Deck 6: Autism Spectrum Disorder

Question 1

Which of the following is NOT a specifier for the functioning of children with ASD in the DSM-5?

A) age at which the disturbance first appeared
B) medical condition or genetic disorder underlying the condition
C) severity of each class of symptoms
D) existence of language impairment

Answer 1

age at which the disturbance first appeared

Question 2

Which of the following is true of the intellectual abilities of those with ASD?

A) Almost all of those with ASD have intellectual functioning that qualifies them for a diagnosis of intellectual disability.
B) Most of those with ASD have IQ scores that are below average, though not necessarily in the range for intellectual disability.
C) New analyses of those with ASD have indicated very few (less than 25%) have IQ scores below average.
D) About one-third of individuals with ASD have IQ scores that place them in the range of intellectual disability, about one-third have IQ scores that place them in the average range, and about one-third have IQ scores that place them in the above average range.

Answer 2

Most of those with ASD have IQ scores that are below average, though not necessarily in the range for intellectual disability.

Question 3

Hand flapping is ______.

A) an example of a restricted, fixated interest
B) a stereotypy
C) more common among those with ASD who have higher intellectual functioning
D) present in virtually all individuals with ASD

Answer 3

a stereotypy

Question 4

Martin is always talking about trains.Even when his mom asks him what he'd like for dinner,he continues talking about train schedules.This is an example of ______.

A) stereotyped or repetitive behaviors
B) excessive adherence to routines or resistance to change
C) restricted, fixated interests that are abnormal in intensity or focus
D) hyper- or hypo-reactivity to sensory input

Question 5

What was the primary difference between Leo Kanner's observations of children with "early infantile autism" and Hans Asperger's observations of "autistic psychopathy"?

A) Only Kanner's patients showed impairment in language.
B) Only Asperger's patients showed difficulties interacting with others.
C) Only Kanner's patients were overwhelmingly male.
D) Only Asperger's patients displayed an insistence on sameness.

Question 6

Longitudinal studies of those with ASD have indicated which of the following?

A) that deficits in social communication tend to precede restricted, repetitive behaviors or interests
B) that restricted, repetitive behaviors or interests tend to precede deficits in social communication
C) that deficits in social communication tend to be more long lasting than restricted, repetitive behaviors or interests
D) that deficits in restricted, repetitive behaviors or interests tend to be more long lasting than deficits in social communication

Question 7

One reason described in the text that ASD may be disproportionately diagnosed in males is ______.

A) high levels of male hormones in utero can affect the developing brain, particularly in the limbic system and frontal cortex, which largely process social information
B) the X chromosome is protective against ASD, because ASD appears to be an X-linked condition
C) socialization of females tends toward praise for repetitive behaviors, such as washing dishes and folding clothes; thus, girls who exhibit these repetitive behaviors may not be diagnosed
D) males with ASD tend to exhibit many more disruptive behaviors than girls with ASD, and so there may be more cause to seek diagnosis and treatment for males suspected of having the disorder

Question 8

Which is true of ASD prevalence?

A) It is reported to be much higher in the United States than in the Middle East.
B) It is reported to be much higher in Western Europe than in the United States.
C) It is reported to be about 0.5% in the United States.
D) It is reported to be about 1.5% to 2% in the United States.

Question 9

A child with autism who says,"You want some water," instead of "I want some water," is exhibiting which of the following?

A) pronoun reversal
B) third-person self-reference
C) abnormal prosody
D) problems with pragmatics

Question 10

Which is true of language skills in those diagnosed with ASD?

A) Language skills must be impaired for diagnosis.
B) If language skills are impaired, children should instead be diagnosed with social/pragmatic communication disorder.
C) Language skills needn't be impaired for an ASD diagnosis, and most individuals diagnosed with ASD have unimpaired language skills.
D) Language skills needn't be impaired for an ASD diagnosis, though most individuals with ASD have impaired language.

