The Metamorphosis of Autism : A History of Child Development in Britain

This book explains the current fascination with autism by linking it to a longer history of childhood development. Drawing from a staggering array of primary sources, it traces autism back to its origins in the early twentieth century and explains why the idea of autism has always been controversial and why it experienced a 'metamorphosis' in the 1960s and 1970s. The book locates changes in psychological theory in Britain in relation to larger shifts in the political and social organisation of schools, hospitals, families and childcare. It explores how government entities have dealt with the psychological category of autism. The book looks in detail at a unique children's 'psychotic clinic' set up in London at the Maudsley Hospital in the 1950s. It investigates the crisis of government that developed regarding the number of 'psychotic' children who were entering the public domain when large long-stay institutions closed. The book focuses on how changes in the organisation of education and social services for all children in 1970 gave further support to the concept of autism that was being developed in London's Social Psychiatry Research Unit. It also explores how new techniques were developed to measure 'social impairment' in children in light of the Seebohm reforms of 1968 and other legal changes of the early 1970s. Finally, the book argues that epidemiological research on autism in the 1960s and 1970s pioneered at London's Institute of Psychiatry has come to define global attempts to analyse and understand what, exactly, autism is. "What is autism and where has it come from? Increased diagnostic rates, the rise of the 'neurodiversity' movement, and growing autism journalism, have recently fuelled autism's fame and controversy. The metamorphosis of autism is the first book to explain our fascination with autism by linking it to a longer history of childhood development. Drawing from a staggering array of primary sources, Bonnie Evans traces autism back to its origins in the early twentieth century and explains why the idea of autism has always been controversial and why it experienced a 'metamorphosis' in the 1960s and 1970s. Evans argues that changes in the way that we observe, understand and think about child development have fuelled reported increases in autism and led to current debates about neurodiversity. She explains how 'the first autism' of the early twentieth century spawned a new industry of child psychology focused on ego development and human relations. It was only after the closure of 'mental deficiency' institutions in the late 1950s that autism took on new meanings as an epidemiological entity. This enabled the 'metamorphosis' of autism and turned it into the phenomenon that we all know today. Evans takes the reader on a journey of discovery from the ill-managed wards of 'mental deficiency' hospitals, to high powered debates in the houses of parliament, and beyond. The study explains how children's rights and psychological models of autism have always been inextricably linked, and why this should make us reconsider how we think about autism. This book will appeal to a wide market of scholars and others interested in autism, neurodiversity and how this relates to wider theories of children's psychological development." This electronic version has been made available under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-ND) open access license. This book is available as an open access ebook under a CC-BY-NC-ND licence. What is autism and where has it come from? Increased diagnostic rates, the rise of the'neurodiversity'movement, and growing autism journalism, have recently fuelled autism's fame and controversy. The metamorphosis of autism is the first book to explain our current fascination with autism by linking it to a longer history of childhood development. Drawing from a staggering array of primary sources, Bonnie Evans traces autism back to its origins in the early twentieth century and explains why the idea of autism has always been controversial and why it experienced a'metamorphosis'in the 1960s and 1970s. Evans takes the reader on a journey of discovery from the ill-managed wards of'mental deficiency'hospitals, to high-powered debates in the houses of parliament, and beyond. The book will appeal to a wide market of scholars and others interested in autism. Front matter Dedication Contents List of figures Acknowledgements Introduction Part I The first autism The first autism The first autism controversies Inside the Maudsley Child Psychotic Clinic in the 1950s Part II How autism became autism The transformation of social life and the transformation of autism in the 1960s How do you measure a social impairment? Epidemiology, epidemics and autism as a global health crisis Conclusion Abbreviations for Archives and Government Acts Bibliography Index This is the first detailed exploration of the history of autism in the UK. Drawing from extensive and highly original archival research as well as investigations of published literature it describes the political, social and institutional background which made the study and increased diagnosis of autism possible. -- .