The History of Autism Research
Autism was first used to describe a form of childhood schizophrenia as a result of abnormal parenting. Developmental disorders slowly developed from this root until finally it was established as a spectrum condition with wide-ranging degrees of impairment. Along with these perspectives, diagnosis and treatment criteria have changed as well.
Leo Kanner, an Austrian-American psychiatrist was the first to formally describe autism in 1943; he wrote about children with “extreme autistic aloneness” and “delayed echolalia.” He also noted that children were often intelligent and some had extraordinary memory. This caused Kanner to view autism as a profound emotional disturbance that does not affect cognition. During the 1950s and 1960s, autism was thought to be rooted in cold and unemotional mothers. From stereotypes to evolution, here is how Autism Research has evolved over time.
1908:
The word Autism was first used in the year 1908, to describe a subset of schizophrenia patients. They were characterized as withdrawn and self-absorbed.
1943:
In the year 1943, an American child psychiatrist by the name of Leo Kanner, M.D., published a paper describing 11 children who were highly intelligent but displayed. IN his paper, he described the children as having “a powerful desire for aloneness” and “an obsessive insistence on persistent sameness.” He later names their condition “early infantile autism.” This was the first time that the word Autism was used in the manner that we use it today. These characteristics are the most prominent as seen in young children with Autism, and are a great way to reach an early diagnosis. (Learn more about what to look for when giving an early diagnosis here.)
1944:
In 1944, a German scientist named Hans Asperger studied young boys who had austic-like behaviors in terms of social interaction, but with regular intelligence levels. He called this “milder” form of autism Asperger’s Syndrome. Professor Uta Frith, from the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience of University College London describes individuals with Asperger’s as “having a dash of autism.”
1967:
Post-World War II, there was a lot of psychoanalytic work done on autism where researchers looked solely at the impact of life experiences. Many even pondered whether Autism was a Nazi invention before British Psyychiatrist Lorna Wing published an academic paper highlighting a 1944 clinical account of “autistic psychopathy” by Austrian physician Hans Asperger.
1977:
Scientists began to research twins with Autism, and in doing so they found that autism is largely caused by genetic and biological differences in brain development, rather than the environment a child grows up in (nature, not nurture). Studies have shown that a child is more likely to have autism if his/her sibling or twin also has the disorder. While a child’s biological and genetic makeup plays the most important role in determining whether or not a child has Autism, there is evidence that factors in the environment play a role too.
1980:
For the first time, “Infantile autism” is listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Along with this major milestone, the condition is also officially separated from childhood schizophrenia, helping researchers and therapists know the difference, and in turn helping them to do their jobs better.
1987:
The DSM replaced the term “infantile autism” with a much more expansive definition of “autism disorder,” and even included a checklist of diagnostic criteria. Along with the publication, there was a great step taken forward in research as well: UCLA psychologist Ivar Lovaas, Ph.D., published the first study showing how intensive behavior therapy can help children with autism — thus giving new hope to parents.
1988:
The movie Rain Man is released. It stars Dustin Hoffman as an autistic savant who has a photographic memory and can calculate huge numbers in his head. “This was important for raising public awareness of the disorder,” Dr. Volkmar notes, although not every kid on the autism spectrum has these kinds of skills.
1991:
Autism is a condition that affects one’s learning ability, and up until now this was not acknowledged. However, in 1991, the federal government made autism a special education category. In addition, public schools finally began identifying children on the spectrum and offering them special services.
1994:
Asperger’s Syndrome was added to the DSM, which led to expanding the autism spectrum to include milder cases in which individuals tend to be more highly functioning.
1998:
In 1988, the idea of vaccines causing Autism was introduced, as a study published in The Lancet suggests that the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine causes autism. This finding was found to be inaccurate, and was quickly debunked.
2000:
Even though the study was debunked, the fear people had for vaccines didn’t go away. Vaccine manufacturers were forced to remove thimerosal (a mercury-based preservative) from all routinely given childhood vaccines due to public fears about its role in autism — even though, again, the vaccine-autism link had been debunked.
2009:
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that 1 in 110 children have autism spectrum disorders, up from 1 in 150 in 2007, though the CDC noted that the increase stems at least in part from improved screening and diagnostic techniques.
2013:
To help bring down confusion, the DSM-5 brought all subcategories of the condition into one umbrella diagnosis: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Asperger’s Syndrome is no longer considered a separate condition. Along with the change in the title, ASD was officially defined by two categories:
- Impaired social communication and/or interaction.
- Restricted and/or repetitive behaviors.
Present-Day:
SEED is a multi-year study funded by CDC; it is currently the largest study in the United States in order to help identify factors that may put children at risk for ASD and other developmental disabilities. Providing a better understanding of the risk factors will help ASD involved scientists, psychiatrists, and therapists a better vision about the root causes.
Scientists and Researchers have made a breakthrough genetic discovery into the cause of ASD, as many professionals assume that nerves that sense touch may play a role. Studies suggest that the peripheral nervous system, the nerves that control our sense of touch, pain, and other sensations may play a role in male diagnosis. A limitation to this study is that all of the participants chosen were male, so the results may not apply to everyone with autism. While scientists like this are currently making breakthroughs, we urge our community to better understand this disorder, as not only is it the fastest growing developmental disability but it helps individuals on the spectrum feel more accepted in our society.
