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Autism – or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as a diagnosis has been with us for a long time yet is still a human condition many don’t truly understand.
It was American child psychiatrist Leo Kanner who first published a paper back in 1943 describing eleven youngsters in his care who were highly intelligent but displayed “a powerful desire for aloneness” and “an obsessive insistence on persistent sameness.” He later named their condition “early infantile autism.”
Instil confidence
These days, the mission for greater support for families living with autism is the focus of April which is globally recognised as Autism Awareness Month. This is when the Autism Society of America urges people to “celebrate differences as it works to build an inclusive society where individuals with autism live fully through connection and acceptance.”