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Eugen Bleuler coined the term "autism" referring to self-absorbed schizophrenics.
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Leo Kanner studies 11 children showing difficulties in social interactions, as well as an obsession with routine and sameness.
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Hans Asperger discoverd a 'mild' form of autism which is now known as Asperger's Syndrome. He studied a group of children which shower similarities to the children that Leo Kanner studied. However, these children struggled with social interactions and struggled with fine motor skills.
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In the 1960s, Bruno Bettelheim studied three children that were considered to be 'autistic'. He concluded that autism occurs due to the absence of a mother's love. Children that had unloving mothers were more likely to be autistic.
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Bernard Rimland disagreed with the theory that autism is caused by unattentive mothers. As a parent of an autistic child, Rimland did not believe it was caused by his parenting ability. He then published Infantile Autism: The Syndrome and its Implications for a Neural Theory of Behavior. He believed autism had a neurological cause. He also founded the Autism Society.
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Temple Grandin, an 18 year old autistic woman, invented a machine that exerts deep pressure which helps calm individuals diagnosed on the spectrum.
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Infantile Autism is officially listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Infantile Autism is also no longer considered to be schizophrenia.
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A checklist of criteria has been included in the expanded definition of autism disorder. Ivar Lovaas also states that intensive therapy assists with autistic children.
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Autism is considered a special education category by the federal government. Services are offered to students that are considered to be on the spectrum.
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Asperger's Syndrome is added to the DSM to include milder cases of autism to be on the spectrum.
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It was considered that the measles/mumps/rubella vaccine causes autism. However, this was found to be false.
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Even though vaccines were not considered to cause autism, manufacturers removed thimerosal from all childhood vaccines.
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The CDC estimated that 1 in 150 children are considered to be on the autism spectrum.
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The CDC now states that autism is present in 1 in 110 children.
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The DSM now lists the disorder under one diagnosis which includes impaired social communication and restricted/repetitive behaviors.
