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AUTISM HISTORY
The word "autism" was first used in
the English language by Swiss psychiatrist Eugene Bleuler in a 1912 issue
of the American Journal of Insanity. It comes from the Greek word for
"self," αυτος (autos). Autism was actually confused with schizophrenia
during the early stages of observation. Bleuler used the term to describe
the schizophrenics' seeming difficulty in connecting with other
people.[16]
However, the classification of autism as a separate disorder or disease
did not occur until 1943 when psychiatrist Dr. Leo Kanner of the Johns
Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore reported on 11 child patients with striking
behavioral similarities and introduced the label "early infantile autism."
He suggested the term "autism" to describe the fact that the children
seemed to lack interest in other people. Kanner's first paper on the
subject was published in a now defunct journal called The Nervous Child,
and almost every characteristic he originally described is still regarded
as typical of the autistic spectrum of disorders.
At the same time, an Austrian scientist named Dr. Hans Asperger made
similar observations, although his name has since become attached to a
different higher-functioning form of autism known as Asperger syndrome.
Widespread recognition of Asperger's work was delayed by World War II in
Germany, and by his seminal paper not being translated into English for
almost 50 years. The majority of his work was not widely read until 1997.
Autism and Asperger's Syndrome are today listed in the DSM-IV-TR as two of
the five pervasive developmental disorders (PDD), which also include
Childhood disintegrative disorder, Rett syndrome and Pervasive
Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (or atypical autism).
Health care providers also refer to autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which
includes only three of those listed in PDD: Autistic disorder, Asperger
syndrome, Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified. All of
these conditions are characterized by varying degrees of deficiencies in
communication skills and social interactions, along with restricted,
repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behavior. |
1
Terminology
2
History
3
Characteristics
Key Behaviors
Noted behaviors
Social development
Sensory system
Autism and blindness
Communication difficulties
Repetitive behaviors
Effects in education
4
DSM definition
5
Types of autism
Asperger's and Kanner's syndrome
Autism as a spectrum disorder
6
Epidemiology
7
Treatment
8
Causes
Physiology and Neurology
Genetic Component
9
Sociology
Community and politics
Culture
Autistic adults
Terminology
Autistic savants
References |
