Appendix F
Autism and Mental Retardation
Respond to the following:
1. List the primary features of autism.
These are emotional and social reciprocity. This includes such characteristics as seeming indifference to physical care and loving emotional interests which others provide to an autistic individual, verbal and other communication and language impairments and an inability to use speech. Echolalia may be exhibited in those who can speak. Echolalia is the echoing of phrases used without apparent understanding. Delayed echolalia is the repetition of these phrases out of context later in the day. The variety of speech problems includes paranormal reversal (reversal of pronouns, such as me and you or me and us), difficulty in naming objects, and lack of verbal understanding and or use of an appropriate tone of voice while communicating. Other characteristics seen in autism include the lack of spontaneous imagination in play, rigid, abnormal and repetitive behaviors, inability to accept environmental and ritualistic change and preoccupation with animate objects and inanimate objects of little importance to normal individuals. Common behaviors in autistic individuals are repetitive and unusual motor movements like limb flailing, odd facial grimaces, bizarre hand movements and self-injurious behaviors.
2. Which explanation for autism is no longer considered valid and lacks research support?
Sociocultural models of autism lack research support. This theory describes autism as being developed through parental or caretaker responses to the child that are rejecting the child, rigid and not socially stable. This theory has been rejected
3. What forms of treatment are helpful for a person with autism?
Behavioral therapies that use modeling to instruct the autistic person in what behaviors are appropriate and the use of operating conditioning which reinforces desirable behaviors.
4. List