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Theory Of Autism

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Autism or autism spectrum disorder is a widespread mental condition that is known to incapacitate people with communication and forming relationships. Autism is believed to have been around since the beginning of mankind, but it was first diagnosed as a disorder in 1908, and revised and clarified during the 1930s. Two percent of children in the United States are affected by autism, which equates to 1 in 45. With such a large percentage of children having autism, many people know someone who is affected. To fully understand autism in today’s society, one must know what this disorder is, the history, symptoms, statistics and the options for treatment. Spectrum refers to the wide variations of challenges and strengths possessed by each person with autism. …show more content…

The first case of Autism, diagnosed by Dr. Leo Kanner in 1934, involved a five-year-old boy named Donald Triplett. Donald Triplett had an aptitude for naming musical notes, music, multiplying numbers, identifying patterns, and the alphabet. Australian -American psychiatrist Leo Kanner, who was best known for work in Autism, originated the “Refrigerator Mother Theory “He professed that autism was a psychological disorder that was developed in children due to their emotionally cold mothers. This theory was further supported in the 1950’s by Austrian born psychoanalyst Bruno Bettelheim, who argued that autism was caused by the mental damage from mothers (History or Autism). In the 1970’s, - Eric Schopler and Robert Reichler conducted a study of twins where at least one of the two children showed symptoms of infantile autism (History or Autism). The study showed possible causes of autism to include brain injury and possibly genetic predisposition, but remained uncertain as to what might be

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