Autistic Spectrum Disorders (pervasive developmental
Download
Report
Transcript Autistic Spectrum Disorders (pervasive developmental
Autistic Spectrum Disorders
(a.k.a. Pervasive Developmental Disorders)
Thomas Nichols
Autistic Spectrum Disorders
"Inability to relate in an ordinary way to
people and to situations"..."an anxiously
obsessive desire for the maintenance of
sameness" Kanner, 1943
Now not considered rare as diagnostic criteria
have changed
Organic disorder with genetic component
– >60% concordance in mono-zygotic twins
Disease Development
More common in boys 3:1 ratio
Links with William's syndrome, Fragile X (?
Conflicting evidence)
40% have raised Serotonin levels
70% have mental handicap
25-40% develop epilepsy during adolescence
IQ<70 = poor prognosis
Link with Schizophrenia has been disproved
The Clinical Triad
Deficit in three fields:
Impaired Social Relationships
Language Abnormalities
Repetitive activities
Autism
Impaired Social Relationships
gaze aversion
minimal facial expression
fail to smile
prefers toys to people
appear aloof
Autism
Language Abnormalities
slow to speak, and 50% never learn
echolalia
little non-verbal communication
little imagination & fail to develop abstract
thinking - no distinction between you and I
Autism
Repetitive activities
ritualistic behaviour patterns
repetitive movements such as flicking
fingers in front of eyes, rocking, whirling
objects, head banging
Presentation
Parents often think child is deaf
because of slow language development
May have been odd from birth - may be
unresponsive to being held
Crying may not be related to anything,
or may not cry when expected to
Symptoms and signs usually apparent
before 30 months
Management
Establish routines
Sleeping tablets if associated sleep
problem
Brain imaging important - asymmetry in
cerebellum and cerebral cortex
Behavioural training
Other Autistic Spectrum Disorders
Autism
Rett's Syndrome
Described above
Regression
of skills
Loss of purposeful hand use
Decreased
head growth
Asperger
Syndrome
Language and cognition
normal but with poor
social interaction
Developmental
Dysphasias
Disease limited to
communication and
language
Conclusion
Autism is abnormality in three fields:
Impaired social relationships
Language & communication
Repetitive activities
It is an increasingly diagnosed disorder more
common in boys, that is apparent by the age
of three. It is associated with mental
retardation and epilepsy.