Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A psychopathogenesis of autism

  • Articles
  • Published:
Child Psychiatry and Human Development Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

It is possible that autistic children are not neurophysiologically abnormal but children with hearing hyperacuity, born into an environment that cannot adapt to them. If so, to them, human sounds are not soothing but frightening. Environmental noises do not arouse curiosity but hurt so much the child withdraws. Because of self-imposed isolation, the child's brain hungers for stimulation, increasing the level of arousal which results in an anxietyevoking experience of sound in addition to pain. Parents mistake the withdrawal as a signal for them to try to communicate more vigorously thereby increasing the child's fear of them. Parents eventually learn to remain cool and aloof but this deprives the child of alternate forms of stimulation. The net result is an information-deprived brain, an inability to interpret auditory symbols and, eventually, irreversible retardation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Freedman N: A reliability study of psychiatric diagnosis in childhood and adolescence.J Child Psychol Psychiatry 12:43–54, 1971.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Churchill DW: The relation of infantile autism and early childhood schizophrenia to developmental language disorders of childhood.J Autism Child Schizo 2:182–197, 1972.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Ornitz EM: The modulation of sensory input and motor output in autistic children.J Autism Child Schizo 4:197–215, 1974.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Student M, Sohmer H: Evidence from auditory nerve and brainstem evoked response for an organic lesion in children with autistic traits.J Autism Child Schizo 8:13–29, 1978.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Condon WS: Multiple response to sound in dysfunctional children.J Autism Child Schizo 5:37–56, 1975.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Bender L, Freedman AM: A study of the first three years in the maturation of schizophrenic children.Q J Child Behav 4:245–272, 1952.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Wolff S, Chess S: An analysis of the language of fourteen schizophrenic children.J Child Psychol Psychiatry 6:29–41, 1965.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Rutt CN, Offord DR: Prenatal and perinatal complications in childhood schizophrenics and their siblings.J Nerv Ment Dis 152:324–331, 1971.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Takahashi S, Kanai H, Miyamoto Y: Reassessment of elevated seratonin levels in blood platelets in early infantile autism.J Autism Child Schizo 6:327–338, 1976.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Goldfarb W et al: A study of psychopathology of parents of psychotic children by structured interview.J Autism Child Schizo 6:327–338, 1976.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Bartak L, Rutter M, Cox A: A comparative study of autism and specific development receptive language disorder.Br J Psychiatry 126:127–145, 1975.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Boucher J: Articulation in early childhood autism.J Autism Child Schizo 6:297–302, 1976.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Cohen DJ et al: Primary childhood aphasia and childhood autism.J Am Acad Child Psychiatry 15:604–645, 1976.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Wallace BR: Negativism in verbal and non-verbal responses of autistic children.J Abnorm Psychol 84:138–143, 1975.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Lovaas OI, Berberick JP, Perloff BF, Shaeffer B: Aquisition of imitative speech by schizophrenic children.Science 151:705–707, 1966.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Ney PG: Operant conditioning of schizophrenic children.Can Psyciatr Assoc J 12:9–15, 1967.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Ney PG, Palvesky AE, Markely J: Relative effectiveness of operant conditioning and play therapy in childhood schizophrenia.J Autism Child Schizo 1:337–349, 1971.

    Google Scholar 

  18. DeMyer MK, Barton S, DeMyer WE, Norton JA, Allen J, Steel R: Prognosis in autism: a followup study.J Autism Child Schizo 3:199–205, 1973.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Myklebust H, Killen J, Bonnochie M: Emotional characteristics of learning disability.J Autism Child Schizo 2:151–162, 1972.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Hermelin B, O'Connor N: Spatial coding in normal, autistic and blind children.Percept Mot Skills 33:127–138, 1971.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Prior MR: Conditional matching learning set performance in autistic children.J Child Psychol Psychiatry 18:183–189, 1977.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Lockyer L, Rutter M: A five to fifteen years follow-up study of infantile psychosis.Br J Psychiatry 115:865–872.

  23. Rachman S, Berger M: Whirling and postural control of schizophrenic children.J Child Psychol Psychiatry 4:137–142, 1963.