Question 11

Which of the following is NOT a component of treatment identified by the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology as being most likely to yield benefits to children with ASD and their families?

A) early intervention
B) naturalistic setting (home if possible)
C) engagement of parents
D) monitoring of children's progress

Question 12

Martha greets Mindy,who has ASD."Hi,Mindy !" she says.Mindy replies,"That robot was the best one." This is an example of which of the following?

A) pronoun reversal
B) third-person self-reference
C) abnormal prosody
D) problems with pragmatics

Question 13

The increase in ASD prevalence in the last 30 years may be explained by all of the following EXCEPT ______.

A) greater awareness of ASD has led more youths with symptoms to be referred for diagnosis and treatment
B) ASD is more prevalent in males and in the last 30 years there have been substantially more male than female babies born
C) clinicians may be more willing to assign an ASD diagnosis, as it grants access to services
D) the criteria for ASD are broader now than in the past, and clinicians may be willing to assign the diagnosis even to those who don't fully meet the criteria

Question 14

Which of the following is NOT a specific area of deficit in the social communication of children with ASD?

A) response to feedback and corrections by others
B) interpersonal relationships
C) nonverbal communication
D) social-emotional reciprocity

Question 15

Which of the following disorders is most commonly comorbid with ASD?

A) ADHD
B) anxiety
C) obsessive-compulsive disorder
D) schizophrenia

Question 16

Which of the following is an example of echolalia?

A) The TV announcer says, "And now, time for sports." and Xavier says, "And now, time for sports."
B) Xavier spontaneously says to himself, "The big blue ball, the big blue ball" over and over again.
C) Xavier's mom says, "What would you like for dinner?" and Xavier says, "You would like chicken nuggets."
D) Xavier spends all day standing next to the canyon by his home yelling, "Echo, echo!"

Question 17

If a child does not engage in restricted,repetitive behaviors, he or she ______.

A) can still be diagnosed with ASD
B) cannot be diagnosed with any condition
C) can still be diagnosed with social (pragmatic) communication disorder
D) should be diagnosed with intellectual disability

Question 18

Which of the following is true of seizures in those with ASD?

A) They are much less common than in the general population of typically developing individuals.
B) They are much more common in those with comorbid intellectual disability than in those with ASD alone.
C) They are much more common in those without comorbid intellectual disability than in those with comorbid intellectual disability.
D) They are much more common in those with highly developed language than in those who are nonverbal.

Question 19

Which of the following best describes how to reach the optimal outcome for ASD?

A) Early treatment, ideally before age 3, is more important than intensive intervention in producing the best outcomes.
B) The best outcomes involve both early treatment, ideally before age 3, and intensive treatment of at least 25 hours a week, with better outcomes for those who receive even more intensive treatment.
C) After 25 hours of treatment per week, there is no additional advantage seen with more intensive treatment.
D) Treatment in a group setting provides the best results.

Question 20

Visual scene displays are especially useful for which of the following?

A) individuals with well-developed speech who have relative deficits in visual-spatial processing
B) older children who have already acquired the use of simple communication systems
C) toddlers who have trouble using more complex pictures or symbols
D) infants in the first year of life

Question 21

Which of the following best explains the prevalence pattern of ASD among different SES groups?

A) Lower SES groups likely have higher levels of ASD than do higher SES groups because lower SES groups have more exposure to teratogens and less exposure to high-quality nutrition.
B) Lower SES groups likely have higher levels of ASD than do higher SES groups because lower SES groups tend to have greater rates of intellectual disability overall, which is highly correlated with ASD.
C) Higher SES groups likely have higher levels of ASD than do lower SES groups because their greater access to healthcare may bring signs and symptoms of ASD to the attention of a health care provider more commonly and early on in life.
D) Higher SES groups likely have higher levels of ASD because they are more likely to have their children in private school, which has a more liberal definition of ASD than other schools do.

Question 22

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)has revealed which of the following?

