A Brief History of Autism
Although autism is seen as a relatively recent phenomenon as discussed in the media, the term has a long history, stretching back to the early 1900s.
Early 1900s - The term autism is first used. Initially it was thought to be a form of schizophrenia (and is still frequently misdiagnosed as such); only later was it discovered to be a separate disorder. Asperger's syndrome was discovered around that point, named after the man who discovered it, Hans Asperger.
1950s - From the moment of autism's discovery, people started searching for a cause and in the 50s, psychologists thought they found one - the child's mother. Labeled "refrigerator mothers" these poor women were accused of having caused their child's autism by witholding affection (being "cold") at a critical point of their child's life. Though eventually disproved, this theory was in effect for decades; my own mother was accused of it even though my sister was born in the 90s.
1960s-70s - Aversion therapy was embraced, which is based in behaviorism and trains people with autism to behave normally through shocks or other punishments. The therapy is still in use to this day, although its use has thankfully dwindled greatly. Also in the 60s and 70s, LSD and other medications, along with behavioral modification were experimented with as potential treatments for autism.
1980s - Autism is given its own category for diagnosis in the DSM (the "Bible" of psychology), now finally separate from that of schizophrenia.
1990 - The Americans with Disabilities Act is passed, making it illegal to discriminate against those with disabilities, including autism.
Early 1900s - The term autism is first used. Initially it was thought to be a form of schizophrenia (and is still frequently misdiagnosed as such); only later was it discovered to be a separate disorder. Asperger's syndrome was discovered around that point, named after the man who discovered it, Hans Asperger.
1950s - From the moment of autism's discovery, people started searching for a cause and in the 50s, psychologists thought they found one - the child's mother. Labeled "refrigerator mothers" these poor women were accused of having caused their child's autism by witholding affection (being "cold") at a critical point of their child's life. Though eventually disproved, this theory was in effect for decades; my own mother was accused of it even though my sister was born in the 90s.
1960s-70s - Aversion therapy was embraced, which is based in behaviorism and trains people with autism to behave normally through shocks or other punishments. The therapy is still in use to this day, although its use has thankfully dwindled greatly. Also in the 60s and 70s, LSD and other medications, along with behavioral modification were experimented with as potential treatments for autism.
1980s - Autism is given its own category for diagnosis in the DSM (the "Bible" of psychology), now finally separate from that of schizophrenia.
1990 - The Americans with Disabilities Act is passed, making it illegal to discriminate against those with disabilities, including autism.
1998 - Vaccines began to be blamed as causing autism, leading to many parent's refusal to vaccinate their children and the rise of chelation therapy as a proposed therapy or cure for children with autism. The term neurodiversity is first published in an article by Harvey Blume in The Atlantic.
2002 - Vernon Smith received a Nobel Prize in Economics, later citing his autism as the source of the concentration that enabled him to do so well in his research.
2005 - Autism Speaks was founded, merging two years later with Cure Autism Now.
2010 - The paper which led to the rise of the MMR vaccine controversy was retracted, having been proven fraudulent. That same year, Temple Grandin, a film about a real-life story woman with autism and her transformation into an advocate for those on the spectrum, was released and later won an Emmy.
2002 - Vernon Smith received a Nobel Prize in Economics, later citing his autism as the source of the concentration that enabled him to do so well in his research.
2005 - Autism Speaks was founded, merging two years later with Cure Autism Now.
2010 - The paper which led to the rise of the MMR vaccine controversy was retracted, having been proven fraudulent. That same year, Temple Grandin, a film about a real-life story woman with autism and her transformation into an advocate for those on the spectrum, was released and later won an Emmy.
*In making this article, I used A History of Autism, from WebMD.
Movements for forced sterilization of people with disabilities, including autism, are also an important and terrible part of the history of autism. This history plays a very real role in current fears in the autism community of prenatal testing for autism leading to eugenics, which was also the justification behind forced sterilizations in the past. While it's not included in the timeline, you can read a separate timeline here, which takes you all the way up to the most recent instance of forced sterilization (in 1981 Oregon).
