Autism is certainly not a new disorder, but it is one about which the public is becoming increasingly more aware. Although the causes are still unknown, ongoing research is making earlier diagnoses and treatments more obtainable now than ever before.
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.