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These are the severity levels according to the DSM-V. It is important to note that when you are determining eligibility for services you have to consider more factors than just the severity of the condition. Every child has unique needs and qualities to consider!

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Psychological Theories of Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Psychological Theories of Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Impaired Theory of Mind
A child with Autism may have a difficult time with empathy, because it is hard for them to "put themselves in someone else's shoes".

Weak Central Coherence
A child with Autism will focus intensely on detail versus the whole picture. Rather it be a school project or a way in which a toy works.

Impaired Executive Function
A child with Autism may be impulsive, hard time with working memory.

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Genetics
18-22% of families that have a child with Autism have another child with Autism. Some causes for a child to have Autism is advancing parental age, low birth rate and Fetal exposure to physchrotropic mediation.

Neurology
Children with Autism have larger brain volumes. Larger brains means there is too much development in the brain.

Gender
Autism 4 times more common in Males than Females

Some other causes for Autism is possible errors in the metabolism, viral infections and autoimmune disorder.

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Asperger's Syndrome is not in the DSM-V. It has been replaced by ASD Level-1 without intellectual/language impairment.

Clinicians use the diagnostic term for when they are writing professional reports but use Asperger's Syndrome when they speak in public so that people understand what they are talking about.

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1.) Social Reasoning- When a child is withdrawn or avoids certain situations. For example At recess a child plays on the swings everyday and has no interest in engaging with another children.

2.) Language Abilities
When a child asks peers questions he/she already knows the answer to and echoes the peers response.

3.) Cognition
A chid is able to put together a Jigsaw puzzle above his/her level

4.) Special Interests
A child can have an interest with trains and know a plethora of information about trains and then the child's interest can shift from trains to spiders and then he/she will have a new fascination with spiders.

5.) Sensory Sensitivity
A child may wear the same type if shirt because they may like the texture of the shirt which in turn means they will only wear that style of shirt.

6.) Expression and Management of Emotions
A child may hand flap when excited or chew on their shirt when they get anxious.

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The diagnostic criteria for ASD can be found in the DSM-V.

A. Consistently behind other children in their ability to communicate and interact with people.
1. Vocal communication deficits - The child that consistently doesn't respond to an invitation to talk or talks endlessly about a particular subject.
2. Body language deficits - A child may never make eye contact or understand hand gestures. The child might not take a toy from an outstretched hand.
3. Social relationship deficits - A child who cannot change behavior to match the current social setting or a child who has a difficult time with imaginative play.
B. Restricted and Repetitive Behaviors from two of the following criteria.
1. A child who motions excessively - Flapping hands constantly.
2. Extreme inflexibility - Needing to do the same activities every day and distress with deviation from routine.
3. Obsessive interests in certain objects - A child who is constantly playing with spoons.
4. Extreme or absent reactions to sensory stimuli - A child can be indifferent to pain or temperature, or can be excessively touching an object.
C. Symptoms must be present in early childhood (8 year old children do not become autistic).
D. These symptoms must cause significant impairment in daily life.
E. The deficits mentioned above are not better explained by a different disorder or cultural factors.