How did autism get its name?

Answer 1

The term autism came about decades before the disorder was recognized. Autismus, the New Latin word that autism is derived from, was coined by the Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler in 1910. He used the term as a descriptor of symptoms of schizophrenia. The word Autismus was derived from the Greek word autos meaning morbid self-admiration which is in reference to the tendency of his patients to have a preference to be alone. It was not until 1938 that this word was used in its current sense. Austrian Hans Asperger began using Bleuler's term "autistic psychopaths" when studying an autism spectrum disorder that was eventually named after him, Asperger's Disorder. This disorder was not classified as a different diagnosis from autism until 1994 (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). Around the same time of Asperger's studies in Austria, American Leo Kanner (1943) began studying what he called "early infantile autism." He was also the first person to use the English word "autism" in 1943 when he identified 11 children with very similar behaviors. Many of the characteristics that Kanner used to describe early infantile autism are still used today when describing autism, such as social impairments and insistence on sameness.

Answer 2

Leo Kanner studied children whom he described as having "autistic disturbances." The condition gained the name "autism." Hans Asperger studied children whose condition he labeled "autistic psychopathy." It is interesting that they both used the word "autistic" to describe very similar conditions.

At one time, autism was called "childhood schizophrenia."

Answer 3

It comes from the Greek word "autos", meaning "self". Eugen Bleuler used the term to describe a symptom, and both Leo Kanner and Hans Asperger used the term for the people they discovered.

source: autism: explaining the enigma by Uta Frith

Answer 4

1943 - Leo Kanner - an Austrian-American child psychologist was the first to recognize autism as an independent mental disorder. Kanner described a group of 11 children having the following common characteristics:

o Displaying anguish with changes

o Problems with social interaction

o Delayed echolalia (vocally repeating the sounds or words of another)

o Good memory

o Overly sensitive to specific stimulants, particularly sound

o Problems with food

o Difficulty being spontaneous

o Notable intellectual potential

Kanner labeled the behaviors of these 11 children as having early infantile autism.

o 1944 - Hans Asperger - an Austrian scientist and pediatrician, wrote about his experiences with a group of children he came to call autistic psychopaths. Asperger noted many of the same traits in the children that Kanner studied. However, the one trait he did not mention was the delayed echolalia. Instead, he noted that his group of children spoke like "little grown-ups". Asperger also mentioned their clumsy motor skills that were different from the average child. If the name Asperger looks familiar, this is because he plays a major role in the history of autism in regards to Asperger Syndrome, now recognized as a specific type of high functioning autism.