Carter-Autism-Introduction

 Autism:     Introduction:            Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is defined as a neurological disorder that could  potentially  be linked to our genetics. It is thought that it is passed down through our parents, however, the cause of autism is still unknown (Santangelo & Tsatsanis, 2012).   Usually,  ASD is categorized as having complications with things such as social interaction, having little to no interest in things, and behaviors that are considered repetitive (American Psychiatric Association, 2021). Autism can be detected in a child before they become the age of one, but  symptoms  usually become  more  consistent between 2 and 3 years of age (American Psychiatric Association, 2021). Autism is a lifelong challenge and it carries the weight  of having no cure.  Symptoms:      According to the National  Institute  of Mental Health (2023), common  symptoms of ASD are separated into two categories: social communication/ interaction and restrictive/ repetitive behaviors.  So

 Autism: Historical and Contemporary Overview:   Historically autism, as it is known today, was not used as an official diagnosis until the 20th century. (Greydanus &Toledo-Pereyra. 2012) However, autism existed before it was given a name. The first edition of the Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM) put autism as a subcategory of schizophrenia. (American Psychiatric Association. 1952) The very first time the term 'autism' was used was by a psychiatrist named Paul Eugen Bleuler. When Bleuler used the term autism, he was using it to describe schizophrenic patients when they would become distant and withdrawn from those around them. (Greydanus &Toledo-Pereyra. 2012) Originally it was thought that 'autism' was just a way to describe certain symptoms of schizophrenia. In the DSM-5, autism spectrum disorder is split into two separate and unique categories. These include impaired social communication and/ or interaction and restriction and/ or repetitive behavior. (Ame