Since April is now known as Autism Acceptance Month, a change from Autism Awareness Month a few years ago, we thought this year we’d explore the history of autism awareness in the U.S., how it has evolved, and why we celebrate autism acceptance today.
Knowing where we come from is always a good way to ensure we’re on the right path and moving in the right direction. And the good news is, we are!
So, let’s look at some milestones along our journey to Autism Acceptance Month.
Starting in the 1800s
Even though the word and the diagnosis of autism didn’t exist in the 19th century, researchers claim autism awareness can be traced backed to before the Civil War. Their analysis, spotlighted in the Smithsonian Magazine, explains how a doctor’s work surveying “intellectually impaired citizens” as part of a state-funded project suggests the diagnosis for many of those citizens “appear to constitute the earliest known collection of systematically observed people with probable autism in the United States.”
The magazine article states that the doctor’s final report consisted of 45 pages of tabulated data collected from observing 547 people. The data included a wide range of measurements as well as intellectual and verbal capacities, revealing many of the common symptoms of autism we know today, like below average use of language and echolalia (repeating words and phrases), among others.
Skipping ahead to the 20th century
According to this article, the first historical appearance of the word autism was made in 1911 by the psychiatrist Eugene Bleuler. He used the word to describe a set of symptoms associated with schizophrenia that had to do with extreme social withdraw.
But it wasn’t until the late 1930s until we see the word autism first appear in medical literature. It took several more years and a new decade before autism was first characterized as a distinct condition and conceptualized within the field of childhood psychosis or schizophrenia.
Two of the most influential names from that period were Dr. Leo Kanner and Hans Asperger. Kanner characterized autism as a social and emotional disorder, while Asperger described autism as a disorder of normal intelligence children who have difficulties with social and communication skills. Their combined contributions in the study of autism helped to get autism classified as a disorder separate from schizophrenia in 1980.
It wasn’t until 2013 when the American Psychiatric Association combined all subcategories of autism and related conditions into one unified category, thus creating the idea of being on the autism spectrum.
Along comes the Autism Society
In 1965, the Autism Society was founded, growing from a handful of parents into a leading source of information, research, reference, and support on the autism experience. It is said to be the oldest and largest grassroots autism organization, that helps over half a million people in the U.S. every year through advocacy, education, support, and services.
Seven years on, they organized in 1972 what they hoped would become an annual event, the National Autistic Children’s Week. It was to be an awareness campaign taking place every April with the goal of bringing to light the fact that autism was the fastest-growing developmental disability in the world.
That campaign grew and would eventually become Autism Awareness Month here in the U.S. But awareness was growing internationally as well. In 2007, April 2nd was designated by a United Nations resolution to be World Autism Awareness Day.
Today, we have all kinds of symbols that keep autism awareness top of mind, like blue lights, all the colors of the rainbow which signifies the diverse experiences within the autism community, and the infinity symbol representing the infinite potential of people with autism. And we can’t forget the puzzle ribbon. It’s been around since 1999!
Hello Autism Acceptance Month
Almost 50 years since the creation of National Autistic Children’s Week, the Autism Society in cooperation with other organizations changed Autism Awareness Month to Autism Acceptance Month. As reported by NPR, the change represented a long-held belief by autism advocates, specifically within the neurodiversity movement, that the annual event should be about helping people with autism lead more fulfilling lives rather than treating the condition like an illness.
The team here at The Behavior Exchange couldn’t agree more! We’d add that autism awareness remains a critical first step. To ensure all children with autism can experience more fulfilling lives, their parents first need to be aware of autism and the signs to look for in their kiddos.
Early interventions for autism, like the gold standard of ABA therapy, have proven to result in better and longer-lasting outcomes for children with autism. The earlier they’re diagnosed, the earlier they can get treatment when it counts the most.
Put your child with autism on the path to a more fulfilling life. Get started today and make this April Autism Action Month!
