Introduction to Learning and Cognition in Autism

Abstract

From the perspective of social policy our understanding of autism is summarized in the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III-R) (American Psychiatric Association, 1987). Some would argue that progress in research knowledge is also reflected in the several versions of DSM. These can be summarized as follows: In DSM I and II, autism was not identified as a distinct disorder (1950–1968). Both research and working hypotheses were formulated around Freudian assumptions. These have no significant empirical research support, and proved to be erroneous and ineffective in the long run. The next revision, DSM-III (1980), included autism, defined by the four criteria carried over from Kanner: (1) impaired social relationships, (2) delayed and deviant communication, (3) restricted interests, and (4) onset before 30 months. Autism was largely hypothesized to be a cognitive disorder (Rutter, 1983), with operating definitions often related to the discrepancy scores between performance and verbal subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC). The next revision, DSM-III-R (1987), identified 16 criteria for autism, resulting in a more complex diagnostic decision process. The greater complexity was helpful in accommodating more complex research formulations on the study of social reciprocity, new methodologies, and neurobiological correlates from neuroimaging studies.