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Severity levels for Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Severity levels for Autism Spectrum Disorder

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It is important to understand that the level of severity should not be used to determine eligibility and provision of services as these can only be developed at an individual level. Another important thing is that one individual can have a level 1 in social but can have a level 3 in behavior. This will help determine the support needed.

There are 3 severity levels:

Level 3 “Requiring very substantial support ”

Level 2 “Requiring substantial support”

Level 1 “Requiring support”

Examples of the severity levels in SOCIAL COMMUNICATION  :

Level 3: A person with few words of intelligible speech who rarely what to interact.

Level 2: A person who speaks simple sentences whose interaction is limited to narrow special interest.

Level 1: A person who is able to speak full sentences and engages in with other fails and may try to make friends in a odd way.

Examples of the severity levels in REPETITIVE BEHAVIORS:

Level 3: Inflexibility of behavior, extreme difficulty coping with change,difficulty changing focus or action.

Level 2: Repetitive behaviors appear frequently enough to be obvious to the casual observer and interfere with functioning in various context.

Level 1:Behavior causes significant interferences with functioning in one or more contexts.Problems of organizations and planning hamper indepence.

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Diagnostic and statistical Manual of Mental Disorders -5

What does DSM-V dor?

It demonstrate the diagnostic criteria of Autism Spectrum Disorder. The diagnostic criteria also includes hyper-hypo-reactivity to sensory input, for instance a individual may have a repetitive patterns of behavior, interests and activities.

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·      Genetics- if a family has a child with autism, chances of having another child with autism is 18%-22%. Some chromosomal abnormalities have been associated with ASD, such as Fragile X syndrome

·       Neurology- studies shoe that children with ASD have a dysfunction between the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine. Structure abnormalities have also been discovered, such as a heavier and larger brain and head and they grow at a quicker rate. This quicker rate is not always beneficial for development, such as social and communication skills and cognition

·      Possible Errors of Metabolism- deficiency in particular enzymes can lead to a toxic accumulation of phenylalanine, which can lead to an intellectual disability. There is a debate about whether an error in the metabolism of gluten is linked to ASD

·      Infections in Pregnancy and Early Childhood- has been suggested that some viral infections may cause ASD, such as herpes contracted during pregnancy, congenital rubella, and even the idea that moving culture and climate weakens immune system. Immunizations causing ASD is also a discussed idea

·      Autoimmune Disorders- a family with history of autoimmune disorders, such as Type 1 diabetes, has been associated with ASD

·      Gender Differences- ASD diagnosed four times more often in males than females

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1. Social Reasoning

Lack of social ability and interests

Can range from complete aloofness to delayed social maturity.

2. Language Abilities

Can range from being completely non-verbal to just having trouble understanding pragmatic aspects of language

3. Cognition

Can range from having extremely difficulty learning and significant intellectual impairment to having savant characteristics.

Savant characteristics are abilities that are remarkably above the child’s overall level of ability.

4. Special Interests

First stage is preoccupation with parts of an object.

Acquisition of information and remembering facts is the next stage.

Some interests are typical, but many can be quite eccentric.

5. Sensory Sensitivity

Heightened senses and sensitivity can cause sensory overload.

Sometimes there is a lack of visible response, like showing pain when hurt.

6. Expression and Management of    Emotions

Deficit in ability to reciprocate and describe emotions.

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·      Impaired Theory of Mind- typically does not recognize or understand cues that indicate thoughts or feelings of other people at a level expected of the age

·      Weak Central Coherence- difficulty perceiving and understanding the big picture of something

·      Impaired Executive Function- difficulty with organizing and planning, working memory, impulse control, time management, prioritizing, and using new strategies

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Not included in DSM V as an official diagnosis

People formally diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome should now be diagnosed with ASD

Level 1 ASD is commonly referred to as Asperger’s Syndrome because it is easier for the public to understand

Asperger’s Syndrome is also the term that can be most useful for finding information on level 1 ASD on the internet