Autism : History of Autism

The word autism comes from the Greek word autos, meaning self, and describes a condition in which a person lives in an inner state of isolation.
Prior to the introduction of the term autism, similar symptoms were described as childhood schizophrenia.
In 1943, Leo Kanner, of Johns Hopkins Hospital, wrote a paper titled Autistic Disturbances of Affective Contact and described the behaviors of 11 children with symptoms consistent with today’s depiction of autism.

It was not until the 1960s that autism and schizophrenia were defined as two distinct disorders.
In 1965 the Autism Society of America, one of the first support groups for families with children with Autism, was established.
1971: Pennsylvania Association of Retarded Citizens (PARC) v. the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania-- Mandated that all school age children (regardless of any disability) have access to a free and appropriate education.
Around the same time, German psychologist Hans Asperger was studying a similar set of symptoms that were later labeled Asperger Syndrome in 1981.
Prevalence of autism has increased greatly since the 1980s, especially in recent years.

Reasons for this increase are not entirely known— the diagnosis practice has changed in recent years, but other factors include environmental influences and genetic conditions.
While there is not a “test” for autism diagnosis, physicians use the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 4^th version) to determine whether a person has autism.
Currently, the American Psychiatric Association is revising the medical definition of ASD, which will in turn change the diagnosis process. The new definition of ASD will be available starting in 2013. There is a lot of concern that the new diagnostic characteristics will restrict services for those who do not qualify under the new definition.
Today, students with autism receive support through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). IDEA was first passed in 1990 and has been most recently reauthorized in 2004.

Sources

Johnson, B. (2008, July 01). Some key dates in autism history. . Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-

Wright, B. (2012, August 17). Autismspeaks.org. Retrieved from http://www.autismspeaks.org/