Dr.+Leo++Kanner

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 * Shaker Name:** Dr. Leo Kanner


 * Basic Work:** Doctor at John’s Hopkins Hospital, discovered Austism.


 * Key Work:** Children were found with many disorders that changed their lives, as well as the lives of their families around them. No one could come up with a conclusion to what this problem was until Dr. Kanner studied particular cases. After studying the children, and the name Autism came about, there was a development of an autism spectrum. This spectrum was able to categorize children in levels based on their abilities. Indicators included: does not babble, point or make meaningful gestures by age 1, does not speak one word by age 16 months, does not combine two words by age 2, does not respond to name, and loses language or social skills. This then enabled parents to work with this spectrum when choosing proper schooling for their children.


 * Key Personnel:** Dr. Leo Kanner and Dr. Hans Asperger. Dr. Hans Asperger was a German scientist studying at the same time, which developed a milder form of the disorder naming it Asperger’s syndrome.


 * Why/How a shaker?** Dr. Kanner studied a group of eleven children and came up with the name “early infantile autism”. This was the first time it was presented into the English language. Autism is on the rise and now it affects about 3.4 percent to every 1,000 children ages three to ten. Now because there is such a disorder, children are put into proper classes depending on what level they fall onto on the autism spectrum. More functioning autistic children can be put into classes with children that don’t have autism, while the low functioning autistic children usually stay with children with the same disorder, with a great teacher to children ratio. Dr. Hans Asperger studied at the same time and came up with the milder form of this disorder naming it after himself, Asperger’s syndrome. If child is diagnosed with either of these syndromes there is a lot of help out there. For each child that is eligible for special programs, the states guarantee a special education program. There is no specific treatment for either, but early intervention is extremely important. Both of these disorders are now listed in the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders”.


 * Links:** [|http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/autism/complete-publication.shtml#pub6]