Join Dr. Regan for an episode about what "spectrum" means and why the pattern of neurologic characteristics in each individual is so important to understand.  Dr. Regan's Resources New Course for Clinicians - Interventions in Autism: Helping Clients Stay Centered, Connect with Others, and Engage in Life New Course for Clinicians: ASD Differential Diagnoses and Associated Characteristics Book: Understanding Autism in Adults and Aging Adults, 2nd ed Audiobook Book: Understanding Autistic Behaviors Autism in the Adult website homepage Website Resources for Clinicians   Read the episode transcript:  1 00:00:05,930 --> 00:00:07,750 Hello and welcome. 2 00:00:07,760 --> 00:00:09,690 This is Dr Theresa Regan, 3 00:00:09,690 --> 00:00:11,610 your host for this podcast, 4 00:00:11,620 --> 00:00:13,310 autism in the adult. 5 00:00:13,320 --> 00:00:15,600 I am a neuropsychologist, 6 00:00:15,610 --> 00:00:18,080 a certified autism specialist, 7 00:00:18,090 --> 00:00:27,620 the parent of an autistic teenager and the director of an adult diagnostic autism clinic in central Illinois. 8 00:00:28,240 --> 00:00:33,720 I am happy that you're joining me today for our episode about spectrum. 9 00:00:33,730 --> 00:00:35,590 What does that mean? 10 00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:39,010 And Why is pattern important? 11 00:00:39,900 --> 00:00:47,540 So let me explain a little bit of background as far as where I'm coming from with spectrum and pattern. 12 00:00:48,380 --> 00:00:50,720 So as a neuropsychologist, 13 00:00:50,730 --> 00:00:58,270 I specialize in understanding how brain pathways and brain health impact things like thinking, 14 00:00:58,270 --> 00:01:01,080 skills but also emotions, 15 00:01:01,080 --> 00:01:11,420 personality and behavior by looking at how someone's brain is able to process verbal information or learn new information, 16 00:01:11,430 --> 00:01:16,910 pay attention how they're able to balance emotions or plan for the future. 17 00:01:16,920 --> 00:01:29,250 The neuropsychologist can make conclusions about the health of the brain or specific ways that the brain has connected informed pathways across different locations. 18 00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:42,550 So we know that the brain is divided up into various areas and the locations can have specific functions specific jobs. 19 00:01:42,550 --> 00:01:48,990 So the left hemisphere versus the right hemisphere or the center of the brain versus the outside. 20 00:01:49,090 --> 00:01:56,820 There are also specific nuclei in the center of the brain and there are lobes that we talk about the frontal lobe, 21 00:01:56,820 --> 00:01:57,430 the parietal lobe, 22 00:01:57,430 --> 00:01:58,570 etcetera. 23 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:08,790 So the brain is really special in that the neurology is patterned and localized and there's a function to it. 24 00:02:10,010 --> 00:02:22,300 So one of the ways that a neuropsychologist makes conclusions about those patterns and what's going on in the brain is by looking at the way that the brain behaves. 25 00:02:22,310 --> 00:02:24,780 So how does it do with reading? 26 00:02:24,780 --> 00:02:28,660 How does it do with um staying calm and centered? 27 00:02:28,660 --> 00:02:35,240 And that gives um revelation about the connections, 28 00:02:35,250 --> 00:02:36,230 the anatomy, 29 00:02:36,230 --> 00:02:37,760 how the brain is wired. 30 00:02:39,440 --> 00:02:43,220 So a huge focus of what neuropsychologist analyze is. 31 00:02:43,220 --> 00:02:46,370 Not any one score. 32 00:02:46,380 --> 00:02:53,070 Like let's say we give a memory task and a reading task and we look at something called praxis, 33 00:02:53,080 --> 00:02:56,900 we're not gonna look at any one score. 34 00:02:56,900 --> 00:02:58,530 What did this person get correct? 35 00:02:58,530 --> 00:02:59,960 What did they get wrong? 36 00:02:59,970 --> 00:03:01,050 Um No, 37 00:03:01,050 --> 00:03:05,470 we're looking for this data to fall into a pattern