Attachment disorder in autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 57-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arvid Nikolai Kildahl ◽  
Maria Hagen Engebretsen ◽  
Sissel Berge Helverschou
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Intellectual Disability ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Exclusion Criterion ◽  
Challenging Behaviour ◽  
Attachment Disorders ◽  
Attachment Disorder ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Content Type

PurposeAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is an exclusion criterion for one of the two attachment disorders in the DSM 5. However, previous findings indicate that ASD and attachment disorder are unrelated conditions and may co-occur. The purpose of this paper is to explore the diagnostic assessment of an adolescent male with ASD, intellectual disability (ID), severe challenging behaviour and a suspected attachment disorder.Design/methodology/approachCase study methodology was chosen because of its suitability in the exploration of complex clinical phenomena where prior knowledge is sparse.FindingsIt was possible to identify symptoms of attachment disorder in a case involving ASD, ID, anxiety and severe challenging behaviour. The Disturbances of Attachment Interview was particularly useful in this assessment, as was assessment of ASD symptoms and developmental history. Differentiating the two attachment disorders proved challenging.Research limitations/implicationsThere is a need for further research in ASD and attachment disorders not limited by current diagnostic categories.Practical implicationsCo-occurring symptoms of attachment disorder may be identified in individuals with ASD and ID, and exploration of these symptoms in assessments of children and adolescents with ASD/ID and challenging behaviour may be beneficial.Originality/valueThe study adds to previous findings on attachment disorder in ASD, demonstrating that identification of attachment disorder is possible even in the presence of a highly complex clinical picture involving severe challenging behaviour. It may also assist other clinicians in identifying and making more accurate assessment of attachment disorder in ASD and ID.

scholarly journals A phenomenological approach to diagnosing psychosis in autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability: a case series

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 39-48
Author(s):  
Rahul Rai ◽  
Samuel Tromans ◽  
Chaya Kapugama ◽  
Verity Chester ◽  
Ignatius Gunaratna ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Intellectual Disability ◽  
Case Series ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Psychotic Symptoms ◽  
Related Case ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The diagnosis of psychosis in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) poses a unique clinical challenge. The presence of intellectual disability (ID) further complicates the diagnostic picture. Reliable and timely diagnosis of psychosis in such individuals minimises the duration of untreated psychotic symptoms and the subsequent impact on the quality of life of the patients concerned. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach The authors present four patients with psychosis, ASD and ID, who have received care within forensic mental health and ID settings. These examples demonstrate the interaction between these conditions, as well as issues pertaining to diagnosis and management. Findings In all four patients, sustained use of antipsychotic medication was objectively associated with an improvement in psychotic symptoms and quality of life. In instances where autistic phenomena were accentuated upon development of psychosis, such features returned to the baseline levels evident prior to the onset of psychosis. Practical implications The discussion and related case examples could improve the understanding of the possibility of psychosis in individuals with ASD and ID, and increase awareness of this diagnostic possibility among healthcare professionals. Originality/value This is the first published case series illustrating the challenges of diagnosing psychosis in individuals with ASD and ID.

Stress in mothers of children with neurodevelopmental disorders

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ghorban Hemati Alamdarloo ◽  
Farzad Majidi
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Intellectual Disability ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Disorders ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Learning Disorder ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Specific Learning Disorder ◽  
Specific Learning

Purpose Most parents experience stress when their children are diagnosed with some kind of disability. This paper aims to compare the level of stress among mothers of children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Design/methodology/approach Research sample consisted of 150 mothers of children with neurodevelopmental disorders (50 mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder, 50 mothers of children with intellectual disability and 50 mothers of children with specific learning disorder selected by convenience sampling). The Stress Response Inventory was used for measuring stress. One-way analysis of variance, multivariate analysis of variance and Scheffe post hoc tests were used for data analysis. Findings The results showed that the stress of mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder was significantly higher than to the other groups of mothers. It was also observed that the stress of mothers of children with intellectual disability was significantly higher than the mothers of children with the specific learning disorder. Originality/value Therefore, designing and implementing preventive and interventional programs to decrease the stress of mothers of children with neurodevelopmental disorders, especially mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder is necessary.

