| Although some medical scientists agreed upon the | | | | (regarded separately from intellectual |
| new features discovered and explained by | | | | development); |
| Kanner, others didn't accept his ideas, claiming that | | | | - Poor adaptation skills, stereotype behaviors and |
| autism couldn't be separated from other | | | | insistence on routine. |
| neurological disorders. Many medical scientists | | | | While Kanner claimed that autism and intellectual |
| disagreed with Kanner and completely refused to | | | | retardation should be regarded as two separate, |
| see autism as a distinctive syndrome. This was | | | | distinctive units, Rutter revealed that the concept |
| due to the fact that Kanner failed to clarify | | | | of autism included some degree of intellectual |
| various aspects of autism, leaving serious gaps in | | | | retardation. Rutter refused to accept that autism |
| his research. | | | | should be diagnosed without measuring the levels |
| By contrast, scientists who accepted Kanner's | | | | of performance intelligence and proved that |
| ideas quickly began to apply his model of diagnosis | | | | Kanner's syndrome and impaired cognitive |
| in their psychiatric practice. However, considering | | | | functions went hand in hand. While this fact may |
| the fact that Kanner's concept of autism was | | | | seem controversial and contradictory to Kanner's |
| confusing, most medical scientists who adopted | | | | findings, the truth is that the Austrian scientist |
| his theories applied the model of diagnosis too | | | | failed to correctly measure the IQ levels of the |
| widely. Due to misinterpretation of Kanner's ideas, | | | | subjects he studied. In fact, Kanner only |
| more and more people who suffered from | | | | discovered good memory and logical skills in his |
| neurological disorders were inappropriately | | | | subjects, not accounting for other aspects of |
| diagnosed with autism. | | | | performance intelligence. Rutter explained that in |
| The concept of autism was finally clarified by | | | | spite of their good memory and good logical skills, |
| Rutter in the late 70's. Rutter introduced new | | | | most autistics present some degree of impaired |
| terminologies and developed new theories that | | | | mental judgment. |
| would adjust the overall interpretation of autism. | | | | Rutter's work had clarified many aspects of |
| In an attempt to eliminate the confusion that | | | | autism, enabling medical scientists to diagnose the |
| surrounded the concept of autism, Rutter focused | | | | syndrome in a more precise and approachable |
| his work on improving Kanner's model of diagnosis. | | | | manner. Rutter's improved model of diagnosis was |
| Some of the new criteria introduced by Rutter in | | | | a huge step forward in the practice of psychiatry, |
| the process of diagnosing autism were: | | | | clarifying certain aspects omitted by his |
| - Onset of the syndrome in early childhood, by | | | | predecessors. Although there are still many |
| the age of 30 months; | | | | uncertain aspects regarding the syndrome |
| - Abnormal social development (regarded | | | | identified by Kanner, nowadays medical scientists |
| separately from intellectual development); | | | | are able to correctly diagnose children with autism. |
| - Slow and impaired development of speech | | | | |