The evolution of the concept of autism
Michele Zappella
The clinical picture of autism was described 130 years ago and it was given this name and described in detail by Leo Kanner in 1943. Following a period when a precocious dysfunction of the mother-child interaction was inappropriately considered the cause of autism by a number of professionals, in the Seventies studies conducted on twins showed that autism has a neurobiological, often genetic, basis. The myth of autism as a single incurable disease is devastating for families, can misguide professionals, and together with other socio-cultural and economic factors can support the present autism «epidemics» with high prevalence and overdiagnosis. In actual fact, autistic behaviours are present in different neurodevelopmental disorders, usually comorbid with other abnormal behaviour such as language disorders, ADHD, etc., and can have different evolutions, whether spontaneous or following specific treatments. An appropriate differential diagnosis with other syndromes and with clinical pictures where communication is difficult (dyspraxia disorders, language disorders, early onset Tourette syndrome, etc.) is very important for the health of young children.
Keywords
Autism, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Tourette syndrome, oral and manual dyspraxia, language disorders.