Dr. Suresh Kumar Murugesan is a professor of psychology from India who specializes in areas like positive psychology and cognitive psychology. He has published many research papers and books on topics like autism. The presentation provides an overview of autism, including its characteristics, symptoms, diagnosis, causes, treatment and prevention. Autism is a developmental disorder that causes social and communication challenges. Symptoms vary but can include poor eye contact, repetitive behaviors, and difficulties with social interaction. It is diagnosed through developmental screenings and evaluations by a team of specialists. While its exact causes are unknown, both genetics and environmental factors are thought to play a role. Early diagnosis and intervention are important to help children with autism develop skills

1. Autism
Dr.Suresh Kumar Murugesan PhD
Yellow
Pond

2. About the Presenter
● Dr.Suresh Kumar Murugesan is a passionate Professor, researcher and Positive
Mental Health Practitioner from Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India
● At present he is heading the PG Department of Psychology, The American College,
Madurai
● He is very keen in research studies and open to learn.
● His ultimate aim is to make impression in the field of Knowledge
● His area of specializations are Psychomentry, Psychotherapy, Positive Psychology,
Education Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Cyber Psychology etc
● He has published 30 journal articles, 50 Conference and seminar proceedings
● Organised more than 500 webinars and acted as a resource person for 175 +
webinar session
● Received 4 Awards and delivered 25+ Radio Talks
● Qualified UGC NET in Psychology and Education, Central Teacher Eligibility Test
● Published three books
Yellow
Pond

3. Disclaimer
● This presentation is prepared for
learning purpose only and all the
images and pictures used in this
presentation are taken from google
image search.
● Due recognition was given to all the
material collected from the various
sources.
● Any name or reference is not
included kindly bring it to the notice
of the presenter for inclusion.
● Email -
sureshkumar800@yahoo.com
Thank you
Yellow
Pond

4. Concept of Autism
Yellow
Pond

5. What is Autism?
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex
developmental condition that involves
persistent challenges in social interaction,
speech and nonverbal communication, and
restricted/repetitive behaviors.
Yellow
Pond

6. Characteristics of Autism
Yellow
Pond

7. Characteristics
of ASD
● Autism differs from person to person in severity and
combinations of symptoms.
● There is a great range of abilities and characteristics of
children with autism spectrum disorder — no two children
appear or behave the same way.
● Symptoms can range from mild to severe and often change
over time.
Yellow
Pond

8. Characteristics of ASD
Characteristics of autism spectrum disorder fall into two
categories.
○ Social interaction and communication problems:
○ Restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviors,
interests or activities:
Yellow
Pond

9. Social interaction and
communication problems
● It is including
○ difficulties in normal back-and-forth
conversation,
○ reduced sharing of interests or emotions,
○ challenges in understanding or responding to
social cues such as eye contact and facial
expressions,
○ deficits in
developing/maintaining/understanding
relationships (trouble making friends), and
others.
Yellow
Pond

10. Behaviour
● hand-flapping and toe-walking,
● playing with toys in an uncommon way
○ such as lining up cars or flipping objects,
● speaking in a unique way
○ such as using odd patterns or pitches in speaking or “scripting” from favorite shows,
● having significant need for a predictable routine or structure,
● exhibiting intense interests in activities that are uncommon for a similarly aged child,
● experiencing the sensory aspects of the world in an unusual or extreme way
○ such as indifference to pain/temperature,
○ excessive smelling/touching of objects,
○ fascination with lights and movement,
○ being overwhelmed with loud noises, etc), and
○ others.
Yellow
Pond

11. Risk Factors
People with ASD are at
greater risk for some medical
conditions such as
● sleep problems,
● seizures and
● mental illnesses.
Yellow
Pond

12. Symptoms of Autism
Yellow
Pond

13. Symptoms
● Some children show signs of
autism spectrum disorder in early
infancy, such as reduced eye
contact, lack of response to their
name or indifference to caregivers.
● Other children may develop
normally for the first few months or
years of life, but then suddenly
become withdrawn or aggressive or
lose language skills they've already
acquired.
● Signs usually are seen by age 2
years.
Yellow
Pond

14. Symptoms
Each child with autism
spectrum disorder is likely to
have a unique pattern of
behavior and level of severity
— from low functioning to high
functioning.
Yellow
Pond

15. Symptoms
Some children with autism spectrum disorder
have difficulty learning, and some have signs
of lower than normal intelligence.
Other children with the disorder have normal to
high intelligence — they learn quickly, yet have
trouble communicating and applying what they
know in everyday life and adjusting to social
situations.
Yellow
Pond

