Autism, or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is one such disorder.  With today’s technology, we are able to quickly research and educate ourselves about autism, but that certainly does not make it a new disorder.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest that autism has affected individuals throughout history and that the earliest published accounts of what sounds like autistic behavior date back to the 18^th century.  Historically, as now, there has been no medical test for autism, so observation of behavior remains the way in which autism is diagnosed.

According to the Autism and PPD Support Network, in 1911 Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler first coined the term “autism.”  At that time, the term referred to adult schizophrenia.

It was not until 1943 that Dr. Leo Kanner of Johns Hopkins University described autism for the first time. Basing his discovery on observations of children who had withdrawn from human contact as early as age 1, Kanner’s described what he called term “autistic disturbances of affective contact.”  Around the same time as Kanner’s discovery, German scientist Dr. Hans Asperger described another form of autism, based on his observations of 400 children, which came to be known as Asperger syndrome. Asperger syndrome is a pervasive developmental delay that shares some of the same behaviors as autism.

From Kanner’s observations until the 1960’s, the medical community still thought that children affected by autism were schizophrenic.  It was not until the 1960’s that autism symptoms and treatments were more thoroughly understood.  Today, with an increased public and professional awareness of ASDs, research continues and the definition of autism is changing as we learn more about the disorder.

Naming this disorder as a discrete and treatable condition, then, gave credibility to the disorder and hope for those affected by it.  Surely autism has been around for centuries, but because of the behavioral symptoms associated with it, it was misunderstood and unnamed until recently.

Since Kanner’s original discovery, the criteria used to diagnose ASDs have changed many times.  As with any other complex medical condition, the more research that is done, the more we can learn about the causes, symptoms, and treatments for autism.  The more we learn the less frightening and foreign the disorder will seem, opening doors to further treatments and interventions.

Autism has likely been around throughout history, but it was not until 1911 when, according to the Autism and PPD Support Network, Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler first coined the term “autism.”  At that time, the term referred to adult schizophrenia.

In 1943 Dr. Leo Kanner of Johns Hopkins University described autism for the first time, describing what he called “autistic disturbances of affective contact” in the behavior of children he studied.  Around the same time, German scientist Dr. Hans Asperger described another form of autism which came to be known as Asperger syndrome.

Until the 1960’s, though, the medical community still thought that children affected by autism were schizophrenic.  In the late 1960’s, autism symptoms and treatments began to be more thoroughly understood.

Melissa Hincha-Ownby, in her “History of Autism in the DSM,” states that The Diagnostics and Statistics Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), “is the standard by which autism spectrum disorders are diagnosed in the United States.“

In 1968, when the second DSM was released, autism was still not listed as a discrete category.  Children exhibiting autistic behaviors were diagnosed as having childhood schizophrenia.

The DSM-III was released in 1980 and autism was finally included as a separate diagnostic category. There was just one designation, though:  infantile autism, with just six characteristics listed, all of which had to be present in order for a diagnosis to be made.  In 1987, “infantile” was dropped and the category changed to “autistic disorder.”

1994 brought the release of the most recent DSM, the DSM-IV.  In this edition, the category of pervasive developmental disorders was added, as were several subtypes.  Autistic disorder, as well as Asperger’s Disorder, Rett’s Disorder, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) were included.

In addition to the 4 subtypes of autism, the criteria for diagnosis have changed.  The current DSM lists 16 different symptoms of which a patient need only exhibit 6 in order to be diagnosed.  Keep in mind that there is no medical test for autism and that observation of behavior is the way in which diagnoses are made.  Autism is now commonly referred to as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in order to better define the range of symptoms that are present in those affected by it.

More changes are on the way; the definition is expected to be even further refined in the next release of the DSM.  This progressive refinement and change in the diagnosis of ASD can only help lead to earlier and more accurate diagnoses and treatment.