ASD
- Today, autism is a severe form of a broader group of disorders
- These are referred to as pervasive developmental disorders
- Typically appears during the first 3 years of life
- Expressed very differently – a wide range of abilities, strengths and limitations.
What is ASD?
- Neurological in origin – not emotional, not the refrigerator mom.
- Prevalence figures vary (1 in 166 in text) 1:110 NOW.
- 4 times more prevalent in boys.
- No known racial, ethnic, or social boundaries.
- No relation to family income, lifestyle.
- Autism impacts normal development of the brain in areas of social interaction, communication skills, and behavior.
- Difficult to communicate with others and relate to the outside world.
- Occasionally, aggressive and/or self-injurious behavior may be present.
- May exhibit repeated body movements (hand flapping, rocking).
- Unusual responses to people.
- Attachment to objects.
- Resistance to change in routine.
- Sensory sensitivities.
Conclusions on Types
- Autism is a spectrum disorder.
- This means that symptoms and characteristics can present themselves in a wide variety of combinations, from mild to severe.
- Individuals with autism can be very different from each other.
- Kluth “2003” “If you know one person with autism, you know ONE person with autism”
Paula Kluth on Autism. - “Autism” is still commonly used to refer to any of the 5 PDDs.
Cause?
- Good agreement in general that autism is caused by abnormalities in brain and central nervous system development (typically result in over or under reactions to various sensory stimuli)
- May include chemical exposure, viral and genetic factors
- Vaccines? – NO NO NO
- Currently no medical test to confirm
- A diagnosis is made by behavioral observations