Course information
About the course
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by pervasive difficulties since early childhood across reciprocal social communication and restricted, repetitive interests and behaviours. ASD is not a single disorder, and it is broadly considered to be a multi-factorial disorder resulting from genetic and non-genetic risk factors and their interaction. Although early research in ASD focused primarily on children, there is increasing recognition that ASD is a lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder that has a potentially detrimental impact on adult functioning.
This one-day course aims to give clinicians a broad understanding of the phenotype and aetiology of ASD, an approach to diagnostic assessment in adult patients, an overview of medical and psychological interventions, and a better understanding of the needs of adults with ASD, including health, aging, service development, transition, treatment options across the lifespan and sex differences.
Learning Objectives
After completing this course those attending will be able to:
- Describe the aetiology, epidemiology and risk factors of ASD
- Identify signs and symptoms of ASD and discus the clinical presentation of ASD in adults
- Discuss comorbidity
- Perform a basic clinical assessment and know when/where to refer to specialist services
- Discuss the long-term impact of ASD in adulthood
- Discuss the service provision for adults with ADHD
- Describe principles of management of ASD