| Autism does not have a long history, and this | | | | displayed - little to no interest in |
| is due to the fact that the history of autism | | | | socializing with other people. |
| really didn't begin until the first decade of | | | | |
| the 20th century. Although, autism as a | | | | Dr. Hans Asperger (1906-1980) - Dr. Hans |
| condition was around prior to this time, it | | | | Asperger, was a scientist and pediatrician. |
| was not a recognized condition and most | | | | He is best known in the history of autism for |
| people would have been regarded as insane. In | | | | defining Asperger Syndrome - a specific type |
| fact, it wasn't even until the Swiss | | | | of high functioning autism. The first time he |
| psychiatrist, Eugene Bleuler, coined the term | | | | defined Asperger syndrome was in 1944, when |
| "autism" in the 1912 issue of the American | | | | he studied 4 young boys and, like Kanner, |
| Journal of Insanity, did the term even exist. | | | | found that each child displayed similar |
| | | | characteristics. He identified these |
| However, despite being the first person to | | | | characteristic behaviors as autistic |
| use the term, Bleuler considered autism to be | | | | psychopathy. |
| another form of schizophrenia in which | | | | |
| schizophrenic's lacked social skills with | | | | Although Asperger identified most of the same |
| others, and were more absorbed in themselves. | | | | traits as Kanner, he didn't note his group |
| Bleuler's study was the beginning of the | | | | having delayed echolalia. Alternatively, he |
| history of autism. | | | | said that the children had clumsy movements |
| | | | and irregular motor skills compared to |
| Although Bleuler may have been the first to | | | | regular children, and also that they talked |
| recognize one of the most common traits of | | | | much like grown ups. Asperger referred to |
| autistics, there were three other pioneers of | | | | them as "little professors". |
| autism who really set the wheels of autism | | | | |
| research in motion. These three doctors had | | | | Unfortunately, the findings of Dr. Hans |
| a huge impact on what people believed autism | | | | Asperger regarding autism were not widely |
| was in the mid 1900's, as well as how the | | | | discovered until the late 1980's even though |
| disorder is recognized today. | | | | his reports occurred much earlier in the |
| | | | history of autism. It is believed that there |
| Dr. Leo Kanner - (1894 - 1981) - Dr. Leo | | | | were two main reasons why Asperger did not |
| Kanner was an Austrian-American psychiatrist, | | | | receive the recognition he deserved until |
| who was one of the first to specialize in | | | | much later than his original observations. |
| child psychology. Kanner, a doctor at | | | | The first reason was his findings were |
| Baltimore's Johns Hopkins Hospital, is | | | | delayed due to World War II. The second was |
| credited with recognizing autism as its own | | | | that his work wasn't written in English and |
| unique mental disorder. According to the | | | | was not translated until almost 50 years |
| history of autism, Kanner created the label | | | | later. |
| early infantile autism, which he wrote about | | | | |
| in 1943 in the journal "The Nervous Child". | | | | Dr. Bruno Bettelhiem (1903-1990) - Bruno |
| | | | Bettelheim was an Austrian-American writer |
| In his report, Kanner discussed his research | | | | and child psychologist. Bettelheim developed |
| based on a group of eleven children who all | | | | his own theories on autism and is best known |
| closely displayed the following traits: | | | | for his theory of the "refrigerator mother". |
| | | | In his work "The Empty Fortress"(1967), |
| Â- Social interaction difficulties | | | | Bettelheim wrote about three therapy sessions |
| | | | with children who had infantile autism. He |
| Â- Difficulty processing and adapting to | | | | claimed that their disorder was caused by |
| changes | | | | having emotionally cold mothers. His theory |
| | | | was widely accepted, and for many years, |
| Â- Particularly good memory | | | | parents (particularly mothers) were |
| | | | considered the problem behind autism. |
| Â- Belated echolalia (repeating speech | | | | |
| made by others) | | | | For information on recognizing and treating |
| | | | autism sign up for the free Autism newsletter |
| Â- Exceedingly sensitive to sounds, and | | | | below. |
| other stimulants | | | | |
| | | | Today, Bettelhiem's theory has been |
| Â- Food issues | | | | disregarded by most. However, the |
| | | | characteristics described by Kanner and |
| Â- Good intellectual potential | | | | Asperger are still used to define the basic |
| | | | behavioral patterns of autistics. |
| He used the term autism to describe the main | | | | Nevertheless, all of these men have made a |
| characteristic all the children he studied | | | | serious mark on the history of autism. |