History Autism

leo kanner introduced label infantile autism in 1943.

a few examples of autistic symptoms , treatments described long before autism named. table talk of martin luther, compiled notetaker, mathesius, contains story of 12-year-old boy may have been severely autistic. luther reportedly thought boy soulless mass of flesh possessed devil, , suggested suffocated, although later critic has cast doubt on veracity of report. earliest well-documented case of autism of hugh blair of borgue, detailed in 1747 court case in brother petitioned annul blair s marriage gain blair s inheritance. wild boy of aveyron, feral child caught in 1798, showed several signs of autism; medical student jean itard treated him behavioral program designed him form social attachments , induce speech via imitation.

the new latin word autismus (english translation autism) coined swiss psychiatrist eugen bleuler in 1910 defining symptoms of schizophrenia. derived greek word autós (αὐτός, meaning self ), , used mean morbid self-admiration, referring autistic withdrawal of patient fantasies, against influence outside becomes intolerable disturbance .

early clinical development , diagnoses

the word autism first took modern sense in 1938 when hans asperger of vienna university hospital adopted bleuler s terminology autistic psychopaths in lecture in german child psychology. asperger investigating asd known asperger syndrome, though various reasons not recognized separate diagnosis until 1981. leo kanner of johns hopkins hospital first used autism in modern sense in english when introduced label infantile autism in 1943 report of 11 children striking behavioral similarities. characteristics described in kanner s first paper on subject, notably autistic aloneness , insistence on sameness , still regarded typical of autistic spectrum of disorders. not known whether kanner derived term independently of asperger.

donald triplett first person diagnosed autism. diagnosed leo kanner after being first examined in 1938, , labeled case 1 . triplett noted savant abilities, particularly being able name musical notes played on piano , mentally multiply numbers. father, oliver, described him socially withdrawn interested in number patterns, music notes, letters of alphabet, , u.s. president pictures. age of 2, had ability recite 23rd psalm , memorized 25 questions , answers presbyterian catechism. interested in creating musical chords.

kanner s reuse of autism led decades of confused terminology infantile schizophrenia, , child psychiatry s focus on maternal deprivation led misconceptions of autism infant s response refrigerator mothers . starting in late 1960s autism established separate syndrome.

modern terminology , distinction schizophrenia

as late mid-1970s there little evidence of genetic role in autism; while in 2007 believed 1 of heritable psychiatric conditions. although rise of parent organizations , destigmatization of childhood asd have affected how asd viewed, parents continue feel social stigma in situations child s autistic behavior perceived negatively, , many primary care physicians , medical specialists express beliefs consistent outdated autism research.

it took until 1980 dsm-iii differentiate autism childhood schizophrenia. in 1987, dsm-iii-r provided checklist diagnosing autism. in may 2013, dsm-5 released, updating classification pervasive developmental disorders. grouping of disorders, including pdd-nos, autism, asperger syndrome, rett syndrome, , cdd, has been removed , replaced general term of autism spectrum disorders. 2 categories exist impaired social communication and/or interaction, , restricted and/or repetitive behaviors.

the internet has helped autistic individuals bypass nonverbal cues , emotional sharing find hard deal with, , has given them way form online communities , work remotely. sociological , cultural aspects of autism have developed: in community seek cure, while others believe autism way of being.