Autism Spectrum Disorders
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Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by social communication deficits and repetitive behaviors, previously categorized into four distinct disorders. Diagnosis is based on specific criteria outlined in the DSM-V, and the treatment focuses on helping individuals reach their potential using various therapies, although there is currently no cure. The prevalence of ASD is approximately 1% globally, with a higher incidence in males, and the exact cause remains unknown, with no links found to childhood vaccinations.
Autism Spectrum Disorders
- 1. S’eclairer Psychiatry www.seclairer.com Tel: 724-468-3999 AUTISM: Always Unique Totally Intelligent Sometimes Mysterious What is ASD? ASD is a new term used in the DSM-V to encompass what was previously 4 different disorders: 1. Autistic disorder 2. Asperger’s disorder 3. Childhood disintegrative disorder 4. Pervasive development disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) ASD is a type of neuro- developmental disorder, which are characterized by a delay in the development of basic skills and achievement of milestones. How do you diagnose ASD? Diagnostic criteria for ASD according to the DSM-V: Persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities Symptoms must be present in the early developmental period Symptoms cause clinically significant impairment in functioning Disturbances are not better explained by intellectual disability Specifiers are being used to differentiate where a patient lies on the ASD “spectrum”: With or without assoc. intellectual impairment With or without assoc. language impairment Assoc. with a medical or genetic condition or environmental factor Assoc. with another neurodevelopmental, mental, or behavioral disorder With catatonia Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) Prevalence: 1% of the world pop. has been diagnosed with ASD 1:88 children 5x more common in male children
- 2. What else can present like ASD? Rett Syndrome Selective mutism Language disorders and social communication disorder Intellectual disability Stereotypic movement disorder Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) Schizophrenia How is ASD treated? Autism cannot be cured Goal of treatment: help a child reach his or her full potential and function Behavioral therapy and management – with positive reinforcement Speech therapy Occupational therapy Physical therapy Medications – sometimes used to treat assoc. depression, anxiety, etc. How do patients with ASD present? Examples of social deficits: Deficits in social- emotional reciprocity, non-verbal communication, and understanding relationships Examples of repetitive patterns of behavior: Repetitive motor movements, echolalia, insistence on sameness, rituals, fixated interests, hypo-reactivity or hyper-reactivity to stimuli Pathophysiology behind ASD? Neural anomalies: Abnormal frontal lobe, temporal lobe, cerebellum Abnormal neuron connectivity Reduced GABAB receptors Metabolic anomalies: Elevated blood serotonin Reduced serum biotinidase Reduced plasma complement (C4B) What causes autism? The cause of autism is unknown… Genetic? Environmental? Related to other medical conditions? Studies have NOT linked autism to any childhood vaccinations.