ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Steve Silberman - Writer and editor
Steve Silberman is a writer and contributing editor for Wired who covers science and society. His newest book explores neurodiversity and the link between autism and genius.

Why you should listen
Steve Silberman is a writer and contributing editor for Wired and other national magazines. In 2001, he published "The Geek Syndrome," one of the first articles in the mainstream press to probe the complex relationship between autism and genius. The article was praised by experts in the field like neurologist Oliver Sacks and author Temple Grandin, but as time went on, Silberman was haunted by the biggest question that he had left unanswered: Why have rates of autism diagnosis increased so steeply in the past 30 years?

This question has become particularly pressing in the face of a resurgence of measles, mumps, pertussis and other childhood diseases worldwide due to parental fears of vaccines, despite numerous studies debunking their alleged connection to autism. To solve that medical mystery for his new book, NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity, due out in August 2015, Silberman went back to the first years of autism research, where he uncovered a series of events -- some long forgotten, and others deliberately buried -- that will require the history of autism to be rewritten.

A former teaching assistant for the poet Allen Ginsberg, Silberman has won numerous awards over the years for his science coverage in the New Yorker, Nature and many other national and international magazines.
More profile about the speaker
Steve Silberman | Speaker | TED.com
TED2015

Steve Silberman: The forgotten history of autism

Steve Silberman: A historia esquecida do autismo

Filmed:
1,699,224 views

Hai varias décadas, poucos pediatras escoitaran falar do autismo. En 1975, calculábase que 1 de cada 5000 nenos era autista. Hoxe, 1 de cada 68 está dentro do espectro autista. Que causou este aumento repentino? Steve Silberman sinala unha "tormenta perfecta da concienciación sobre o autismo": un par de doutoras que ofrecen unha visión máis comprensiva, un momento inesperado na cultura popular e un novo test clínico. Pero para comprendelo de verdade, temos que nos remontar ata o doutor austríaco Hans Asperger, quen en 1944 publicou un artigo pioneiro. Ao quedar soterrado no tempo, o autismo permaneceu como o grande incomprendido. (Esta charla forma parte dunha das sesións TED2015 organizadas pola Pop-Up Magazine: popupmagazine.com ou @popupmag en Twitter.)
- Writer and editor
Steve Silberman is a writer and contributing editor for Wired who covers science and society. His newest book explores neurodiversity and the link between autism and genius. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:12
Just after Christmas last year,
0
882
2600
Despois do Nadal do ano pasado
00:15
132 kids in California got the measles
1
3482
3838
132 rapaces contraeron
o sarampelo en California
00:19
by either visiting Disneyland
2
7320
2013
por ir a Disneylandia
00:21
or being exposed to someone
who'd been there.
3
9333
2949
ou por exporse a alguén que estivera alí.
00:24
The virus then hopped the Canadian border,
4
12282
3204
Logo, o virus pasou a Canadá,
00:27
infecting more than
100 children in Quebec.
5
15486
3436
e infectou máis de cen nenos no Quebec.
00:30
One of the tragic things
about this outbreak
6
18922
2949
Un dos aspectos tráxicos deste brote
00:33
is that measles, which can be fatal
to a child with a weakened immune system,
7
21871
5619
é que o sarampelo, que pode ser mortal
para un rapaz inmunodeprimido,
é unha das enfermidades
máis fáciles de previr do mundo.
00:39
is one of the most easily
preventable diseases in the world.
8
27490
3785
Existe unha vacina eficaz
00:43
An effective vaccine against it
9
31275
1997
00:45
has been available for more
than half a century,
10
33272
3366
que leva dispoñible máis de medio século,
00:48
but many of the kids involved
in the Disneyland outbreak
11
36638
3274
pero moitos dos nenos
implicados no brote de Disneylandia
non foran vacinados
00:51
had not been vaccinated
12
39912
1974
00:53
because their parents were afraid
13
41886
2252
porque os seus pais tiñan medo
00:56
of something allegedly even worse:
14
44138
3019
de algo presuntamente peor:
00:59
autism.
15
47157
1718
autismo.
Pero, acaso ese artigo,
o que desatara a polémica
01:00
But wait -- wasn't the paper
that sparked the controversy
16
48875
3783
01:04
about autism and vaccines
17
52658
2323
sobre as vacinas e o autismo,
01:06
debunked, retracted,
18
54981
1997
non fora xa desacreditado, retirado
01:08
and branded a deliberate fraud
19
56978
2472
e tachado de fraude deliberado
polo British Medical Journal?