    Google Scholar 

  24. Ornitz EM, Brown MB, Mason A, Putnon NH: The effect of visual input on vestibular nystagmus in autistic children.Arch Gen Psychiatry 31:369–375, 1974.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Leach WW: Nystagmus: an integrative neural deficit in schizophrenia.J Abnorm Psychol 60:305–309, 1960.

    Google Scholar 

  26. Ornitz EM: Childhood autism, a review of the clinical and experimental literature.Calif Med J 118:21–47, 1973.

    Google Scholar 

  27. Richer JM, Coss RG: Gaze aversion in autistic and normal children.Acta Psychiatr Scand 53:193–210, 1976.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Hutt C, Forrest SJ, Richer J: Cardiac arrhythmia and behavior in autistic children.Acta Psychiatr Scand 51:136–372, 1975.

    Google Scholar 

  29. Tinbergen E, Tinbergen N.:Early Childhood Autism—An Ethological Approach. Berlin, Hildebrandt & Stephen, 1972.

    Google Scholar 

  30. Koegal RL et al: Identification of consistent responding to auditory stimuli by a functionally deaf autistic child.J Autism Child Schizo 6:147–156, 1976.

    Google Scholar 

  31. Ney, PG.Auditory hyperacuity in autistic children. Unpublished study, University of Illinois, Urbana, 1968.

    Google Scholar 

  32. Davis H: Average evoked response audiometry in North America.Acta Otolaryngol 65:79–86, 1968.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Hermelin B, O'Connor N: Effects of sensory input and sensory dominance on severely disturbed autistic children and on subnormal controls.Br J Psychol 55:241–256, 1964.

    Google Scholar 

  34. Cohen DJ et al: CSF biogenic amines in autistic and atypical children.Arch Gen Psychiatry 31:845–853, 1974.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Lorenz K: Man Meets Dog. London, Methuen & Co., 1955.

    Google Scholar 

  36. Russell TS:Threshold of hearing in children—some difficulties. In W. Taylor (Ed.),Disorder of Auditory Function. London, Academic Press, 1973.

    Google Scholar 

  37. Stephens SDG: Some personality factors influencing hearing. In W. Taylor (Ed.),Disorders of Auditory Function. London, Academic Press, 137–179, 1973.

    Google Scholar 

  38. Eagles EL, Wishik SM, Doerfler LG, Melnick W, Levine HS:Hearing Sensitivity and Related Factors in Children. Pittsburg, University of Pittsburg Press, 1963.

    Google Scholar 

  39. Ney PG: Four types of hyperkinesis.Can Psychiatr Assoc J 19:543–550, 1974.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  40. Kolvin I: Psychosis in childhood: a comparative study. In M. Rutter (Ed.),Infantile Autism-Concepts, Characteristics and Treatment. London, Churchill, 7–26, 1971.

    Google Scholar 

  41. Ritvo ER et al: Correlation of psychiatric diagnosis and EEG findings: a double blind study of 184 hospitalized children.Am J Psychiatry 126:988–996, 1970.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  42. Kameyama T et al: Effects of imipramine on auditory sensitivity in the rat in relation to initial sensitivity.Psychopharmacology 48:199–204, 1976.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  43. Ney PG: Effect of contingent and non-contingent reinforcement on the behavior of an autistic child.J Autism Child Schizo 3:115–127, 1973.

    Google Scholar 

  44. McQuaid PE: Infantile autism in twins.Br J Psychiatry 127:530–534, 1975.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  45. Rutter M, Lockyer L; A five to fifteen year follow-up study of infantile psychosis. I. Description of sample.Br J Psychiatry 113:1169–1182, 1967.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  46. Ney PG, Lieh-Mak F, Cheng R. Chinese autistic children.J Soc Psyciatr, in press.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia Health Sciences Center, V6T 1W5, Vancouver, B.C., Canada

    Philip G. Ney M.D., M.A., F.R.C.P. (C) (Clinical Associate Professor)

Authors
  1. Philip G. Ney M.D., M.A., F.R.C.P. (C)
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ney, P.G. A psychopathogenesis of autism. Child Psych Hum Dev 9, 195–205 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01433694

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01433694

Keywords

Search

Navigation