Assessing Young Children with Social
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Transcript Assessing Young Children with Social
Autism Spectrum Disorders: An
Introduction
Rhea Paul, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Southern Connecticut State University
Yale Child Study Center
Feb. 11-15, 2008
[email protected]
www.autism.fm
Another Way to Look at it
Autistic Disorder
Impairment in social interaction-at least 2 of:
Onset before age 3
Gaze, facial expression, gesture impairments
Failure to develop peer relationships
Lack of seeking to share with others
Lack of reciprocity
Impairment in communication-at least 1 of:
Delay in language
Impairment in conversation ability
Stereotyped and repetitive langauge
Lack of pretend play
Restricted, repetitive stereotyped behavior, interests, activities-at least 2 of:
Preoccupations with abnormal focus or intensity
Rigid need for routine or ritual
Motor mannerisms
Preoccupation with parts of objects
Autistic Disorder- 3 Examples
http://www.youtube.co
m/watch?v=kSB_BQgO
Ex0&feature=related
Asperger Syndrome in DSM-IV
Impairment
in social interactionn (same as
autism)
Restricted, repetitive stereotyped behavior,
interests
No clinically significant general delay (CSD) in
language
No CSD in cognitive, self-help, or adaptive skills
Asperger Syndrome
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zu4zZKZZo4&feature=related
Rett Syndrome, 1966
• Normal early development in girls
• Head growth deceleration
• Loss of purposeful hand movements
• Development of "autistic-like" features
• Characteristic course
• Other unusual Behaviors:
• aerophagia
• tongue pulling
•Medical problems:
•Scoliosis
•movement problems
Rett Syndrome Video Sample
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBsEwg_yuDQ&feature=related
Childhood Disintegrative Disorder
Heller, 1908
• Period of Normal Development (years)
•Usually seen in males
• Marked Regression (multiple areas)
• Sometimes CNS insult
• Usually minimal recovery
• Usually as severe or more severe than classic
autism
•Usually poor long-term prognosis
PDD-NOS
• Atypical autism
• More prevalent than classic autism
• Are there subgroups/types?
• DSM-IV: severe, pervasive impairment in
reciprocal social interaction AND in EITHER:
Verbal or nonverbal communication
Restricted,
repetitive stereotyped behavior,
interests, or activities
PDD-NOS
JK
PDDs in DSM-IV
Always associated with MR
May or may not be associated with MR
Childhood Disintegrative Disorder or Heller’s syndrome
Rett’s Syndrome
Autism
Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise
Specified (PDD-NOS)
Usually not associated with MR
Asperger Syndrome (AS)
High Functioning Autism (HFA)
Cognition
75% of people with ASD function in the MR Range
70
Considerations
Appropriate test
Stability of scores
Scatter is common
Islets of ability
"autistic savants”
Improvement with
early intervention
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
<20 20- 30- 40- 50- 60- 70- 80- 90- 100-110-120+
Full Scale IQ Score
Savant Abilities or Splinter Skills
Drawing: Nadia, Age 3
Drawing
Stephen Wiltshire
Musical Ability
Blind Tom
Calculation
Calendar
Mathematics
Etiology of Autism
Early focus on parents
Psychodynamic views, Kanner, Bettleheim
BUT evidence against
No abnormalities in child care
No major personality problems
No obvious deficits in parenting
By 1970's a large body of evidence favoring
neurobiological etiology
Prevalence
• Used to be thought rare
• Current estimates:
•Autism: 1/1000 - 2/10,000
•Is the frequency of autism increasing?
•Rett=s and CDD very rare - ? 1/15,000
•Asperger=s - ? 1/7,000
•PDD-NOS - ? 1/200
Is the incidence increasing?
No question that more cases are being
identified but is there a ‘real’ increase?
Changes in definition
Better diagnosis at both ‘ends’ of the spectrum
Growing awareness of the condition
Educational implications of label (for services)
Diagnostic substitution
Do vaccines cause autism?
Several large, international epidemiological
studies refute association
children get vaccines at 18 mo.; ASD often becomes
obvious at this age
Autism rates in Japan continued to rise after the
withdrawal of MMR vaccine.
Honda et al. No effect of MMR withdrawal on the incidence of autism: a total
population study. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 2005
Mercury additives said to be cause were removed BEFORE
increases in prevalence were seen
Children should be vaccinated; danger of not vaccinating is
greater than dangers of inoculation.
Genetics of Autism
•Early impression - no genetics
•But condition rare, cases don=t usually
reproduce
•Subsequent research:
risk in identical twins
rate in sibs (2%)
associated problems in sibs
Functional Classification
High Functioning
Includes HFA, AS, and PDD-NOS
IQ within or near normal range
but adaptive behavior much lower
Fluent, functional language by age 6
Low Functioning
Includes Autism, PDD-NOS, Rett syndrome, CDD
IQ and adaptive behavior significantly low (<70)
No speech, or small single word/sign vocabulary with a few
phrases, mostly rote or echolalic
Developmental Changes
•Preschool: most "classic" autistic features
•Sometimes not all features are exhibited until age 3
•Some children respond dramatically to intervention
•School age: social interest & behavior problems
•Adolescence:
•gains & losses, seizures onset
•Adulthood:
•About 1/3rd have some degree of independence
•Many individuals require high levels of support
Predictors of Outcome in Autism
• Presence of communicative speech by age 6
• Outcome worse if child is mute or has speech which
is not really used for communication
• Nonverbal IQ in the normal range
• Less classic cases (PDD-NOS) = better outcome
• Seizures are more common with lower IQ
Outcomes in autism
• 1-2% of cases achieve normal outcome
•Live independently and hold down job
• 1/3 have some degree of independence
• 2/3 require high levels of support
• Reports of cures should be viewed with caution
• BUT Future outcomes may improve due to
• Earlier detection
• Better and more sustained intervention
• Mandates for service
Adult Outcome: 1981 vs. 1994
Limitations of available
data
DeMyer, et al., 1981
Goode, Rutter, &
Howlin, 1994
70
60
50
40
1981
30
1994
20
10
0
Good Fair
Poor
Autism: Shades of Difference Video
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=2
286327
http://www.autismspeaks.org/video/glossary.p
hp