Autism

• What does epidemiological studies suggest about ASD aetiology?

  It has a strong genetic component
• What are the core diagnostic criteria for ASD?

  Deficits in social communication and perseverative behaviors
• What sensory responses are common in individuals with ASD?

  Aberrant reactivity to sensory input
• What types of sensory input might individuals with ASD react adversely to?

  Sounds or textures
• What motor skills issues are often seen in individuals with ASD?

  Deficits in motor skills or clumsiness
• What are the concordance rates for ASD in monozygotic twins?

  60–70%
• What are the concordance rates for ASD in siblings?

  Approximately 18–33%
• Why do most individuals with ASD struggle to drive?

  They have difficulties interacting with dynamic objects
• What challenges do individuals with autism face in athletic games?

  Engaging in team sports on the playground
• What is crucial for interacting with dynamic objects?

  Anticipation of future object positions
• What did Palmer et al. (2013) find about adults with ASD and the rubber hand illusion?

  They exhibited typical perceptual effects
• How did adults with ASD perform on reaching tasks after the rubber hand illusion?

  The influence of the illusion was reduced
• What does the reduced influence of the rubber hand illusion in ASD suggest?

  Stronger weighting on proprioceptive input
• What is a key feature of sensory hypersensitivities in ASD?

  Reduced ability to habituate to stimuli
• What determines our ability to habituate to our environment?

  Stimulus predictability
• How do adults with ASD display loudness adaptation?

  They show decreased loudness adaptation

  
• What might cause decreased loudness adaptation in ASD?

  Failure to update prior beliefs

  
• How is anxiety correlated with environmental unpredictability in ASD?

  It enhances anxious responses
• What can chronic anxiety lead to in individuals with ASD?

  Ritualistic behavior
• What are some examples of ritualistic behaviors in ASD?

  Leg-swinging or self-injury
• Where are rates of ASD higher?

  In children living in cities

  
• What are the traits of "Insistence on Sameness" in ASD?

  • Repetitive thoughts and actions
  • Behavioral rigidity
  • Reliance on routines
  • Resistance to change
  • Obsessive adherence to rituals
• How can self-stimulating behaviors in ASD be viewed?

  As responses to a chaotic world
• What was the previous term for highly functioning individuals on the autism spectrum?

  Asperger syndrome
• What is the current classification for individuals previously diagnosed with Asperger syndrome?

  They are included in the autism spectrum
• What can chronic stress in individuals with ASD lead to?

  Mental exhaustion and comorbidities
• When might ASD features become more noticeable?

  During increasing social interactions in childhood
• How might ASD symptoms change in adulthood?

  They may become less noticeable
• What is a key characteristic of ASD related to perception?

  Disruptions in hierarchical Bayesian inference

  
• What difficulties do individuals with ASD face regarding environmental details?

  Distinguishing relevant from irrelevant details
• How do subtle changes in the environment affect individuals with ASD?

  They induce feelings of uncertainty
• What might individuals with ASD focus on during social interactions?

  Bright colors instead of emotional expressions
• What can lead to a chronic sensation of being unprepared in individuals with ASD?

  Lack of control in unpredictable environments
• What do fixed rituals in ASD help individuals manage?

  Desire to avoid surprise in daily life
• What do recent articles suggest about Bayesian inference in ASD?

  It underlies perceptual abnormalities
• What do Pellicano and Burr propose about ASD and priors?

  ASD is characterized by overly flat priors
• What do Van de Cruys et al. suggest about sensory stimuli in ASD?

  High weighting increases prediction errors
• What do Lawson et al. highlight regarding prediction precision?

  Top-down predictions need precision weighting
• What is the role of postsynaptic gain control in ASD?

  It modulates prediction errors in sensory pathways
• What can aberrant updating of internal models in ASD lead to?

  Altered perception dominated by irrelevant details