The history of autism encompasses various conceptual and treatment approaches, with the understanding of autism having been shaped by cultural, scientific, and societal factors. Pathologized or viewed as beneficial as part of neurodiversity, autism has been subject to various treatments (e.g. electroconvulsive therapy) Progress in scientific understanding of autism has contributed to both treatment and perceptions of autism. The term autism was first introduced by Eugen Bleuler in his description of schizophrenia in 1911. The diagnosis of schizophrenia was broader than its modern equivalent; autistic children were often diagnosed with childhood schizophrenia. The earliest research that focused on children who would today be considered autistic was conducted by Grunya Sukhareva starting in the 1920s. In the 1930s and 1940s, Hans Asperger and Leo Kanner described two related syndromes, later termed Asperger syndrome and infantile autism. Kanner thought that the condition he had described might be distinct from schizophrenia, and in the following decades, research into what would become known as autism accelerated. Formally, however, autistic children continued to be diagnosed under various terms related to schizophrenia in both the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and International Classification of Diseases (ICD), but by the early 1970s, it had become more widely recognized that autism and schizophrenia were in fact distinct disorders, and in 1980, this was formalized for the first time with new diagnostic categories in the DSM-III. Asperger syndrome was introduced to the DSM as a formal diagnosis in 1994, but in 2013, Asperger syndrome and infantile autism were reunified into a single diagnostic category, autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Autistic individuals often struggle with understanding non-verbal social cues and emotional sharing. The development of the web has given many autistic people a way to form online communities, work remotely, and attend school remotely which can directly benefit those experiencing difficulty communicating typically. Societal and cultural aspects of autism have developed: some in the community seek a cure, while others believe that autism is simply another way of being. Although the rise of organizations and charities relating to advocacy for autistic people and their caregivers and efforts to destigmatize ASD have affected how ASD is viewed, autistic individuals and their caregivers continue to experience social stigma in situations where autistic peoples' behaviour is thought of negatively, and many primary care physicians and medical specialists express beliefs consistent with outdated autism research. The discussion of autism has brought about much controversy. Without researchers being able to meet a consensus on the varying forms of the condition, there was for a time a lack of research being conducted on what is now classed as autism. Discussing the syndrome and its complexity frustrated researchers. Controversies have surrounded various claims regarding the etiology of autism.
Autism before the term "autism" (until 1908)
In European folklore
Scholars have suggested that stories of changelings in European folklore may have originated as a folk explanation for autism. The tales involve young children being taken by fairies or other beings, and replaced by changelings. These children were "unresponsive, resistant to affection, did not express emotion, cried a lot or did not speak." Autism may not be initially apparent when a child is very young but become more clear over time, which contributed to the myth that a child had been replaced. The connection between changeling tales and autism was first proposed in 2005 by Australian social scientist Julie Leask. She was prompted into the line of inquiry after hearing a modern mother claim her true child had been "stolen."
Autistic people before "autism" Authors have identified cases, from long before the term "autism" was created, of people who perhaps today would have been diagnosed as autistic. The Table Talk of Martin Luther, compiled by his note taker, Mathesius, contains the story of a 12-year-old boy who may have been Autistic with high support needs. The earliest well-documented case of autism is that of Hugh Blair of Borgue, as detailed in a 1747 court case in which his brother successfully petitioned to annul Blair's marriage to gain Blair's inheritance. Henry Cavendish was a prolific natural philosopher, first published in 1766. During his life, Cavendish was considered eccentric and his behaviour was described as "peculiarly shy" by contemporaries. When researching Cavendish as a subject for a 2001 article in the journal Neurology, neurologist Oliver Sacks determined that evidence for an ASD diagnosis was "almost overwhelming".
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