Social cognition, including areas as diverse as social motivation, emotion recognition, social attention and social learning ( 4), remains a mainstay of research in this area. The focus on psychology and behaviour as core descriptive features of autism has, in many respects, guided research and clinical views and opinions about the condition. Autism ResearchĪs the definition of autism has subtly changed over the years, so ideas and trends in autism research have waxed and waned. We speculate on how such changes might also further develop the concept of autism in years to come. In this paper we highlight some of the more widely discussed changes in areas of research, clinical practice and sociological terms in relation to autism. That autism rarely exists in some sort of diagnostic vacuum is another part of the changes witnessed over the decades following the description of autism. Many of the changes have centred on key issues around the acceptance that autism is an extremely heterogeneous condition both in terms of presentation and also in relation to the genetic and biological complexity underlying its existence. It would be unacceptably speculative however, to define diagnostic changes as being the sole cause of the perceived prevalence increases.Īlongside the growth in numbers of people being diagnosed with autism so there have been changes in other areas related to autism specifically those related to the research, clinical practice and sociological aspects of autism. The widening of the definition of autism has undoubtedly contributed to the significant increase in the numbers of people being diagnosed. Prevalence figures that referred to 4.5 per 10,000 ( 5) in the 1960s have been replaced by newer estimates suggesting that 1 in 59 children (16 per 1,000) present with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in 2014 ( 6). The additional requirement for such behaviours to significantly impact on various areas of day-to-day functioning completes the diagnostic criteria.įrom defining a relatively small group of people, the evolution of the diagnostic criteria for autism has gone hand-in-hand with a corresponding increase in the numbers of people being diagnosed. The core issue of alterations in social cognition affecting emotion recognition and social attention ( 4) remain integral to the diagnosis of autism. The core diagnostic features covering issues in areas of social and communicative interaction alongside the presence of restricted and/or repetitive patterns of behaviour ( 3) described in his small caseload still remain central parts of the diagnosis today. Those changes also offer an insight into what might be further to come for the label of autism.Īlthough there is still debate in some quarters about who first formally defined autism ( 1), most people accept that Kanner ( 2) should be credited as offering the first recognised description of the condition in the peer-reviewed scientific literature. Such changes are to be welcomed, but at the same time bring with them new challenges. Discussions about autism in socio-political terms have also increased, as exemplified by the rise of ideas such as neurodiversity and an increasingly vocal dialogue with those diagnosed on the autism spectrum. Diagnostic changes, increasing moves towards early diagnosis and intervention, and a greater appreciation of autism in girls and women and into adulthood and old age have similarly impacted on autism in the clinic. Shifts in research focus to encompass the massive heterogeneity covered under the label and appreciation that autism rarely exists in a diagnostic vacuum have brought about new questions and challenges. Several key issues have emerged in relation to research, clinical and sociological aspects of autism. Not only have the central diagnostic criteria that define autism evolved but understanding of the label and how autism is viewed in research, clinical and sociological terms has also changed. The concept of autism continues to evolve. ESPA Research, Unit 133i Business Innovation Centre, The Robert Luff Laboratory, Education & Services for People With Autism Research, Sunderland, United Kingdom.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |