First Assignment: Module 1 Guide

Module 1 Guide

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual – Fifth Edition (DSM-5) Criteria for ASD

The DSM-5 is the Diagnostic Manual used in the United States by psychologists, medical professionals, and other diagnosticians to document a diagnosis of ASD. To be identified with ASD, a person must show atypical behavior in two broad areas: Social communication and Routines and Repetitive Behavior.

The individual must show atypical behavior in all three areas of Deficits in social-communicative behavior include:

1. Social emotional recipricity     

2. Nonverbal communicative behaviors     

3. Developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships     

Examples of specific atypical behavior that might be observed in social-communicative area includes:      

• Failure of normal back-and-forth conversation

• Reduced sharing of interests or emotions

• Failure to initiate or respond to social interactions

• Poorly integrated verbal and nonverbal communication

• Abnormalities in eye contact and body deficits

• Deficits in understanding and use of gestures

• Lack of facial expression and nonverbal communication

• Difficulties adjusting behavior to suit various social contexts

• Difficulties in sharing imaginative play or making friends

• Absence of interest in peers

In addition, the person must show atypical development in at least 2 of the following 4 areas of Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities, including:

1. Stereotyped or repetitive motor movements, use of objects, or speech     

2. Insistence on sameness, inflexible adherence to routines, or ritualized patters or verbal nonverbal behavior     

3. Highly restricted, fixated interests that are abnormal in intensity or focus     

4. Hyper/hyporeactivity to sensory input or unusual interest in sensory aspects of the environment     

Examples of atypical behavior that might be observed in these areas include:      

• Lining up toys. flipping objects, echolalia, idiosyncratic phrases

• Extreme distress at small changes

• Difficulties with transitions, rigid thinking patterns, greeting rituals, need to take the same route or eat the same food every day

Behavior should be categorized as to severity into one of 3 levels (Identify and define).

Level 1: Requiring support     

• Deficits in social communication cause noticeable impairments without supports in place

• Difficulty initiating social interactions

• Atypical or unsuccessful response to social overtures

• Decreased interest in social interactions

• Inflexibility of behaviors causes significant interference with functioning

Level 2: Requiring substantial support     

• Deficits in communication skills

• Social impairments apparent even with supports in place

• Limited initiation of social interactions

• Reduced or abnormal responses to social overtures

• Inflexibility of behavior causing distress

Level 3: Requiring very substantial support

• Severe deficits in communication skills

• Minimal response to social overtures

• Inflexibility of behavior causing great distress   

World Health Organization (WHO) World Report on Disability

1. What is the difference emphasis between a medical and social (or bio-psychosocial model) of disability? 

2. A medical model of disability is the diagnosis (e.g. Autism), while the social model of disability is the barriers that prevent living day-to-day life (e.g. noise sensitivity). Medical models cannot be changed, but social can improve (e.g. sound muffling headphones). A social model on disability is viewed as society disabling a person, rather than their body.

2. How can the environment influence disability?      

3. Inaccessible environments create greater disability by adding more barriers separating the individual from being included within the population.

3. Identify 3 personal and environmental factors that may influence whether or not a person with a handicapping condition is limited in their participation in everyday life experiences. 

Environmental factors

1. Impairments      

2. Activity limitations      

3. Participation restrictions  

Personal factors

1. Motivation

2. Self-esteem

3. Mental health

4. Define and give an example of each:

• Primary Prevention – actions to avoid or remove the cause of a health problem in an individual or a population before it arises. Example: vaccinations for irradicated diseases     

• Secondary prevention – actions to detect a health problem at an early stage in an individual or a population, facilitating cure, reducing/preventing spread, or reducing/preventing its long-term effects. Example: wearing masking during the COVID-19pandemic   

• Tertiary prevention – actions to reduce the impact or an already established disease by restoring function and reduccing disease-related complications. Example: inhalers for those with leftover breathing effects from COVID, the flu, pneumonia, etc.     

5. Identify 3 reasons why Disability is a human rights issue.

a.   People with disabilities experience inequalities  

b.   People with disabilities are subject to violations of dignity

c.   Some people with disability are denied autonomy