Autism
Raveena Patel
May 18, 2010
Social Studies Honors 10
Autism is a very horrifying disease that no parents want their kids to have. This disease is a problem with the development of your brain, which affects one’s lack of communication and social interaction with others. From 1940 to today, Autism has changed dramatically, from people not knowing what to do with people with autism, to putting them in mental hospitals and finally today it is known what autism is and how we can help treat it and not make it as worse. Autism is a disease that has changed a lot throughout the years.
In the 1940’s to about the 1964’s, autism wasn’t a very big topic in people’s minds.
But the first person to ever say the word “autism” in 1911 was Dr. Eugen Bleuler but he said that people had “autism” which described adults suffering from a disease which we call now schizophrenia ("Brief history of autism" 1). In 1943 Dr. Leo Kanner, actually figured out what autism is and the real meaning of what we call it today ("Archive for the
'History of Autism' Category"). But it wasn’t till the 1960’s when autism and schizophrenia were described as two different diseases ("brief history of autism" 1). “Leo Kanner, the psychiatrist who first described autism in the early 1940s, noted that some of his patients had what he termed "islets of ability", in areas such as memory, drawing and puzzles”
("brief history of autism" 1) . In the early days not many people knew what autism was and they got it mixed up with other diseases ("brief history of autism" 1). People that had autism were known as “retards” or “bastards”. But as the years went on Doctors started to figure out more and more and people got to be nicer.
In the 1964’s to about the 1980’s, autism became a little bit more interesting in the world, because people actually saw and wondered what was wrong with people and got more curious. During this time, parents of kids with autism had to pay for their education and had to pay schools to except their kids, and sometimes kids with autism that didn’t have it that bad had to be put in mentally challenged schools. A doctor figured out what autism actual was and not just a disorder with the brain, they figured out some of the symptoms that were caused but autism, but not all of them. Many people with autism during this time period were most likely “probably locked away in mental hospitals because local authorities simply didn't know what do with them or where to put them” ("
HOW AUTISTIC PEOPLE MAY HAVE BEEN TREATED IN THE PAST"). But as the years went on people realized how harsh they were being.
During the time period of 1980’s to Now everything about autism has changed in many ways. Now teachers in regular schools teach kids with autism and have peer tutors to help them out and they are not put in different types of schools. More doctors are advanced with what autism is now a day and they know that it cannot be prevented but kids or adults that have autism can go to a physiatrist to lower their seizures or their tantrums that they may have. Now people have organizations for people who have autism or any kind of metal disabilities were kids or adults can help out and have fun with these kids and it helps them realize that they are not really that much different from everyone around them, and that they can open up to whoever they would like too. More people are caring now a day about people with autism and other diseases which are so much better for our world.
There is so much difference and impact on the world now about what people see in kids or adults with autism. It really makes a difference on one’s perspective. From the
1940’s to today, autism has been rarely known, to people actually knowing what it is, and now people are wanting to know more and wanting to help people with this disease. It really has changed, dramatically through the years, on one’s perspective it has changed in so many good ways which makes our world a better place!
Work Cited
"Autism-World." Archive for the 'History of Autism' Category. N.p., n.d. Web. 19
May 2010.
of-autism/>. "Autism-World." brief history of autism. (2007): 1. Print. "News Scientist ." The advantages of autism . N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2010. autism.html?full=true>. MAY HAVE BEEN TREATED IN THE PAST. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2010. PEOPLE