Leo Kanner Summary

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Leo Kanner, in his study published in 1943, became the first to clinically recognize and define autism (Thompson, 2017). Kanner believed a prominent attribute of children with autism was a lack of capacity to interact with peers and adults. He further asserted that children with autism, a Greek word meaning stereotypy, also exhibited little to no development of language, required environmental constants, and performed repetitious behavior; yet, exhibited success with particular functions (Cautilli, Hancock, Thomas, & Tillman, 2002). For more than 20 years following Kanner’s description, autism was chiefly misdiagnosed and improperly managed, even labeled untreatable. Although research was limited, each notable finding built upon the previous …show more content…

According to Thompson (2017), the conclusion that autism was treatable, as well as the recognized importance of early intervention for behavioral modification were (became) foremost concepts in the evolution of autism research. Additionally, a link between autism and the brain was established, specifically the connection with cerebral dysfunction, such as motor, intellectual, and emotional processes. Lastly, advances in technology drastically altered the diagnostic procedures for individuals with disabilities. For instance, the development of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule and the Autism Diagnostic Interview Revised provided methods to properly diagnose children by the age of 2, many of whom had been overlooked or misdiagnosed. Another technological innovation that broadened the study of autism was the ability to examine brain activity, using imaging machines such as the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), during cerebral functions. Furthermore, advances in genetics and the introduction of applied behavior analysis also contributed to a greater understanding of the causes and treatment of autism (Thompson, …show more content…

(2005) utilized home movies to study the first 12 months of life in children to determine the age and symptoms associated with the inception of ASD. Of the 40 participating children, whose ages at the time of the study ranged from three to 4.8 years old, nearly 88% or 35 children exhibited symptoms, such as a disregard for people, absence of social involvement, lack of eye contact, indifference to activity, and moodiness during their first 12 months of life, while about 12% or five children presented with symptoms in the subsequent year. These findings provided an opportunity to categorize the following quantity and ages at which symptoms began: 24 children classified as very early onset during the first 6 months, 11 children characterized as early onset during months six through 12, and five children categorized as late onset during months 13 through 24. The significance of the results associated with the identification of the three critical periods allows opportunities for enhanced, earlier observations and early intervention strategies primarily from 6 to 12 months of age (Maestro et al.,

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