Editorial

Citation

Chaplin, E. and McCarthy, J. (2015), "Editorial", Advances in Autism, Vol. 1 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/AIA-09-2015-0015

Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: Advances in Autism, Volume 1, Issue 2.

We would like to welcome you to the second edition of Advances in Autism. The history of autism is a relatively short one. Prior to Asperger’s description of autistic psychopathy in 1944 and Kanner’s description of childhood autism in 1943 there had only been case reports from the previous century from psychiatrists such as Gaspard Itard, Haslam and Down describing individuals who we would now describe as being on the autistic spectrum. It is not until 1980 with the publication of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 3rd Edition that autism appears as a separate diagnostic category, previously being classified with schizophrenia and related disorders. How we view and describe autism today owes much to the contribution of Dr Lorna Wing. This brief history recap leads to our first paper. It was our honour the journal to have a paper submitted from Dr Richard Mills, on behalf of himself and Dr Lorna Wing.

With the death of Dr Lorna Wing the world of autism lost an unrivalled champion, friend and influence. It is impossible to do justice to her immense contribution in a few words. An original thinker and prolific researcher, she was of one of the founders of the National Autistic Society and Research Autism, author of countless books, articles and scientific papers, the first to speak of autism in the broader context of a spectrum and not a single condition; who introduced the term Asperger syndrome and who with her colleague Dr Judith Gould opened the diagnostic centre in Bromley Kent, which now bears her name. She inspired generations of parents, professionals and researchers across the world but remained modest as to her achievements, incurably inquisitive and always approachable, especially by parents of autistic children.

Lorna’s interest in the topic of excessive drinking of fluids was prompted by the sad circumstances of the premature death of her own autistic daughter Susie of heart failure, which in all likelihood was brought on by excessive fluid intake. She was aware of polydipsia in schizophrenia and typically, finding little research in autism decided to carry out her own investigation. This was undertaken whilst she was the Consultant Psychiatrist at the National Autistic Society. The provisional results were presented at the Autism Europe Congress in Catania by her NAS colleague and co-investigator Richard Mills but shortly afterwards Lorna became ill and work on the paper became sporadic until her death last year.

The highlights for the rest of the edition include papers in relation to both policy and practice. It was not until 1962 that the first Parliamentary question about autism was directed to the Minister of Education, to find out number of children with autism to inform education authorities in their respective areas. At the beginning of 2000, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Autism (APPGA) was formed. This is made up of cross-party MPs and peers brought together to lobby and campaign for greater awareness and services for people with autism spectrum conditions. Since this we have had the Autism Act 2009 followed by the first adult autism strategy, Fulfilling and Rewarding Lives, which was published in 2010 and superseded by Think Autism, the new autism strategy for adults with autism in England, launched in 2014.

The second paper from McCarthy and colleagues offers an overview of English legislation and policy since the Autism Act of 2009. The paper illustrates the process for policy to become reality and that the voice of the person with autism and their carers must be heard in the subsequent implementation of legislation and policy. This paper highlights the need for clear operational guidance following the delivery of legislation and guidance to mitigate for potential gaps in care and treatment.

The third paper by James Davidson and colleagues presents their experiences of developing an all IQ adult autism diagnostic service. The process of establishing and then expanding the service is described comprehensively with reference to screening, assessment, pathways and clinical decision making. This is very timely as services look towards providing screening services for people suspected as having an autistic spectrum condition.

The fourth paper from Spain and colleagues provides a review of the literature on psychological interventions for adults with high-functioning autism. To date social skills interventions, cognitive behaviour therapy, and mindfulness-based approaches have been researched most extensively and sought to reduce the impact of core ASD characteristics. Spain and colleague offer an overview of the evidence to date and the practical implications of their findings.

The fifth paper from Silver and Parsons examines how to support the social understanding of high-functioning adults with autism. The paper draw on the experience and perspectives of three adults with high-functioning autism and their use of self-prompt systems aimed at increasing their knowledge and awareness of social situations.

Our final paper by Sabet and colleagues, explores if features inherent in ASD and ADHD predispose individuals to criminality. There has been increasing interest in how a diagnosis of ADHD impacts on those with autistic spectrum disorders. Whilst there have been a number of studies that have put forward evidence for a link between ADHD and criminality. However, there is little evidence to support an increased risk of criminality in those with autism. This paper reviews the little unexplored subject of comorbid ASD/ADHD and criminal behaviour.

I hope you find this edition, the final edition one of 2015, both interesting and stimulating. Finally I would like to thank Dr Richard Mills for sharing with us his memories of Dr Lorna Wing which were used in the writing of this editorial.

Eddie Chaplin and Jane McCarthy