A) The brains of those with ASD tend to show much stronger connections between movement and sensation areas compared to the brains of typically developing individuals.
B) The brains of those with ASD tend to show much weaker connections between movement and sensation areas compared to the brains of typically developing individuals.
C) Siblings of those with ASD who went on to develop ASD did not show abnormalities in brain connectivity until after their ASD symptoms manifested.
D) Siblings of those with ASD who went on to develop ASD showed abnormalities in brain connectivity 6 months before their ASD symptoms manifested.

Question 23

Which of the following is NOT a piece of evidence discussed in the text for the role of the amygdala in ASD?

A) Increasing activity to the amygdala, through electroconvulsive therapy, produces increased sociability in individuals with ASD.
B) People with ASD showed reduced amygdala activity as they attempted to infer the mental states of others.
C) People with ASD often show reduced amygdala volume relative to healthy controls.
D) Humans with damage to the amygdala often display deficits in social understanding that resemble those of high-functioning individuals with ASD.

Question 24

The growth dysregulation hypothesis holds that ______.

A) ASD is related to too much synaptic pruning in childhood, and too little in adulthood
B) ASD is related to too little synaptic pruning in childhood, and too much in adulthood
C) ASD is related to too much synaptic pruning in childhood and adulthood
D) ASD is related to too little synaptic pruning in childhood and adulthood

Question 25

Which of the following is an epigenetic explanation for the finding that paternal age has been shown to increase children's risk for ASD?

A) Older fathers are typically of higher SES, and higher SES is associated with increased risk for ASD.
B) Spontaneous genetic mutations are more common in the sperm cells of older men.
C) Environmental stressors over the man's lifetime could lead to changes in the way genes are expressed.
D) Older fathers are more likely to have learned about genetics and be more aware about the way their genes affect their children, leading to greater detection of ASD signs and symptoms in their offspring.

Question 26

Which of the following best describes the results of the Autism Genome Project?

A) The majority of children with ASD have deletions or duplications of genetic material on specific chromosomes.
B) The majority of children with ASD have a genetic abnormality or mutation on a single portion of one gene.
C) The majority of children with ASD show the absence of neurexin 1, which produces proteins important to early brain development.
D) The majority of children with ASD have causes that have not yet been explained.

Question 27

Which of the following is NOT a finding of prospective studies of infants later diagnosed with ASD?

A) Eighteen-month-olds later diagnosed with ASD spend less time looking at others' faces.
B) Eighteen -month olds later diagnosed with ASD spend less time initiating social interactions with caregivers.
C) Eighteen -month-olds later diagnosed with ASD often have a hyperactive response to their names.
D) Young children later diagnosed with ASD show delays in make-believe social play.

Question 28

If researchers show children with ASD faces of their mothers,particularly if these faces have a red dot on the forehead,their activity level in the right fusiform gyrus becomes close to normal.As described in the text,researchers have interpreted this to mean ______.

A) children with ASD lack the motor control to focus their eyes on the appropriate stimulus
B) children with ASD have malfunctioning visual processing that prevents them from preferring faces in most cases
C) children with ASD have a functioning right fusiform gyrus, but ordinarily have deficits in the motivation to engage with social stimuli
D) children with ASD have less experience with social stimuli, resulting in underdeveloped processing for these stimuli

Question 29

Which of the following is true of the effectiveness of Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)?

A) It may be helpful for reducing challenging behaviors.
B) It may be helpful for reducing stereotyped behaviors.
C) It is most effective for older children and adolescents with ASD.
D) It has not been shown to be more helpful than no communication training at all at reducing challenging or stereotyped behaviors.

Question 30

Which of the following pieces of evidence LEAST suggests a genetic component in ASD?

A) the fact that the concordance rate for ASD is higher among dizygotic twins than among siblings
B) the fact that parents who have a first child with ASD are more likely to have a second child with ASD than the general population of parents is
C) the fact that monozygotic twins have a higher concordance rate for ASD than dizygotic twins do
D) the fact that the environment explained 55% of the variance in ASD symptoms

Question 31

What is the difference between how typically developing individuals and individuals with ASD process facial information?

