When was therapy for autism invented?

Answer 1

It depends on what therapy you mean. Some effective therapies include speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy and applied behavior analysis.

In the 1800s, the first special education programs were started. These weren't specifically aimed at autism (since autism wasn't identified as a distinct diagnosis), but certainly included some autistic students. Victor, the Wild Boy of Aveyron, who some historians suspect was actually an abandoned autistic child, received extensive education from Itard, one of the early names in special education.

Speech therapy can help a child learn to use language effectively. Some children remain nonverbal but are able to learn to use sign language or picture exchange communication. Some nonverbal adults speak with communication devices. The first book on speech disorder was written in 1882 by Samual Potter, and included several recommendations for treatment of various conditions.

Occupational therapy has apparently been around since the 1700s. Today, it is used for autism to help with the patient's fine motor control, the ability to control the physiologic movements of the body. This helps with an autistic person's self stimulatory behaviors and sensory seeking behaviors, and can also strengthen some of the muscles used when implementing precise tasks such as, say, properly holding a pen.

Physical therapy has been around about as long as medicine. It is used when a patient suffers an injury, but can be used to help an autistic person with what is referred to as gross motor control, the larger, more basic movements of the body, like walking. Some people with autism may have poor muscle tone or other motor problems. Physical therapy can help them with this.

Applied behavioral analysis evolved from research by individuals such as John B Watson and BF Skinner during the early 1900s. In the 1960s, Lovaas began using ABA in the treatment of autism, claiming in a landmark study that 47% of children treated with ABA were 'indinstinguishable from their peers'. This finding has never been replicated, but ABA has been shown to be a highly effective educational technique for autism. The basis for this therapy is the concept that systematic reinforcement of desired behaviors will make them more frequent.

Only in recent years have any of the above therapies been considered medically necessary and been therefore covered by medical insurance. Some insurance plans do not cover any autism therapies what-so-ever. Some plans will not cover therapies they deem to be educational, like occupational, physical and speech therapies, which all involve "learning" to do things differently. But all of the above have been shown to be effective.

There is also controversy regarding ethical concerns of autism treatment. While no one can argue that it's not a good thing to help a child gain important skills, many autistic self-advocates argue that therapies aimed at changing autistic behavior such as avoidance of eye contact and hand-flapping are unethical, since this behavior serves a purpose for the child and is not harmful to themselves or others. They contend that rather than seeking to teach an autistic child to behave normally, therapies should focus on helping the child function well in their own autistic way.