Refrigerator Mom Theory Of Autism

Autism is a growing ‘problem’ epidemic’ in the world today. Autism is defined as neurobehavioral complex disorder that affects how a person communicates and interacts with others and also sometimes repetitive behaviors. http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/understanding-autism-basics. Autism was first identified by an MD, Leo Kanner, at the John Hopkins University Medical School in 1943. There are many different types of autism, making it a very complex disorder. A child is typically born with autism or develops it within the first few years of life. Autism tends to be more common in boys than girls. The rate of individuals affected by autism seems to be rising; however, the cause is unclear. “In the past, the estimated child with autism was

There is no identified cause of autism, but it is believed that is caused by neurological problems and possibly genetics. In the past, Dr. Leo Kanner developed a theory called the “Refrigerator Mom Theory” – the belief that autism derived from ‘cold’ parenting. He believed that the parents of autistic children were highly intellectual and often worked in highly professional occupations, causing them to not have as much time to tend to their children. FIND WORD IN BOOK HERE CHAPTER NINE OR TEN. In addition to that, Bettelheim’s theory of psychogenesis supported that autism is a disorder of poor parenting. Throughout the 1950’s-1970’s parent’s felt blamed and or responsible for their child’s

An interesting theoretical perspective that better helps the understanding of autism from the sociological perspective is Goffman’s Stigma Theory. Goffman’s Stigma Theory is the phenomenon whereby an individual with an attribute is deeply discredited by his/her society is rejected as a result of the attribute. It is a process by which the reaction of others spoils normal identity. They feel different and devalued from other whether this is in an educational setting, workplace setting, healthcare problems, or family matters. Members of stigmatized groups often face discrimination or prejudice. These stigmas can affect and hinder a person’s social identity. Because it may hinder identity theories, this theory correlates also with the labeling theory, prejudice, and discrimination. Goffman divides each indivual’s relation to a stigma into three categories: stigmatized, ‘normals’, and ‘the wise. Each will be discussed later and explained. This theory is very interesting when looking at autism because “Stigma theory makes it possible to analyze disability not as an inner personal characteristic, but as a product of social relations.” Cite sheet