16. Symptoms
Autism show unique
mixture of symptoms in
each child, severity can
sometimes be difficult to
determine.
It's generally based on
the level of impairments
and how they impact
the ability to function.
Yellow
Pond

17. Social communication
and interaction
● Fails to respond to his or her name or appears not to hear you at times
● Resists cuddling and holding, and seems to prefer playing alone, retreating
into his or her own world
● Has poor eye contact and lacks facial expression
● Doesn't speak or has delayed speech, or loses previous ability to say
words or sentences
● Can't start a conversation or keep one going, or only starts one to make
requests or label items
● Speaks with an abnormal tone or rhythm and may use a singsong voice or
robot-like speech
● Repeats words or phrases verbatim, but doesn't understand how to use
them
● Doesn't appear to understand simple questions or directions
● Doesn't express emotions or feelings and appears unaware of others'
feelings
● Doesn't point at or bring objects to share interest
● Inappropriately approaches a social interaction by being passive,
aggressive or disruptive
● Has difficulty recognizing nonverbal cues, such as interpreting other
people's facial expressions, body postures or tone of voice
Yellow
Pond

18. Patterns of behavior
● Performs repetitive movements, such as rocking, spinning or hand
flapping
● Performs activities that could cause self-harm, such as biting or head-
banging
● Develops specific routines or rituals and becomes disturbed at the
slightest change
● Has problems with coordination or has odd movement patterns, such
as clumsiness or walking on toes, and has odd, stiff or exaggerated
body language
● Is fascinated by details of an object, such as the spinning wheels of a
toy car, but doesn't understand the overall purpose or function of the
object
● Is unusually sensitive to light, sound or touch, yet may be indifferent to
pain or temperature
● Doesn't engage in imitative or make-believe play
● Fixates on an object or activity with abnormal intensity or focus
● Has specific food preferences, such as eating only a few foods, or
refusing foods with a certain texture
Yellow
Pond

19. Screening of Autism
Yellow
Pond

20. What tests are used to
diagnose autism?
An ASD diagnosis involves several different screenings,
genetic tests, and evaluations.
● Developmental screenings
● Other screenings and tests
Yellow
Pond

21. Developmental
screenings
● The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that all
children undergo screening for ASD at the ages of 18 and 24
months.
● Screening can help with early identification of children who could
have ASD.
● These children may benefit from early diagnosis and intervention.
● The Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) is a
common screening tool used by many pediatric offices.
● This 23-question survey is filled out by parents.
● Pediatricians can then use the responses provided to identify
children that may be at risk of having ASD.
● It’s important to note that screening isn’t a diagnosis.
● Children who screen positively for ASD don’t necessarily have the
disorder.
● Additionally, screenings sometimes don’t detect every child that
has ASD.
Yellow
Pond

22. Other screenings and
tests
Experts may recommend a combination of tests for
autism, including:
● DNA testing for genetic diseases
● behavioral evaluation
● visual and audio tests to rule out any issues with
vision and hearing that aren’t related to autism
● occupational therapy screening
● developmental questionnaires, such as the Autism
Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS)
Yellow
Pond

23. Who can diagnose - Autism
Yellow
Pond

24. Who Can
Diagnose
● Diagnoses are typically made by a team of
specialists.
● This team may include
○ child psychologists,
○ Educational Psychologists,
○ occupational therapists, or
○ speech and language pathologists.
Yellow
Pond

25. Causes of Autism
Yellow
Pond

26. Causes of autism
● The exact cause of ASD is unknown.
● The most current research demonstrates that there’s no single cause.
Yellow
Pond

27. Causes of autism
Some of the suspected risk factors for autism
include:
● having an immediate family member with
autism
● genetic mutations
● fragile X syndrome and other genetic
disorders
● being born to older parents
● low birth weight
● metabolic imbalances
● exposure to heavy metals and environmental
toxins
● a history of viral infections
● fetal exposure to the medications valproic acid
(Depakene) or thalidomide (Thalomid)
Yellow
Pond

28. Causes of
autism
● According to the National Institute of Neurological
Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), both
a. genetics and
b. environment may determine whether a person develops
autism.
Yellow
Pond

29. Causes of
autism
● Multiple sources, old and new, have concluded that the
disorder isn’t caused by vaccines.
● A controversial 1998 study proposed a link between autism
and the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine.
● However, that study has been debunked by other research
and was eventually retracted in 2010
Yellow
Pond

