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