A) Those with ASD take much longer to process faces than typically developing individuals do, preventing them from processing emotions in the time needed to have typical emotional interactions.
B) Those with ASD process faces in the left fusiform gyrus, the area typically used for processing information about objects, while typically developing individuals process faces in the right fusiform gyrus.
C) Those with ASD process faces in the right fusiform gyrus, the area typically used for processing information about objects, while typically developing individuals process faces in the left fusiform gyrus.
D) Those with ASD process faces in the inferior temporal gyrus, the area typically used for processing information about objects, while typically developing individuals process faces in the right fusiform gyrus.

Question 32

Which of the following is NOT true regarding the "refrigerator mother" as a cause for ASD?

A) It is a theory developed by Bruno Bettelheim.
B) It suggests that helping parents become warmer toward their children would treat ASD.
C) It holds that dismissive parenting caused children to turn inward.
D) It is the dominant causal theory of ASD to this day.

Question 33

Which of the following best describes the pattern of head growth in children with ASD?

A) smaller than average head circumference at birth, larger than average head circumference at age 1, smaller than average head circumference by late childhood.
B) smaller than average head circumference at birth, average head circumference at age 1, larger than average head circumference by late childhood.
C) larger than average head circumference at birth, average head circumference at age 1, smaller than average head circumference by late childhood.
D) average head circumference at birth, larger than average head circumference at age 1, average head circumference by late childhood.

Question 34

Which of the following is NOT one of the three primary factors on which prognosis for ASD depends?

A) number of settings in which the signs and symptoms manifest
B) intellectual ability
C) language ability
D) social engagement

Question 35

What is the evidence that the right fusiform gyrus is important to understanding social interactions in general and not just faces?

A) Individuals with ASD do not show any activation in the right fusiform gyrus.
B) Typically developing individuals show activation of the right fusiform gyrus when watching shapes behave in humanlike social ways, such as playing hide and seek.
C) Typically developing individuals show activation of the right fusiform gyrus when reading stories about social interactions.
D) Individuals with ASD show activation in the right fusiform gyrus when processing objects that are behaving in humanlike social ways.

Question 36

Which of the following medications have been approved by the FDA for children with ASD who exhibit sleep problems?

A) No medications have been approved for treating sleep problems in this population.
B) natural melatonin
C) synthetic melatonin
D) both natural and synthetic melatonin

Question 37

The deficits in executive functioning of children with ASD may be related to which brain area?

A) fusiform gyrus
B) inferior frontal gyrus
C) prefrontal cortex
D) limbic system

Question 38

Which is true of the differences in ASD prevalence across ethnicities?

A) When SES is controlled for, differences in ASD prevalence across ethnicities disappear.
B) White, non-Latino children are more likely to be diagnosed with ASD, even when SES is controlled for.
C) Latino children are most likely to be diagnosed with ASD across all SES groups.
D) African American children are more likely to be diagnosed with ASD in the United States, but those of African descent are least likely to be diagnosed in Europe.

Question 39

Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)involves a series of line drawings printed on cards that the child presents to caregivers to communicate.Which of the following is NOT true of PECS?

A) The cards are the aids.
B) The line drawings are the symbols.
C) Handing the card to the caregiver is the strategy.
D) Exchanging a picture-symbol for a desired item or behavior is positive reinforcement.

Question 40

Which of the following is true of the relationship between parental age and ASD?

A) Older mothers are more likely to have children with ASD, but paternal age is not associated with increased risk of ASD.
B) Younger mothers are more likely to have children with ASD, but paternal age is not associated with increased risk of ASD.
C) Older mothers are more likely to have children with ASD, and younger fathers are more likely to have children with ASD.
D) Older mothers are more likely to have children with ASD, and older fathers are more likely to have children with ASD as well.