01:11
by the British Medical Journal?
20
59450
1708
01:13
Don't most science-savvy people
21
61158
2043
Non saben todos os científicos expertos
01:15
know that the theory
that vaccines cause autism is B.S.?
22
63201
4319
que a teoría de que as vacinas
provocan autismo é unha parvada?
01:19
I think most of you do,
23
67520
1857
Creo que a maioría de vós sabédelo,
01:21
but millions of parents worldwide
24
69377
2578
pero hai millóns de pais no mundo
01:23
continue to fear that vaccines
put their kids at risk for autism.
25
71955
4618
que seguen a pensar que as vacinas
expoñen os seus fillos ao autismo.
01:28
Why?
26
76923
1124
Por que?
Por isto.
01:30
Here's why.
27
78827
1463
01:32
This is a graph of autism
prevalence estimates rising over time.
28
80290
5085
Este é un gráfico que mostra o aumento
da prevalencia do autismo co tempo.
Durante case todo o século vinte
01:37
For most of the 20th century,
29
85375
2113
01:39
autism was considered
an incredibly rare condition.
30
87488
3692
o autismo era considerado
unha enfermidade extremadamente rara.
Os poucos psicólogos e pediatras
que escoitaran falar dela
01:43
The few psychologists and pediatricians
who'd even heard of it
31
91180
3320
01:46
figured they would get through
their entire careers
32
94500
2717
pensaban que en toda a súa carreira
01:49
without seeing a single case.
33
97217
2507
non verían nin un só caso.
01:52
For decades, the prevalence estimates
remained stable
34
100364
3238
Durante décadas, calculouse
unha prevalencia estable do autismo
01:55
at just three or four children in 10,000.
35
103602
3251
de tres ou catro nenos por cada dez mil.
01:58
But then, in the 1990s,
36
106853
2066
Pero máis tarde, nos anos noventa,
02:00
the numbers started to skyrocket.
37
108919
2461
as cifras disparáronse.
02:03
Fundraising organizations
like Autism Speaks
38
111380
3228
Organizacións recadadoras de fondos
como Autism Speaks
02:06
routinely refer to autism as an epidemic,
39
114608
3088
falan a cotío da epidemia do autismo
02:09
as if you could catch it
from another kid at Disneyland.
40
117696
3669
como se te puidese contaxiar
un neno en Disneylandia.
02:13
So what's going on?
41
121365
1602
Pero entón, que está pasando?
02:14
If it isn't vaccines, what is it?
42
122967
3227
Se non son as vacinas, que é?
02:18
If you ask the folks down at
the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta
43
126194
3971
Se preguntas en Atlanta,
no Centro de Control de Enfermidades,
que é o que está a pasar,
02:22
what's going on,
44
130165
1695
adoitan empregar frases como:
"criterios de diagnóstico máis amplos"
02:23
they tend to rely on phrases like
"broadened diagnostic criteria"
45
131860
4510
02:28
and "better case finding"
46
136370
1764
e "unha mellor detección"
02:30
to explain these rising numbers.
47
138134
2577
para explicar este aumento dos casos.
02:32
But that kind of language
48
140711
2020
Pero este tipo de linguaxe
02:34
doesn't do much to allay
the fears of a young mother
49
142731
2949
non consegue acougar unha nai nova
02:37
who is searching her
two-year-old's face for eye contact.
50
145680
4644
que intenta establecer contacto visual
co seu fillo de dous anos.
02:42
If the diagnostic criteria
had to be broadened,
51
150324
2995
Se era preciso ampliar
os criterios de diagnóstico,
02:45
why were they so narrow
in the first place?
52
153319
2833
por que eran tan reducidos antes?
02:48
Why were cases of autism
so hard to find
53
156152
2995
Por que era tan difícil
atopar casos de autismo
02:51
before the 1990s?
54
159147
2290
antes dos anos noventa?
02:53
Five years ago, I decided to try
to uncover the answers to these questions.
55
161437
5735
Hai cinco anos, decidín buscar
respostas para estas preguntas.
