History of Autism

Understanding Autism
(Smithsonian, 2022)

Autism has an interesting history

Autism has an interesting history. It was first defined by Bleuler in 1911, but Kanner didn’t coin the term until 1943. Kanner and Bleuler were studying patients with similar symptoms, but their definitions of autism differ significantly. Since then many other authors have given their own definitions to this disorder. There’s no clear consensus on how to define it, although there is general agreement that the core features of autism involve problems with communication and social interaction.

Kanner syndrome

Kanner syndrome is a lifelong disorder of the nervous system that affects a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others. It can also impact their behavior, social skills and self-care abilities.

Kanner’s syndrome is one of three main types of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). The other two are Asperger syndrome and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS).

Kanner’s syndrome starts in infancy or early childhood with symptoms including lack of speech or delayed speech development; unusual responses to people, objects or situations; repetitive behaviors such as flapping hands; avoiding eye contact; not playing with toys like other children do; having trouble sleeping at night because they’re uncomfortable sleeping with their parents nearby; avoiding affectionate gestures like hugs and kisses from family members because they find them uncomfortable.

Bleuler Syndrome

Eugen Bleuler, a Swiss psychiatrist, pioneered the term “schizophrenia” in 1911. He noticed that people with schizophrenia had symptoms of “split-mind.” This means they have a hard time focusing on one thing at a time and they may hear voices or see things that aren’t there. It’s not the same as split personality disorder or multiple personality disorder—both of which only involve two personalities living within one body!

The Difference Between Autism and Schizophrenia

The two disorders differ in several ways. First, autism is much more common than schizophrenia, affecting one percent of people worldwide. Second, while autism is a lifelong diagnosis and can be debilitating, schizophrenia can be treated with drugs to reduce symptoms. Finally, though both are mental health conditions that affect how one interacts with the world around them, autism has a strong genetic component while schizophrenia does not have a clear genetic link.

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