PSYC2208 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified, Asperger Syndrome
Document Summary
Diagnosis of asd: no biological markers for autism, diagnosis based on child(cid:1685)s behaviour, wa, children seen by, paediatrician, psychologist, speech pathologist, uses the dsm5 criteria, rigorous process. Inflexible adherence to routine: repetitive motor movements, use of objects or speech, highly restricted/fixated interests (abnormal in intensity, hyper/hypo reactivity to sensory input. Disliking loud sounds/bright lights or fascination with. Comorbid conditions: epilepsy (10%, adhd (20%, anxiety & ocd. Poor motor coordination: asd children often have poor motor coordination, delays in walking, ride bicycle, catching a ball, clinically significant, 50% of asd children. Initial evidence: strong genetic contribution to autism in twins, more recent evidence, looked at larger samples, higher rate of concordance with monozygotic and dizygotic twins but not as substantial as initial evidence, shared environment plays large role. Biological: brain: abnormal growth in head circumference in infancy, slows down and returns to normal brain size by age 2, overall brain size 2-10% larger, fewer neurons, abnormal levels of neurotransmitters, often serotonin.