02:59
I learned that what happened
56
167172
2044
Descubrín que o que acontece
03:01
has less to do with the slow and cautious
progress of science
57
169216
3900
ten menos que ver
cos lentos e cautos avances científicos
03:05
than it does with the seductive
power of storytelling.
58
173116
3238
ca co poder de sedución
dunha boa narración.
03:08
For most of the 20th century,
59
176544
2206
Durante a maior parte do século vinte,
03:10
clinicians told one story
60
178750
2461
os médicos contaron un relato
03:13
about what autism is
and how it was discovered,
61
181211
3552
sobre o autismo,
que era e como se descubrira,
03:16
but that story turned out to be wrong,
62
184763
2810
pero resultou ser un relato errado,
03:19
and the consequences of it
63
187573
1811
e as súas consecuencias
03:21
are having a devastating impact
on global public health.
64
189384
3901
teñen un impacto devastador
na saúde pública mundial.
03:25
There was a second,
more accurate story of autism
65
193285
3529
Había un segundo relato, máis acertado,
03:28
which had been lost and forgotten
66
196814
2616
que estaba perdido e esquecido
03:31
in obscure corners
of the clinical literature.
67
199430
2980
nun recuncho escuro da bibliografía médica.
03:34
This second story tells us everything
about how we got here
68
202410
4017
Este segundo relato explica
como chegamos ata aquí
e cara a onde temos que ir agora.
03:38
and where we need to go next.
69
206427
2605
03:41
The first story starts with a child
psychiatrist at Johns Hopkins Hospital
70
209352
4644
O primeiro relato comeza cun psiquiatra
infantil do Hospital Johns Hopkins,
03:45
named Leo Kanner.
71
213996
1950
chamado Leo Kanner.
03:47
In 1943, Kanner published a paper
72
215946
3553
En 1943, Kanner publicou un artigo
no que describía once pacientes novos
que parecían habitar mundos privados,
03:51
describing 11 young patients
who seemed to inhabit private worlds,
73
219499
4713
03:56
ignoring the people around them,
74
224212
2090
e ignoraban a xente ao seu redor,
03:58
even their own parents.
75
226302
2160
mesmo a seus pais.
04:00
They could amuse themselves for hours
76
228462
2275
Podían entreterse sós durante horas
batendo as mans diante da cara,
04:02
by flapping their hands
in front of their faces,
77
230737
2647
pero logo espantábanse por pequeneces,
04:05
but they were panicked by little things
78
233384
1974
04:07
like their favorite toy
being moved from its usual place
79
235358
3612
como que lles movesen do sitio
o seu xoguete favorito
04:10
without their knowledge.
80
238970
2007
sen llelo dicir antes.
Baseándose nos pacientes
que lle chegaban á súa consulta,
04:12
Based on the patients
who were brought to his clinic,
81
240977
2716
04:15
Kanner speculated
that autism is very rare.
82
243693
3576
Kanner supuxo que o autismo
era moi pouco frecuente.
Nos anos cincuenta,
xa como experto mundial na materia,
04:19
By the 1950s, as the world's
leading authority on the subject,
83
247269
4458
04:23
he declared that he had seen
less than 150 true cases of his syndrome
84
251727
5573
declarou que non vira nin 150 casos
verdadeiros da "súa" síndrome,
04:29
while fielding referrals from
as far away as South Africa.
85
257300
4063
aínda que atendera pacientes derivados
mesmo dende Suráfrica.
Isto non é tan sorprendente,
04:33
That's actually not surprising,
86
261363
2391
04:35
because Kanner's criteria
for diagnosing autism
87
263754
3376
dado que os criterios de Kanner
para o diagnóstico do autismo
eran extremadamente selectivos.
04:39
were incredibly selective.
88
267130
2313
04:41
For example, he discouraged giving
the diagnosis to children who had seizures
89
269443
5178
Por exemplo, non recomendaba diagnosticar
de autismo a nenos con convulsións,
04:46
but now we know that epilepsy
is very common in autism.
90
274621
3761
pero agora sabemos que a epilepsia
é moi común no autismo.
Unha vez presumiu de descartar
nove de cada dez nenos
04:50
He once bragged that he had turned
nine out of 10 kids
91
278382
3042
04:53
referred to his office as autistic
by other clinicians
92
281424
3831
que chegaban á súa consulta
declarados autistas por outros médicos,
04:57
without giving them an autism diagnosis.
93
285255
2628
sen diagnosticarlles autismo.
