Donald Triplett, the first person in the world to be diagnosed with autism, dies at 89.
In 1943, Donald Triplett was the first-ever person to be formally diagnosed with autism. He died last week at the age of 89.
In conclusion, the history of autism dates back over a century, with the term being first used in 1911 by Eugen Bleuler. However, it was not until Leo Kanner's 1943 paper that autism was recognized as a separate condition.
The concept of autism was coined in 1911 by the German psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler to describe a symptom of the most severe cases of schizophrenia, a concept he had also created.
Other autism genes are more recent in evolutionary terms—though they are still more than 100,000 years old.
Can a Dog Have Autism? While some of these behaviors are unique to humans, researchers have found that, in fact, ASD can occur in dogs, but it's called canine dysfunctional behavior (CDB).
Autism is not an illness
It means your brain works in a different way from other people. It's something you're born with. Signs of autism might be noticed when you're very young, or not until you're older. If you're autistic, you're autistic your whole life.
While you can't prevent having a child with an autistic disorder, you can increase your odds of having a healthy baby by doing these lifestyle changes: Live healthy.
Donald Gray Triplett (September 8, 1933 – June 15, 2023) was an American man known for being the first person diagnosed as autistic.
Early descriptions of autistic symptoms
In 1877, British doctor John Down used the term developmental retardation to describe conditions including what would be considered autism today. Also in 1877, German doctor Adolf Kussmaul defined the condition aphasia voluntaria - when people choose not to speak.
Clinicians who encountered autism in the 1950s and 1960s called it by many names. Among them were Kanner's syndrome (named after Leo Kanner), early infantile autism, hyperkinetic disease, and Heller's disease (based on 1908 description by Austrian educator Theodor Heller), also known as dementia infantilis.
It is estimated that worldwide about 1 in 100 children has autism (1). This estimate represents an average figure, and reported prevalence varies substantially across studies.
Long-term research that involved following a group of individuals with autism for two decades indicates that the average life expectancy for some autistic people is about 39 years. Furthermore, this population generally succumbed to health complications about 20 years earlier than individuals who do not have autism.
A new study challenges the theory that autism is largely passed down from mothers. In fact, siblings who are both diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) seem to get a larger portion of their DNA from their father.
Can autism skip a generation? Yes, it's possible for autism to skip a generation. This is because the genes that contribute to autism can be passed down from grandparents to grandchildren, even if the parents do not have the condition.
So, now that you know some of the possible translations for the word, “No,” let me give you some alternatives to teach the same message: Instead of saying: No, you can't have chips right now. Say: First, homework and then chips. Instead of saying: No, you are not allowed to play with the train.
Although the exact cause of autism is still unknown, there is evidence to suggest that genetics play a significant role. Since autism is less prevalent in females, autism was always thought to be passed down from the mother. However, research suggests that autism genes are usually inherited from the father.
Autism is very distinct from ADHD, but the core symptoms of ADHD-Combined type, i.e., attention deficit, impulsivity, and hyperactivity, would appear to also be features of autism. ASD and ADHD are neurobiological disorders characterized by similar underlying neuropsychological “deficits”.
Just like neurotypical individuals, the future of people with ASD depends on their strengths, passions and skillsets. It is important to understand that a diagnosis of ASD does not mean that your child cannot make friends, date, go to college, get married, become a parent, and/or have a satisfying lucrative career.
We respond by avoiding the distressing stimuli—avoidance being another core feature of PTSD. All of this hints at a complex and poorly understood relationship between autism and PTSD. While autism is never caused by trauma, there may be something about living with autism that is inherently traumatic.
Autistic behaviour
Prior to the main behavioural study, the VPA rats were confirmed to show autistic-like behaviours. They demonstrated reduced rearing movements compared to the control rats, as well as reduced vocalisation when separated from their mothers.
The monkeys were closely studied as they grew up
By the time the macaques were 11 months old, they appeared to develop similar traits to humans living with the condition. These include making repetitive gestures such as running around in circles and displaying emotions similar to social anxiety.
Pet attachment, she continues, is related to better mental health in autistic individuals (17:15). The study also found that autistic people use relationships with pets to compensate for social avoidance experienced as a result of social difficulties (16:15).