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In 1910 Eugen Bleuler used the term"autism" to describe a form of schizophrenic thought.
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American child psychiatrist Leo Kanner M.D published a paper that was written from observing a group of children. He named the condition Infantile Autism.
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Hans Asperger, a german scientist, described a milder form of autism. He reported after observing several cases that were all boys, he saw intelligent children that had difficulty with social interactions and had obsessive interests.
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During the 1950s and 1960s there was many experimental treatments used by the clinicians on their patients. Bettelheim’s treatment for children was parentectomy. This is where children would be separated from their parents. in the 1960s, the drug LSD was used as treatment, when autism was thought to be a mental disorder.
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Dr Eric Schoppler founded the TEACCH approach, Treatment and Education of Autistic and Communication handicapped Children. This is where the child and their parents learn strategies and skills to enable the child to function as independently and meaningfully as possible.
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Psychologist Bruno Bettelheim made the theory popular that "refrigerator mothers," caused autism by not loving their children enough.
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In the 1970s, Discrete trial Teaching (DTT) was introduced. It is a form of ABA therapy which was first developed by Psychologists Ivar Lovaas ,and Robert Koegel, at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).
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Michael Rutter and Susan Folstein conducted a twin study of 21 pairs, with one of the pair being already diagnosed with autism.
This study showed that autism is mostly caused by genetics and biological differences in brain development. -
Infantile autism is listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) for the first time, The condition is also officially separated from childhood schizophrenia.
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UCLA psychologist Ivar Lovaas, Ph.D., publishes the first study showing how intensive behavior therapy can help children with autism. This gave hope to parents that had children diagnosed with autism.
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In a 1987 study, Lovaas and Koegel found that nearly half (47%) of the children who received 40 hours per week of ABA therapy were eventually able to complete normal first-grade classes and achieved normal intellectual and educational functioning by the end of first grade.
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The DSM replaces infantile autism with a more expansive definition of autism disorder, and also includes a checklist of diagnostic criteria.
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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 gave a more positive view on autism and also raised awareness for the disorder.
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The federal government makes autism a special education category. Public schools begin identifying children on the spectrum and offering them special services.
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Asperger's Syndrome is added to the DSM, expanding the autism spectrum to include milder cases in which individuals tend to be more highly functioning.
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A study published in The Lancet suggests that the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine causes autism. This cased concern to parents whether to vaccinate their children or not.This was debunked shortly after the study was published.
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Even though the study was debunked, vaccine manufacturers remove thimerosal, which is mercury based, from all given childhood vaccines due to public fears about its role in the diagnosis in autism.
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The DSM-5 creates one umbrella diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Asperger's Syndrome is no longer considered a separate condition. ASD is defined by impaired social communication and/or interaction and restricted and/or repetitive behaviors.
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Other therapies such as speech and language and occupational therpay are important therapies used today, that supplement a student with autism with their speech and sensory needs.
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The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1 in 110 children have autism spectrum disorders, up from 1 in 150 in 2007. The CDC did note that the increase could be from improved screening and diagnostic techniques.
