In a recent study on autism-like traits, social inference has been found reduced in the observational learning procedure through the computational model.
Autism Spectrum Disorder:
It is a disability, a form of neurodivergence. In India, it is classified under the RPWD Act of 2016. DSM 5 and ICD 11 also state their standard diagnostic criteria for its diagnostical assessment.
Why spectrum? It is often said, “If you have met one individual with autism, you have only met one person with autism.” This is because each person with autism has unique characteristics. There are various aspects of autism, each aspect showcases its attributes in a different measurement. The blend of each aspect then comes into the form of unique individual differences. So the intervention and management also hold a unique approach based on the assessment and needs of the person.
Categories of Autism Spectrum Disorder: Autism has been classified into 5 categories. These are:
Asperger’s Syndrome:
People who have Asperger’s syndrome can deal academically, professionally and with other skill set. But the difficulty lies in socializing and interacting with other people. People with Asperger’s syndrome often have high IQ, but this is not the case always. Many art expressions have rightly portrayed living with Asperger’s syndrome, some of them include ‘My Name is Khan’ and ‘Extraordinary Attorney Woo’. Asperger’s syndrome is often considered on the high-functioning end of autism since the impairment in functioning is least here concerning other categories of autism.
Autistic disorder:
This was earlier used as a generalized term for complete autism spectrum disorder. But now it is labelled as a category of autism spectrum disorder, at an intense level than Asperger’s syndrome and PDD NOS.
Rett Syndrome:
It affects females more than males. This is diagnosed at the primary school level, from age 6 years to 18 years. When developmental milestones start getting delayed or the earlier abilities and skills get lost, Rett Syndrome is then screened out. The impairment and disruptions affect life growth holistically. Along with neurodivergent characteristics, physical symptoms can also be associated, such as gait abnormalities, low muscle tone and seizures.
PDD NOS:
Pervasive developmental disorder, not otherwise specified (PDD NOS) is a segment of autism spectrum disorder that is too severe for autistic syndrome but not as severe as autistic disorder.
Childhood Disintegrative Disorder:
This is also known as Heller’s syndrome. With the delays in developmental milestones, be it linguistic, social or motor skills. This is much more common in boys as compared to girls. Skills that are required to be independent can impact academic life and peer interaction for social skills.
Observational learning and goal emulation:
Observational learning, as the term suggests, is learning by consciously noticing a new thing. Imitation and goal emulations are its two segments. Imitation is directly copying a skill to learn it. Goal emulation, on the other hand, is witnessing a skill, and then deciding to do it in its way to achieve it.
Analysis of the research:
This research utilized a computational model for analyzing observational learning. For people with autism and autistic-like traits, goal emulation was lesser as compared to neurotypical research participants. This reduced outcome was not shown in learning through imitation.
Moreover, this research laid down its focus on why socialization and communication are such a big obstacle for people with autism spectrum disorder. Reduced goal emulation can be attributed as one of the underlying root causes that disrupt typical mechanisms of social communication and interaction. People with autism must not be considered abnormal, rather appropriate terms like neurodivergence are acceptable in inclusive communities.
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