05:00
Kanner was a smart guy,
94
288503
2441
Kanner era un tipo listo,
pero algunhas das súas teorías
non eran certas.
05:02
but a number of his theories
didn't pan out.
95
290944
2169
05:05
He classified autism as a form
of infantile psychosis
96
293113
3775
Clasificou o autismo
como unha forma de psicose infantil
causada por pais fríos e pouco agarimosos.
05:08
caused by cold and unaffectionate parents.
97
296888
3970
Estes nenos, segundo el dicía,
05:12
These children, he said,
98
300858
2137
foran coidadosamente mantidos
nun frigorífico que non desconxelaba.
05:14
had been kept neatly
in a refrigerator that didn't defrost.
99
302995
4318
05:19
At the same time, however,
100
307313
1951
Porén, ó mesmo tempo,
05:21
Kanner noticed that some
of his young patients
101
309264
2925
Kanner decatouse de que algúns dos seus pacientes
05:24
had special abilities
that clustered in certain areas
102
312189
3413
tiñan habilidades especiais
concentradas en áreas concretas,
05:27
like music, math and memory.
103
315602
3251
como música, matemáticas e a memoria.
05:30
One boy in his clinic
104
318853
1881
Un dos rapaces da súa clínica
05:32
could distinguish between 18 symphonies
before he turned two.
105
320734
4594
sabía distinguir 18 sinfonías
antes de facer dous anos.
05:37
When his mother put on
one of his favorite records,
106
325796
2647
Cando a súa nai puña
un dos seus discos favoritos,
05:40
he would correctly declare,
"Beethoven!"
107
328443
3366
o neno anunciaba correctamente:
"Beethoven!"
05:43
But Kanner took a dim view
of these abilities,
108
331809
2856
Pero Kanner vía con malos ollos
estas habilidades,
05:46
claiming that the kids
were just regurgitating things
109
334665
3577
e dicía que os nenos
só repetían mecanicamente
05:50
they'd heard their pompous parents say,
110
338242
2623
o que lles oían dicir
aos seus pedantes pais,
05:52
desperate to earn their approval.
111
340865
2600
desesperados por gañar a súa aprobación.
05:55
As a result, autism became
a source of shame and stigma for families,
112
343465
5364
Así, o autismo era para as familias
fonte de vergonza e estigma,
e dúas xeracións de rapaces autistas
06:00
and two generations of autistic children
113
348829
2577
06:03
were shipped off to institutions
for their own good,
114
351406
3483
foron enviados a psiquiátricos polo seu ben,
e volvéronse invisibles para o mundo.
06:06
becoming invisible to the world at large.
115
354889
3274
É estraño que non fora ata os anos setenta
06:10
Amazingly, it wasn't until the 1970s
116
358163
4237
cando se tratou de contrastar a teoría
de que o autismo era pouco común.
06:14
that researchers began to test
Kanner's theory that autism was rare.
117
362400
5167
Lorna Wing era
unha psicóloga cognitiva en Londres
06:19
Lorna Wing was a cognitive
psychologist in London
118
367567
3738
que pensaba que a teoría de Kanner
dos pais frigorífico
06:23
who thought that Kanner's theory
of refrigerator parenting
119
371305
3204
06:26
were "bloody stupid," as she told me.
120
374509
3019
era, tal como me dixo, "unha estupidez".
06:29
She and her husband John were warm
and affectionate people,
121
377528
4179
Lorna e o seu marido John
eran persoas cálidas e afectuosas,
e tiveran unha filla autista profunda
que se chamaba Susie.
06:33
and they had a profoundly
autistic daughter named Susie.
122
381707
2813
06:37
Lorna and John knew how hard it was
to raise a child like Susie
123
385110
4712
Lorna e John sabían o difícil que era
criar unha nena coma Susie,
06:41
without support services,
124
389822
1962
sen servizos de apoio,
06:43
special education,
125
391784
1602
educación especial
06:45
and the other resources that are
out of reach without a diagnosis.
126
393386
4249
e tódolos demais recursos ós que non podes
acceder sen un diagnóstico.
06:49
To make the case
to the National Health Service
127
397635
2624
Para xustificar ante a Seguridade Social
06:52
that more resources were needed
for autistic children and their families,
128
400259
5248
que se precisaban máis recursos
para os nenos autistas e as súas familias,
06:57
Lorna and her colleague Judith Gould
129
405507
2136
Lorna e a súa colega Judith Gould
06:59
decided to do something that should
have been done 30 years earlier.