Catatonia in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder and intellectual disability: a discussion of four cases

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 182-193
Author(s):  
Huw Morgan Dunstall ◽  
Catherine Walton ◽  
Lance Vincent Watkins ◽  
Andrew Bhasker Isaac ◽  
Mohamed El Tahir
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Intellectual Disability ◽  
Rating Scales ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Stressful Events ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Response To Treatment ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Content Type ◽  
High Index Of Suspicion

Purpose Catatonia is increasingly recognised as a comorbid syndrome of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASDs). The assessment and management of individuals with comorbid ASD and intellectual disability (ID) adds a further dimension to this already complex presentation, with few cases identified in the literature. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents four cases of catatonia in individuals with comorbid ASD and ID. The diagnostic challenges, response to treatment and prognosis are discussed whilst comparing with the existing literature. Findings A high index of suspicion is required to recognise the subtle catatonic features seen in patients with ASD and ID. Clinicians should be particularly vigilant following stressful events in young adults. The assessment of catatonia in ASDs and ID requires a pragmatic approach given the lack of suitable diagnostic tools and difficulties completing investigations. Caution is advised when using rating scales as they are not validated in ID. The mainstay of treatment is lorazepam, although responses vary. Originality/value The discussion of these four cases strengthens the existing literature, and highlights the implications a comorbid diagnosis of ID has on the assessment and management of catatonia in ASDs.

Usefulness of current autism diagnostic or screening assessment tools in adults with intellectual disability (ID): systematic review of literature

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Solomon Shatananda ◽  
Abimbola Oyedokun ◽  
Mahesh Odiyoor ◽  
Sujeet Jaydeokar ◽  
Saman Shahzad
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Intellectual Disability ◽  
Psychometric Properties ◽  
Diagnostic Tool ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Additional Tool

Purpose The purpose of the study is to identify and ascertain if there were any validated tools for diagnosing or screening autism spectrum disorder in adults with ID. The estimated prevalence of intellectual disability (ID) in the general population is about 10.37/1,000 population (Maulik et al., 2011). In total, 1 out of 4 individuals with ID suffers from an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (Sappok et al., 2010). Early diagnosis and support for ASD is key to having a good quality of life. The diagnosis of ASD in people with an ID presents its own challenges and it is likely under-identification of ASD amongst adults with ID by about 20% to 30% (Emerson and Baines, 2010). Design/methodology/approach Studies were selected based on the following criteria: studies that reported either screening or diagnostic tools for ASD, participants had an ID i.e. a mean IQ of <70, adults i.e. participants were >18 years of age at the time of entry to the study and articles reported either sensitivity, specificity or area under the curve. Relevant studies that were published up to January 2020 were identified from EMBASE, PsychINFO, CINAHL and PubMed. In total, 75 papers were identified of which 15 papers met the criteria. Findings The screening or diagnostic tools currently in use is dependant on the degree of ID. A number of the tools had good psychometric properties and utility when used in people with specific degrees of ID or when used in combination with another screening or diagnostic tool. The authors could not identify a diagnostic tool that could be used across all levels of severity of ID unless used in combination. Hence, concluded that there is a need for a diagnostic tool with good psychometric properties for the assessment of ASD in adults with all degree of ID within a reasonable time period without the need for an additional tool to be used in conjunction. Originality/value Currently, the “gold standard” for diagnosing ASD is a lengthy and time-consuming process carried out by trained multi-disciplinary team members who assess historical, behavioural and parent/carer report to arrive at a diagnosis. There are a number of tools that have been developed to aid diagnosis. However, it is important to identify the tools that can optimise the procedures and are also time-efficient.

Graphic symbol preferences of adults with disabilities in one non-profit foundation in Greece

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 157-169
Author(s):  
Eliada Pampoulou ◽  
Ioanna Diamanti
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Intellectual Disability ◽  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Communication Disorders ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
Graphic Symbol

Purpose Graphic symbols, such as photographs, Makaton and Pics for PECS, are often used in the field of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) to support people with complex communication disorders. However, there is little research focusing on the preferences of people with disabilities in terms of which type of graphic symbol they prefer to use for their communication interactions. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the symbol preferences of people with Autism Spectrum Disorder and those with intellectual disability. The research questions are as follows: Do people prefer coloured or black and white symbols? What type(s) of symbols do they prefer to use for their communication interactions? What type(s) of symbols do they consider more appropriate for children? What type(s) of symbols do they consider more appropriate for adults? Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire with simple instructions was used to elicit the information from the participants. Through purposive sampling, 25 participants between the ages of 20 and 32 were selected. Twelve participants had been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, while the rest had mild or moderate intellectual disability. Findings Most of the participants preferred coloured symbols. Of all the six types of symbols, they preferred to use photographs and considered these as being the most appropriate symbols for adults, whereas, for them, Talking Mats is better for children. Originality/value It is vital that the voices of people with disabilities are heard and taken into account when services are to be provided.

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