Social Studies of Autism

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by socio-communicative impairments and restricted interests and repetitive behaviours. While autism is today diagnosed in approximately 1 in 100 children, and retrospectively observed throughout history, it was described for the first time only in the 1940s and seen only rarely until more recently still. Some of the broad social, and specific scientific, developments which led to the contemporary form and shape of autism are here outlined. Social developments include the advent of psychology, the onset of compulsory education, and the widespread deinstitutionalisation which occurred in the 1960s. Consideration of scientific change is centred on the move away from psychoanalytic concepts and towards the methods of biology and cognitive psychology. These changes are placed into dialogue with the self-advocacy movement and consideration of the ethical and conceptual challenges that these movements have ushered in.