130
407643
4550
decidiron facer algo
que xa debía levar 30 anos feito.
07:04
They undertook a study of autism
prevalence in the general population.
131
412193
4946
Fixeron un estudo da prevalencia
do autismo na poboación xeral.
07:09
They pounded the pavement
in a London suburb called Camberwell
132
417139
4296
Patearon as rúas de Camberwell,
un barrio nas aforas de Londres,
07:13
to try to find autistic children
in the community.
133
421435
3665
para buscar nenos autistas na veciñanza.
07:17
What they saw made clear
that Kanner's model was way too narrow,
134
425100
4667
Descubriron que o modelo de Kanner
era demasiado limitado
07:21
while the reality of autism
was much more colorful and diverse.
135
429767
4526
para a realidade dun autismo
que é moito máis diverso e variado.
Algúns nenos non sabían dicir palabra,
07:26
Some kids couldn't talk at all,
136
434663
2143
07:28
while others waxed on at length
about their fascination with astrophysics,
137
436806
4736
mentres que outros falaban sen parar
fascinados pola astrofísica,
os dinosauros ou a xenealoxía da realeza.
07:33
dinosaurs or the genealogy of royalty.
138
441542
3944
Noutras palabras, estes rapaces
non podían clasificarse en compartimentos estancos,
07:37
In other words, these children
didn't fit into nice, neat boxes,
139
445486
4690
07:42
as Judith put it,
140
450176
1695
como explicou Judith,
07:43
and they saw lots of them,
141
451871
1881
e elas viran moitos destes rapaces,
07:45
way more than Kanner's monolithic model
would have predicted.
142
453752
3785
moitos máis dos que Kanner predixera
co seu ríxido modelo.
07:49
At first, they were at a loss
to make sense of their data.
143
457537
3715
Ao principio, non sabían darlles sentido
aos datos que conseguiran.
Como ninguén lles prestara atención
antes a estes rapaces?
07:53
How had no one noticed
these children before?
144
461252
3128
Pero entón Lorna atopou
unha referencia a un artigo
07:56
But then Lorna came upon a reference
to a paper that had been published
145
464380
3519
publicado en alemán no 1944,
07:59
in German in 1944,
146
467899
2655
un ano despois do de Kanner,
08:02
the year after Kanner's paper,
147
470554
2345
08:04
and then forgotten,
148
472899
1718
e logo esquecido,
08:06
buried with the ashes of a terrible time
149
474617
2577
soterrado coas cinzas dun tempo terrible
08:09
that no one wanted to remember
or think about.
150
477194
3251
que ninguén quería recordar.
08:12
Kanner knew about this competing paper,
151
480445
2670
Kanner sabía dese artigo rival,
pero tivo moito coidado
de non mencionalo no seu traballo.
08:15
but scrupulously avoided
mentioning it in his own work.
152
483115
4745
Nunca se traducira ó inglés,
08:19
It had never even
been translated into English,
153
487860
2462
pero, por sorte,
o marido de Lorna sabía alemán,
08:22
but luckily, Lorna's husband spoke German,
154
490322
2963
08:25
and he translated it for her.
155
493285
2647
e traduciuno para ela.
08:27
The paper offered
an alternate story of autism.
156
495932
3692
Este traballo ofrecía
unha historia alternativa do autismo.
08:31
Its author was a man named Hans Asperger,
157
499624
2693
O autor era un home chamado Hans Asperger,
08:34
who ran a combination clinic
and residential school
158
502317
3274
quen dirixía unha clínica con internado
08:37
in Vienna in the 1930s.
159
505591
2740
en Viena nos anos 30.
08:40
Asperger's ideas about teaching children
with learning differences
160
508331
3971
As ideas de Asperger sobre a educación
de nenos con diferenzas de aprendizaxe
08:44
were progressive even
by contemporary standards.
161
512302
3134
eran progresistas mesmo para hoxe en día.
08:47
Mornings at his clinic began
with exercise classes set to music,
162
515436
4412
As mañás na súa clínica
comezaban con exercicios con música,
e os rapaces representaban
obras de teatro os domingos pola tarde.
08:51
and the children put on plays
on Sunday afternoons.
