History of the Autism Diagnosis– How the Perspectives Have Changed

This publication is included in the Autistic Autism Scholarship Project. one author of this publication is identified as autistic in the project.

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Lang, H. M. (2025). History of the Autism Diagnosis– How the Perspectives Have Changed. Health Care Analysis, 33(4), 337-348. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10728-025-00527-0

Publication date: 29 May 2025 Added to AutiHub: 26 Oct 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
Publisher source (DOI) OpenAlex source

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Authors

Publication authors
1
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 1 (100.0%)
  1. Heldi Marleen Lang *

Abstract

The diagnosis and perception of autism have undergone significant transformations throughout history. Initially conceptualised as a symptom of schizophrenia, autism later emerged as a distinct diagnosis, evolving into the broader classification of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This essay explores the main shifts in the understanding of autism throughout its history and different approaches to its treatment. While the traditional psychiatric perspective aligns with a naturalist view of disease, the Neurodiversity Movement advocates for a normative approach, emphasising societal adaptation over medical intervention. The study examines historical milestones, including the contributions of Eugen Bleuler, Grunya Sukhareva, Leo Kanner, and Hans Asperger, alongside the conceptual transition from low- and high-functioning autism to the spectrum model. It also discusses the implications of language in shaping autism discourse, highlighting the shift from person-first to identity-first terminology. The essay ultimately argues that the expansion of the autism diagnosis supports the neurodiversity paradigm, which fosters greater inclusion and empowerment of neurodivergent individuals. However, considerations of severity and linguistic framing remain crucial in advancing this perspective.

Bibliography cited by this reference

Cited references are imported from external metadata sources when they are available. The list may be partial.

Cited bibliography overview

These indicators describe the bibliography cited by this publication. An author name is counted each time it appears in one cited reference, so the same person can be counted more than once. Names not yet linked to an author already present in AutiHub are treated as unknown, not as non-autistic. Last computed: 27 Oct 2026 10:35.

Cited references
26
With a DOI
20
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
5
2 / 26 (7.7%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
5 / 26 (19.2%)
References with detected author names
22 / 26 (84.6%)
Without detected author names
4
Without a structured title
5
Without a stable identifier
5
References with raw author names still to review
4
References with external metadata lookup issues
1
These indicators apply to cited references displayed on this page, after technical duplicates have been merged. A reference without a DOI can still support author statistics when a title and author names are available.
Author names detected in the cited bibliography
36
From DOI or external metadata
36
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
14
12 / 36 (33.3%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 24 / 36 (66.7%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
7 / 36 (19.4%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 7 / 12 (58.3%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 6 / 34 (17.6%).
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