"Autism's First Child"

Recently, the Atlantic Monthly published an article called "Autism's First Child" by John Donvan and Caren Zucker. It is the story of Donald Triplett, age 77, the first child the renowned Dr. Leo Kanner would come to observe. Dr. Kanner, after weeks of watching Donald, began to realize that nothing in the psychiatric literature gave him any clue as to what was the reason for Donald's unusual behaviors. After working with another 10 children very similar to Donald, he finally published the now classic paper outlining the symptoms of autism. Kanner described the 11 children as having a basic inability to relate to others, failure to use language to convey meaning, and a desire to maintain 'sameness'. The children demonstrated anxiety, and all were described as having very specific and intense interests in certain objects or topics. He described how they indulged in repetitive, sometimes self destructive behaviors and preferred to be alone. Kanner noted the sometimes very good cognitive abilities, excellent memory for details and visual spatial skills, and often precocious literacy. Amazingly, Kanner also felt the condition was congenital, distinguished it from schizophrenia and noted that half of the children had unusually large head circumferences. Also, he noted some familial similarities. Some parents were very detail oriented, and some parents and siblings had experienced language delays and symptoms of autism themselves. Ear infections were noted, as were the unusual appetite and eating patterns.

Kanner, in 1943, described many of the features necessary for the diagnosis today, but very quickly, the psychiatric climate changed. With Dr. Bruno Bettleheim came the idea of "refrigerator mothers" - mothers and fathers who in their hearts, really wished their children with autism were dead. That theory was essentially debunked in the late 60s, but psychoanalysis still was insistent that these children required "play therapy" to help them renounce their anger. And many people still viewed autism as an emotional problem well into the 90s.

Imagine where we would be if all the research that has gone into autism, albeit mostly in the last few years, had started in 1943. All the descriptive information noted by Dr. Kanner would have put us ahead by light years from where we are now. Check out Donald's story - it gives one hope!

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Visiting the Boston Higashi School

Last week, I was lucky enough to have been invited to visit the Boston Higashi school. The staff there were extremely generous with their time and allowed me to observe their classes for most of the day, talk with them about their life therapy program, and share information about the Morgan Autism Center. It was very difficult to conceal my considerable envy at their facilities - 55 beautiful acres just outside of Boston. I left downtown Boston in rush hour traffic and returned in late afternoon rush hour. Each way was only about 30 minutes. Unbelievable!

The most rewarding aspect of my visit though was as I was sharing our philosophy with their staff and we realized we have a very common belief in how people with autism should be educated and appreciated. Although our programs are quite different, there is much we can learn from one another. Certainly, we know that physical activity is beneficial for all of us, but the Higashi school incorporates it completely into their curriculum. I saw all the students jogging the mile around their campus in the morning, doing dance and physical games throughout the day. That was wonderful, and clearly invigorating! Then there is the music and art that are also part of the curriculum and not considered extra. And we know that students with autism, with their significant communication difficulties, need alternative ways to express themselves. Art, music, and dance are another outlet for their creativity. The music program at the Higashi school is infused throughout the day. The jazz group I heard play at the end of the day was positively exhilarating! What talent and what fun they were having.

We are looking forward to more opportunities to collaborate with the Higashi school, and we expect them to present at our 2011 fall conference. It would be wonderful for more people to understand their program and be inspired by their model of treating the whole person.