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While having a browse of some older blog posts on Autism Gadfly, it
struck me that I should do a detailed article on this subject.
A common argument by the mercury militia is that there was no Autism before thiomersal was introduced in 1931 (I touch on this in the Myth article). Kanner discovered something brand new. This is not true.
The more we understand about the Spectrum, we make the adjustments accordingly. The application of the work done by Hans Asperger altered many things about Kanner's work resulting in the DSM-IV changes.
Now consider this. It is statistical fact that the rise in Spectrum related diagnosis went up as a result and more importantly the diagnosis of both mental retardation and specific learning disorder dropped at the same rate. So how long have those two diagnosis results been in the medical system? MR has no particular reference, but it has a clear history in language dating way back to the dark ages. So it follows that it is possible that there were Spectrum people amongst those labelled by society as mentally retarded - AKA all the words that you would find in a thesaurus under idiot or imbecile.
MR did have one crucial change in the DSM-IV. The IQ level. It is now impossible to get an MR diagnosis if the IQ is above 70. Prior to the DSM-IV this was possible. It says plenty about where the HFA's were in the
diagnostic process before Kanner.
The history of SLD is more obscure, but the two are related. SLD - I assume - relates specifically to education. I would guess that this diagnosis rose out of MR diagnosis results for children who struggled in school for no reason that anyone could work out.
When you take these two factors into account, just consider what would have happened to people who had these sorts of conditions back before World War 2. A history lesson in the state of medical treatment in the area of psychiatry is critical here, as is a history lesson in the way society viewed those who were seen as "retarded". And government reactions as well. It all led to one place - a lunatic asylum, or a sanitarium as some places called them. This served one of two purposes. Desperate treatments through primitive drugs and behavioural therapy that was violent and aggressive - or permanent isolation. Both resulted in early death. This is why prevalence rates amongst the older population doesn't match up.
In 2007 I tried to see if it was possible to look into this through the one old asylum I knew that used to exist in Yarra Bend in Melbourne. It was closed a long time ago, and I think what was left went to Kew Cottages (which more recently has also closed). Unfortunately medical privacy got in the way - and I suspect there may have been more to it than that. Hiding the methods that were used by those places and who was affected. Understandable to a degree, but not helpful.
I'm going to find another way to get those statistics. I am certain that the Yarra Bend Asylum had Autistic residents. And it wouldn't have been the only place. There is no doubt in my mind that a large number of MR diagnosis results should have been on the Spectrum, going back to before 1943 and even 1931. There is no way that anyone in the mercury militia can dismiss this with any level of confidence. None. Such was the secrecy of the asylum culture. Society at the time looked on asylums as halls of shame to be hidden from posterity. When the day comes that the shroud of secrecy is finally removed - the irrefutable proof will come to light.
Autism existed before 1943. The whole Spectrum existed before 1943.
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