Autism

Question 1

List four features of autism

Answer 1

• Difficulty with changing routine
• Sensitivity to noise
• Repetitive behaviours
• Delayed speech development

Question 2

Describe a biological explanation of autism

Answer 2

• Extreme male brain
• Brains become more maculinised as they develop
• Less connected to corpus callosum, more lateralised
• Exposed to more testosterone
• Autistic people have exaggerated male characteristics

Question 3

What is a systemiser?

Answer 3

A person who has the drive to analyse or construct system; try to identify rules which govern a system

Question 4

What is an empathiser?

Answer 4

A person with the ability to perceive emotion/mental states in others and respond appropriately

Question 5

Features of autism which can be explained by EMB

Answer 5

• Enhanced VSP skills
• Difficulties with understanding others’ emotions
• Aggression

Question 6

Give one piece of supporting evidence and conflicting evidence for EMB

Answer 6

Falter (2007) - 28 children with autism and 31 without autism. Children with ASD did better in mental rotation

Did worse on targeting tasks, which they should have done better on

Question 7

Describe a non-biological explanation for autism

Answer 7

• Theory of mind
• Caused by cognitive deficit
• Can’t see things from others’ points of view
• Normally develops by age 2-3, autistic people don’t develop it
• Can be tested with the Sally-Anne test

Question 8

Describe the Sally-Anne test

Answer 8

• Child introduced to Sally and Anne
• Sally puts her ball in a basket then leaves
• Anne takes it out the basket and puts it in her box
• Sally returns
• Child asked where Sally will look first

Question 9

What features of autism can be explained by TOM?

Answer 9

• Socialisation problems
• Delayed speech
• Repetitive behaviours

Question 10

Give a one piece of supporting evidence and conflicting evidence for TOM

Answer 10

Sally-Anne test - unable to understand why Sally would look in the basket

Doesn’t explain male to female ratio - EMB does

Question 11

Give 2 similarities between EMB and TOM

Answer 11

• Both explain difficulty in understanding others’ emotions

- Both explain delayed speech

Question 12

Give 2 differences between EMB and TOM

Answer 12

-EMB = biological, TOM = cognitive

-EMB = explains delayed speech in men in comparison to women
TOM = explains delayed speech at a young age due to less purpose of speech

Question 13

Give an aternative theory to autism

Answer 13

Genetics