HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF, OR DOES IT? A LOOK AT THE HISTORY OF AUTISM AND HOW FAR WE HAVE COME IN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF IT.

By Rachel ANDERSEN

Owen sat in the school psychologist’s office, the remnants of a torrent of tears still on his face from his recent meltdown. Ms. Field held up two corks, tucked them in between her thumbs and forefingers and said, “Owen, watch this.” She then turned her hands to the sides and switched the corks to the opposite hands in one efficient motion.

Owen’s eyes were wide, and of course he wanted to try it. It didn’t work. Before he became too frustrated, Ms Field explained to him that the trick could not be done on the first try by anyone; it required knowledge and practice because the way our brains work prevents us from doing it on our own immediately.

In order to do the trick, he had to learn from someone with experience and skill to teach him and practice until he was good at it. Then he could show off his skill to others and pay it forward.

This all happened just a few days after Owen was diagnosed with severe ADHD and autism spectrum disorder. Like Ms. Field, the doctor who diagnosed him was relying on, not just her knowledge and skill, but others’ from years and years ago.

Today, I want to look into autism evolution and see what information and enlightenment we can glean from history. How did autism even become a thing?

How long has autism spectrum disorder been affecting human evolution, and how has it shaped our world today? Let’s find out!

History of the autism spectrum

We know how far autism research has come just in the last few years. Even the way autism spectrum disorder has been defined is different now than it was 10 years ago. I can only imagine how different it is now from when human beings first realized autistic traits existed and began documenting and studying it.