Autism: Definition
The word autism comes from the Greek word “auto” and can be translated to selfish-ism. The autism spectrum is also called autism spectrum disorders (ASD) or autism spectrum conditions (ASC), with the adjective autistic sometimes replacing the noun autism.
Categorization
Autism is a spectrum of psychological conditions characterized by widespread abnormalities of social interactions and communication as well as restricted interests and repetitive behavior (http://www.statemaster.com/encyclopedia/Asperger-Syndrome). Asperger’s syndrome can be seen as a mild form of autism, and in DSM-5, Asperger’s was moved to sort under autism.
Natural History
Autism was first described in 1911 by Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler (1857–1939) who mentioned, not too distinctly, two forms: schizophrenic autism and infantile autism. Both terms have been taken up by later psychiatrists and applied, confusingly, to a number of apparently different groups of disordered and socially isolated...
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Lingh, S. (2016). Alexithymia. In: Volkmar, F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_102035-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_102035-2
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Alexithymia- Published:
- 09 February 2016
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_102035-2
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Alexithymia- Published:
- 09 May 2015
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_102035-1