Table of Contents
Intro
Before big breakthroughs in Autism Spectrum Disorder research, people used to consider people with autism something that they aren’t: Stupid. People have always been afraid of something that they don’t understand and nowadays its easier than ever to just call something “stupid”. That is why before big breakthroughs in ASD Research it was so easy to call someone with ASD “unfixable”. Now that there are real ways to help ASD patients and there is no excuse to call someone “unfixable”, we pose the question: how did we see and treat people with ASD before big breakthroughs in ASD research, and what is different now?
What is ASD?
To truly understand how ASD patients were treated, we first need to examine what it is. Autism spectrum disorder or ASD for short is a range of conditions related to communication and thinking skills. It isn’t cut and dry, it a is a large spectrum of different symptoms, hence the name Autism Spectrum Disorder. The symptoms of autism can include: social interaction issues, poor eye contact, impulsive behavior, repetitive movements, self-harm, or persistent repetition of words or actions, learning disability or speech delay, interest in a limited number of things, problem paying attention, anxiety, change in voice and, sensitivity to sound. With all the symptoms previously mentioned, it can be extremely difficult to spot it, because that it just the nature of a young child. They are very active, can be socially awkward (depending on personality) and, can be very odd at times. Though, the earlier these symptoms are recognized and diagnosed, the easier it will be to help the child keep up in life.
How they were Treated (WW2)
During World War 2, Germany slaughtered millions because of race, religion and other reasons. When it came to children with Autism, they stated, “the Reich has no place for these children who lack social skills.” So, most of them were sent off to child-killing camps. But, people like Hans Asperger who was an Austrian Pediatrician, tried to mold these children to become normal citizens in society. Although in this time it was not called autism, it was called “Asperger Disorder” after Hans Asperger and currently, it was a branch or sub-condition of schizophrenia. This is the start of what we know today, as ASD.
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After WW2, Leo Kanner came on the scene of the semi-newly discovered Asperger’s Syndrome and re-classified it as a mental disorder “Autism” when he published his medical journal “Autistic disturbances of affective contact” in 1934. This raised awareness to the subject and prompted many medical studies, including false ones like The Lancet from 1998 which used flimsy evidence to make a link between the MMR Vaccine and Autism. While now that autism is no longer a branch of Schizophrenia and rather its own condition.
Things have picked up since then, starting a revolution and creating lots of awareness. People now know what it is and how to help others affected. Also, medicine has been developed, tested and used to treat symptoms of ASD. Such medicines as Risperidone (Risperdal). The world changed to help those with autism.
Over time, people began to accept ASD people into entertainment, like movies, and TV Shows. Rain Man, for example follows Charlie, a Car Salesman whom in the wake of his father’s death found out he had an Autistic Brother. Another example, in May 1987 an Autistic Teen, Jerry Frigo, got a job at the Bronx Reference Center of the New York Public Library sorting books, writing order slips, etc. As Autism Awareness grew, the public began to realize that Autism doesn’t mean that someone isn’t intelligent, just that they think differently.
