Autism: Biological Defect or Psychogenic Disorder

Miriam Webster defines autism as “A variable developmental disorder that appears by age three and is characterized by impairment of the ability to form normal social relationships, by impairment of the ability to communicate with others, and by stereotyped behavior patterns” (Miriam Webster’s Dictionary) Leo Kanner and Hans Asperger, the two scientists credited with first references to autism had rather different points of view on the subject. Whereas the former saw autism as being a result of bad parenting, the latter defined it as a biological condition, something people are born with (Sacks, 247). Although much research is done on the subject it is still impossible to diagnose autism before a child is about two years of age. Various programs exist which try to diagnose autism as early as possible and see if an early intervention can make a difference. If the early detection is possible there could be treatments that could affect whether a child will have a chance of leading a somewhat normal life.

When hear the word “autism” the first thing that comes to mind is a troubling image of a underdeveloped child who cannot function normally. However, when autistic children grow up they can become “high-functioning” individuals with Asperger’s syndrome (Sacks, 247). A great example of such a high-functioning individual is Temple Grandin, a rather famous person who achieved a lot in her life even though she has been diagnosed with autism. Oliver Sacks describes Temple Grandin in great detail clearly showing that even though she lives somewhat normal life she still does unusual things and has unusual preferences: for example she prefers a cattle box to a human hug. This strange affection can be traced back to her childhood, when a pleasure of a hug from a favorite aunt was offset by terror and engulfment (Sacks, 263). She loves the ability to control the pressure the machine will exert on her.

An opposite of the Asperger’s syndrome, the classical infantile...