Membership in the Autism Spectrum
From bib. source
Over the last few years the term autistic (or autism) spectrum disorder (ASD) has become increasingly used to cover the range of individuals showing qualitative differences in social interaction, communication and the ability to think flexibly that make up what is known as the ‘triad of impairments’.
By the 2010s, the use of the term “autism spectrum¨ had begin to supplant any references to the old-guard “Pervasive Developmental Disorders¨ or “PDDs¨ (Christie 2012, 16). Some can allege that the autism spectrum is thereby interchangeable with the pervasive developmental disorders, but the model is in fact different insofar as it follows Newson’s late 2000s ideas on the PDDs–and not only that, but the developmental disorders in question under the “autism spectrum¨ label are narrowed to those affecting or emanating from the social domain, divisible into three core competency areas (Ibid):
- Social skills and interaction
- Communication, i.e. versatile use and processing of language
- Cognitive flexibility
There is some slight variation sometimes in what should be the core or essential areas wherein the developmental issues are expected to be made apparent, for those on the autism spectrum. In the following, problems with cognitive flexibility is replaced by the observed presence of a stereotyped repertoire of interests and activities (Ibid):
From bib. source
In the UK the National Autism Plan for Children (National Initiative for Autism: Screening and Assessment 2003) used the term ASD throughout its report with the following meaning:
the group of pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) characterised by qualitative abnormalities in reciprocal social interactions and in patterns of communication, and by a restricted, stereotyped repertoire of interests and activities. (p. 15)
Arguably, a lack of cognitive flexibility and the possession of a “stereotyped repertoire¨ are not too far apart, however.
autism_spectrum autism_spectrum_disorder autism_spectrum_disorders pervasive_developmental_disorder pervasive_developmental_disorders cognitive_flexibility communication language_processing cognitive_rigidity social_skills reciprocal_interaction social_interaction
bibliography
- “What Is PDA?” In Understanding Pathological Demand Avoidance Syndrome in Children: A Guide for Parents, Teachers and Other Professionals, 11–40. JKP Essentials. Philadelphia, PA: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2012.