Question 41

About half of individuals with ASD are nonverbal.

Question 42

Early intensive behavioral intervention focuses on which of the following?

A) overt behavior
B) covert behavior
C) issues underlying the behavior, such as parent-child attachment
D) information processing and orienting issues

Question 43

In a classroom using the TEACCH approach,the basketball and the basketball hoop are painted the same color.This is an example of ______.

A) scaffolding
B) visual schedules
C) hand-over-hand assistance
D) structured teaching

Question 44

Which of the following is true of the effectiveness and efficacy of pivotal response training?

A) No randomized controlled trials have yet investigated the efficacy of pivotal response training.
B) Every study yet conducted of pivotal response training has shown large improvements in children's social communication, play, and language skills.
C) Benefits of pivotal response training typically disappear after treatment ends.
D) Pivotal response training can be as effective as traditional early intensive behavioral intervention.

Question 45

Artie takes his toy robot with him to the museum.He holds him up to the dinosaurs and says,"Robot wants to see too !" This is an example of ______.

A) a deficit in social understanding
B) symbolic play
C) social disorientation
D) deficits in theory of mind

Question 46

Joint attention symbolic play engagement and regulation (JASPER)relies on what approach?

A) cognitive behavioral therapy
B) scaffolding
C) discrete trial training
D) reciprocal imitation training (RIT)

Question 47

Which of the following lessons would benefit most from hand-over-hand assistance?

A) learning that 2 + 2 = 4
B) learning to sit in a chair in the classroom instead of on the floor
C) learning how to tie one's shoes
D) learning how to sound out a new word

Question 48

Gina is participating in the UCLA Young Autism Project,developed by O.Ivar Lovaas.Her therapist places a car and a key in front of her and tells her to pick up the car.She does.Which stage of Lovaas's program is she in?

A) Stage 1
B) Stage 2
C) Stage 3
D) Stage 4

Question 49

Which of the following is a limitation of Discrete Trial Training?

A) It increases the motivation of children with ASD to engage in spontaneous interactions, but doesn't always provide the skills for them to do so effectively.
B) It provides general solutions to social problems the child may encounter, but children with ASD are often seeking specific solutions to specific problems.
C) It limits the ability of those with ASD to self-manage and self-direct.
D) The training it provides is so variable that consistent environments, such as a classroom, can be a challenge for children trained in this way.

Question 50

Which of the following best describes the pattern of eye movements of 2-year-olds when watching videos of a caregiver?

A) Children with ASD and typically developing children both spent the greatest time looking at the caregiver's mouth.
B) Children with ASD and typically developing children both spent the greatest time looking at the caregiver's eyes.
C) Children with ASD spent the greatest time looking at the caregiver's eyes, while typically developing children spent the most time looking at the caregiver's mouth.
D) Children with ASD spent the greatest time looking at the caregiver's mouth, while typically developing children spent the most time looking at the caregiver's eyes.

Question 51

Which of the following is NOT a true difference between pivotal response training and discrete trial training?

A) Only pivotal response training is an early intensive behavioral intervention.
B) Only pivotal response training teaches parents behavioral techniques to improve their children's motivation and behaviors.
C) Only pivotal response training uses direct reinforcers.
D) Only discrete trial training requires that children successfully complete the desired behavior for a reward instead of merely attempt a behavior.

Question 52

Theory of mind deficits in children with ASD ______.

A) can be assessed by a true belief task
B) are less severe than theory of mind deficits in children with Down syndrome
C) likely underlie the challenges those with ASD can have in complex social interactions
D) result from making incorrect assumptions about the mental states of others

Question 53

Empathy involves which two components?

A) understanding another's mental state and how it relates to our own
B) Understanding another's mental state and how it gives rise to their emotions
C) Understanding another's mental state and feeling an appropriate emotional reaction
D) feeling an appropriate emotional reaction and knowing the socially appropriate way to respond

Question 54

Which of the following have been approved by the FDA for children with ASD who exhibit challenging behaviors?

