyped behavior,
interests, and activities

2. Impairments in social relatedness underlie
and define autism
 lack of awareness of the feelings of others,
 an impaired capacity to imitate and express
emotion
 absence of capacity for social and symbolic
play.

3. Communication deficits
 non-verbal communication
 seen in 50% of clients
 Echolalia
 repetition of words or phrases
 abnormal prosody
 atypical speech rhythm, stress, intonation, and
loudness
 pronoun reversal
 the person refers to “you” as him or herself, and the
other person as “me”

4. Higher-functioning
 formerly known as Asperger's disorder
early development (both cognition
and language) is apparently
normal, but the child often has
unusual interests that are pursued
with great intensity
Social deficits become more
prominent as the child enters
preschool and is exposed to peers.

5. Prevalence
 1 per 88 children in the United States
(CDC)
 increase in prevalence
 changing diagnostic criteria
 service eligibility regulations
 knowledge about intervention
 political advocacy
 the increase in diagnosis of very young
children
 High co-morbidity – maybe up to 80%

6. Causes
 Neuro-biological causation assumed
 Certain clusters of genes may be
associated
 Brain abnormalities
 Neurotransmitter systems - serotonin

7. Diagnosis
 Medical diagnosis
 inter-professional collaboration
(psychiatry, medicine, psychology, social
work, speech/language/communication
therapy, occupational therapy, and
physical therapy).

8. Assessment involves:
 Information from parents
 Child’s deveopmental history
 child’s prior response to any educational
programs or behavioral interventions.
 Direct observations in structured (school) and
unstructured settings (home) and in interactions
with peers, parents, and siblings.
 A medical evaluation, which includes information
about possible seizures, visual and hearing
examinations for possible sensory problems, and
testing for lead levels if the child has had
exposure.
 Cognitive assessment (IQ)
 Adaptive functioning and social skill development
 Speech and language assessment
 Assessment with standardized scales
“gold standards” (clinician administered)

9. Course
 variable results depending on the severity
of the condition and timing of
identification, but are associated with
poor outcomes regarding quality of social
functioning.
 one-third of children with autism ultimately
achieve some level of independence
and self-sufficiency in adulthood with 2/3
requiring intensive care

10. Interventions
 special education
 Federal law
 family support
 Education, support, parent training
 behavioral management
 Applied behavior analysis
 social skills training
 Medications implemented cautiously
 Almost 1/3 take at least one medication
 Risperidone and stimulants are common
 Families like complementary and
alternative interventions

11. For adolescents
 adaptive and vocational skills to prepare
for independent living.
 Sexual development which may be
addressed using education and
behavioral techniques.

12. Adults
 identification of community resources
and supports for long-term care planning.
 Options include foster homes, semi-independent
living situations, living with
parents who may qualify for income
supplements and insurance, and
supervised group living.

13. Critique
 Continued delays in identification of
autism spectrum
 Concern from consumer advocacy
groups about DSM 5 taking away
Aspergers