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Eugen Bleuler
Swedish psychiatrist Bleuler mostly worked with children with schizophrenia. He coined the term autism in the early 1900's believing it was a symptom of schizophrenia. -
Period: to
Electroconvulsive Therapy (TREATMENT)
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a procedure, done under general anesthesia, in which small electric currents are passed through the brain, intentionally triggering a brief seizure. ECT appears to cause changes in brain chemistry that can reverse symptoms of certain mental disorders. It often works when other treatments are unsuccessful. It is still used today in severe cases and remains controversial. -
Leo Kanner
Published paper "Autistic Disturbances of Affective Contact" about 11 children who seemed to inhabit private worlds and ignoring the people around them, including their parents, and were panicked by changes in their environment. -
Hans Asperger
Hans Asperger is working in working in Austria and had been for a several years. There, he worked with children and wrote a paper in 1944 about "Autistic Psychopathy". -
Period: to
Applied Behavior Analysis (TREATMENT)
Ivar Lovaas was a pioneer in developing ABA in the 1960's and is still used today. It involves many observations and then creating a treatment plan in order to treat the behavior(s) of concern. It is very intense and requires a lot of time. -
Bernard Rimland
The Autism Society of America is founded in 1965 by Bernard Rimland and Ivar Lovaas. In 1964, he published a book in which he framed autism as a neurodevelopmental disorder, not a mental disorder. -
Genetic Link Established (CAUSE)
Susan Folstein and Michael Rutter conducted a study using 21 same-sexed twin pairs where at least one twin showed symptoms of Autism. They concluded that brain injury in the infancy period may lead to Autism on its own or in combination with a genetic predisposition. -
Infantile Autism in the DSM-III (PREVALENCE)
A diagnosis of autism is included in the DSM-III. However, it was only infantile autism. Previous DSM versions did not included autism as a diagnosis. However some autism symptomology was included under other disorders, like childhood schizophrenia. -
Lorna Wing
In the early 1980's, Lorna and colleagues discovered Hans Asperger's work and translated it from German. -
DSM IV (PREVALENCE)
Autistic and Asperger's Disorder are included in the DSM IV. -
Hug Box (TREATMENT)
Temple Grandin is a professor at Colorado State University who has ASD and a spokesperson of autism. Around age 18, Temple developed her personal "hug machine" to help with sensory stimulation. In 1995, a study was conducted to determine it's efficacy. The hug box is used by some professionals to help reduce tension and meet the needs of children with autism who desire pressure stimulation. -
MMR Controversy (CAUSES)
In 1998, a fradualant paper published in The Lancet claimed that there is a possible link between the MMR vaccine and autism. The paper has had negative implications on our society's health and perception of vaccines. The paper has been retracted and numerous research has be published and found that there is no link between vaccines and autsim. -
2000 CDC Prevalence Rate
6.7 per 1,000 children
OR
1 in 150 children -
2004 CDC Prevalence Rate
8 per 1,000 children
OR
1 in 125 children -
2008 CDC Prevalence Rate
11.3 per 1,000 children
OR
1 in 88 children -
2012 CDC Prevalence Rate
14.6 per 1,000 children
OR
1 in 68 children -
DSM-5 (PREVALENCE)
The current diagnosis for autism is Autism Spectrum Disorders.