A) Strattera and Abilify
B) Abilify and Risperdal
C) Risperdal and Ritalin
D) Strattera and Concerta

Question 55

Routine screening for ASD across children typically occurs ______.

A) at age 12 months
B) at the doctor's office
C) via the Autism Diagnostic Interview - Revised
D) via brain scan

Question 56

What was the result of research into the effectiveness of the UCLA Young Autism Project?

A) It was no more effective than a control condition of referral to other professionals in the community.
B) It only produced results if practiced for the full 40 hours per week of training; training at 10 hours per week produced effects no different than referral to other professionals in the community.
C) The IQ gains seen at age 7 disappeared by age 10.
D) Though there was an increase in skills in children who completed the UCLA Young Autism Project, this did not translate to higher rates of placement in classrooms with typically developing peers.

Question 57

What is the purpose of structuring the child's environment in early intensive behavioral intervention?

A) to be able to use the same approach for many different children
B) to be able to more rigorously study the effectiveness of the approach
C) to compensate for the deficits children with ASD have in learning from their typical, unstructured environment and increase the chances for success
D) to build on one of the characteristics of ASD, preference for sameness

Question 58

In what way is symbolic play related to language acquisition,according to Jean Piaget?

A) Both are flexible and elaborative.
B) Both involve one thing standing for another.
C) Both exist to connect us with the social and mental states of others.
D) Both are only possible in people with average or above average intellectual functioning.

Question 59

What is the goal of the TEACCH method?

A) to allow children with ASD to become more self-sufficient in the wider world-for instance, when shopping or working
B) to minimize the disruptive behaviors of children with ASD in the home
C) to help children with ASD fit comfortably and effectively in the classroom
D) to provide training to teachers so they better understand the relative strengths and weaknesses of individuals with ASD

Question 60

A therapist of a 4-year-old child with ASD watches how she plays with a toy bird by flying it in the air and then the therapist takes a similar toy bird and makes it fly,too.This is most likely associated with which type of treatment?

A) reciprocal imitation training (RIT)
B) joint attention symbolic play engagement and regulation (JASPER)
C) pivotal response training
D) TEACCH

Question 61

The prevalence of ASD has increased dramatically in the last 30 years.

Question 62

Sleep difficulties are more common in youths with ASD than in typically developing youths.

Question 63

ASD usually begins abruptly,often days before a diagnosis.

Question 64

Describe some of the evidence for the heritability of ASD.

Question 65

What is the importance of the finding that children with ASD spend more time looking at caregivers' mouths than their eyes?

Question 66

Mothers who have completed college are about two times more likely to have offspring with ASD than mothers who have not completed high school.

Question 67

How might mind-blindness explain some of the social deficits shown by children with autism spectrum disorder?

Question 68

Although children are usually not diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder until they are 2 or 3 years old,these children often show problems with social communication and behavior as infants and toddlers.What deficits might a 18-month-old child show that are associated with a later diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder?

Question 69

High-tech augmentative and alternative communication systems have been shown to be more effective than low-tech systems such as PECS.

Question 70

What are some possible reasons that fewer children with ASD now qualify for intellectual disability than did so in the past?

Question 71

The prevalence of youth diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder has increased dramatically over the past 30 years.Give two hypotheses for this increased prevalence.

Question 72

Between 85% and 90% of children in the UCLA Young Autism Project proceed through all six stages of the program.

Question 73

Are medications effective in helping children with autism spectrum disorder? For what symptoms (if any)are medications useful?

Question 74

Can a child be diagnosed with ASD if he or she displays only marked deficits in social communication and hypersensitivity to sensory stimuli? Why or why not?

Question 75

Because no single gene has been determined to cause ASD,there is no genetic root to the disorder.

Question 76

The goal of augmentative and alternative communication systems for individuals with ASD is to replace children's verbal language.