30. Levels of Autism
Yellow
Pond

31. Yellow
Pond

32. Yellow
Pond

33. Yellow
Pond

34. Types of Autism
Yellow
Pond

35. Types of Autism
Spectrum Disorders
These types were once thought to be separate conditions.
Now, they fall under the range of autism spectrum
disorders. They include:
● Asperger's syndrome.
● Autistic disorder.
● Childhood disintegrative disorder.
● Pervasive developmental disorder (PDD or atypical
autism). it doesn’t fit into another category.
Yellow
Pond

36. Yellow
Pond

37. Yellow
Pond

38. Asperger's syndrome
● These children don't have a problem with language; in fact, they tend to
score in the average or above-average range on intelligence tests.
● But they have social problems and a narrow scope of interests.
Yellow
Pond

39. Yellow
Pond

40. Autistic disorder
● Autistic disorder. This is what most people think of when they hear the
word "autism."
● It refers to problems with social interactions, communication, and play in
children younger than 3 years.

41. Childhood
disintegrative
disorder
These children have typical development for at least 2 years and
then lose some or most of their communication and social skills.
Yellow
Pond

42. Pervasive developmental
disorder
Pervasive developmental disorder (PDD or atypical
autism). Expert might use this term if child has
some autistic behavior, like delays in social and
communications skills, but doesn’t fit into another
category.
Yellow
Pond

43. Risk factor of Autism
Yellow
Pond

44. Risk factors
Autism spectrum disorder affects children of all races and
nationalities, but certain factors increase a child's risk. These
may include:
● Child's sex.
● Family history.
● Other disorders.
● Extremely preterm babies.
● Parents' ages.
Yellow
Pond

45. Child's sex
Boys are about four times more likely to develop autism spectrum disorder
than girls are.
Yellow
Pond

46. Family history ● Families who have one child with autism spectrum disorder
have an increased risk of having another child with the
disorder.
● It's also not uncommon for parents or relatives of a child
with autism spectrum disorder to have minor problems with
social or communication skills themselves or to engage in
certain behaviors typical of the disorder.
Yellow
Pond

47. Other disorders
● Children with certain medical conditions have a
higher than normal risk of autism spectrum disorder
or autism-like symptoms.
● Examples
○ include fragile X syndrome, an inherited disorder that
causes intellectual problems;
○ tuberous sclerosis, a condition in which benign tumors
develop in the brain; and
○ Rett syndrome, a genetic condition occurring almost
exclusively in girls, which causes slowing of head
growth,
○ intellectual disability and loss of purposeful hand use.
Yellow
Pond

48. Extremely preterm babies
Babies born before 26 weeks of gestation may have a greater risk of autism
spectrum disorder.
Yellow
Pond

49. Parents' ages
There may be a connection between children born
to older parents and autism spectrum disorder, but
more research is necessary to establish this link.
Yellow
Pond

50. Complications in Autism
Yellow
Pond

51. Complications
Problems with social interactions, communication and
behavior can lead to:
● Problems in school and with successful learning
● Employment problems
● Inability to live independently
● Social isolation
● Stress within the family
● Victimization and being bullied
Yellow
Pond

52. Prevention of Autism
Yellow
Pond

53. Prevention
● There's no way to prevent autism spectrum disorder,
but there are treatment options.
● Early diagnosis and intervention is most helpful and
can improve behavior, skills and language
development.
● Right intervention is helpful at any age.
● Children usually don't outgrow autism spectrum
disorder symptoms, they may learn to function well.
Yellow
Pond

54. Treatment for Autism
Yellow
Pond

55. Treatment
There are no “cures” for
autism, but therapies and
other treatment
considerations can help
people feel better or
alleviate their symptoms.
Yellow
Pond

56. Treatment
Many treatment approaches involve therapies such as:
● behavioral therapy
● play therapy
● occupational therapy
● physical therapy
● speech therapy
Yellow
Pond

57. Treatment
Massages, weighted blankets and clothing, and meditation techniques may
also induce relaxing effects. However, treatment results will vary.
Some people on the spectrum may respond well to certain approaches, while
others may not.
Yellow
Pond

58. Alternative
treatments
Alternative treatments for managing autism may include:
● high-dose vitamins
● chelation therapy, which involves flushing metals from the
body
● hyperbaric oxygen therapy
● melatonin to address sleep issues
Yellow
Pond

59. References
1. https://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism
2. https://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/understanding-autism-basics
3. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/autism-spectrum-
disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20352928
4. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/facts.html
5. https://www.autism-society.org/what-is/
6. https://www.healthline.com/health/autism#TOC_TITLE_HDR_1
7. https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/autism/what-is-autism-spectrum-
disorder
8. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/autism/what-is-autism/
Yellow
Pond