163
519848
3506
08:55
Instead of blaming parents
for causing autism,
164
523354
2995
En lugar de culpar os pais
de causar o autismo,
08:58
Asperger framed it as a lifelong,
polygenetic disability
165
526349
4853
Asperger catalogouno como
unha discapacidade polixénica permanente
09:03
that requires compassionate forms
of support and accommodations
166
531202
3901
que precisaba dun aloxamento
e apoio compasivos
09:07
over the course of one's whole life.
167
535103
3407
en tódalas etapas da vida.
En lugar de tratar os nenos
na súa clínica como pacientes,
09:10
Rather than treating the kids
in his clinic like patients,
168
538510
2885
09:13
Asperger called them
his little professors,
169
541395
3065
Asperger chamáballes
os seus pequenos profesores,
09:16
and enlisted their help in developing
methods of education
170
544460
3785
e serviuse da súa axuda
para desenvolver métodos de educación
que foran específicos para eles.
09:20
that were particularly suited to them.
171
548245
2484
09:22
Crucially, Asperger viewed autism
as a diverse continuum
172
550729
5731
O máis importante era que Asperger
vía o autismo como un contínuum variado
que comprende unha incrible gama
de talentos e discapacidades.
09:28
that spans an astonishing range
of giftedness and disability.
173
556460
4654
El cría que o autismo
e os trazos autistas son habituais
09:33
He believed that autism
and autistic traits are common
174
561584
3532
09:37
and always have been,
175
565116
1866
e que sempre o foran,
09:38
seeing aspects of this continuum
in familiar archetypes from pop culture
176
566982
5294
xa que temos mostras deste contínuum
en arquetipos comúns da cultura popular,
09:44
like the socially awkward scientist
177
572276
2336
como o científico torpe na vida social,
09:46
and the absent-minded professor.
178
574612
2694
ou o profesor distraído.
Asperger foi máis alá ata dicir
09:49
He went so far as to say,
179
577306
2113
que parece que para ter éxito
nas ciencias e nas artes,
09:51
it seems that for success
in science and art,
180
579419
3227
unha pinga de autismo é esencial.
09:54
a dash of autism is essential.
181
582646
2946
09:58
Lorna and Judith realized that Kanner
had been as wrong about autism being rare
182
586292
4922
Lorna e Judith déronse conta de que Kanner
errara ao dicir que o autismo era raro,
10:03
as he had been about parents causing it.
183
591214
2693
igual ca cando dixera
que o causaban os pais.
10:05
Over the next several years,
184
593907
2044
Durante os anos seguintes,
10:07
they quietly worked with
the American Psychiatric Association
185
595951
3413
traballaron discretamente coa
Asociación Americana de Psiquiatría
10:11
to broaden the criteria for diagnosis
186
599364
2600
para ampliar os criterios de diagnóstico
10:13
to reflect the diversity of what
they called "the autism spectrum."
187
601964
4017
e reflectir a diversidade
do que chamaron "espectro autista".
10:17
In the late '80s and early 1990s,
188
605981
2578
A finais dos 80 e principios dos 90,
10:20
their changes went into effect,
189
608559
2298
os seus cambios produciron efectos,
10:22
swapping out Kanner's narrow model
190
610857
2369
mudando o modelo limitado de Kanner
10:25
for Asperger's broad and inclusive one.
191
613226
3575
polo amplo e inclusivo modelo de Asperger.
Estes cambios non sucedían no baleiro.
10:28
These changes weren't
happening in a vacuum.
192
616801
2671
10:31
By coincidence, as Lorna and Judith
worked behind the scenes
193
619472
3854
Casualmente, mentres Lorna e Judith
traballaban entre bastidores
10:35
to reform the criteria,
194
623326
1834
para modificar os criterios,
o mundo vía un adulto autista
por primeira vez.
10:37
people all over the world were seeing
an autistic adult for the first time.
195
625160
5016
10:42
Before "Rain Man" came out in 1988,
196
630176
3374
Antes da estrea de "Rain Man" en 1988,
só un círculo moi limitado de expertos
sabía en que consistía o autismo,
10:45
only a tiny, ingrown circle of experts
knew what autism looked like,
197
633550
4659
10:50
but after Dustin Hoffman's unforgettable
performance as Raymond Babbitt
198
638209
4760
pero logo de que a inesquecible actuación
de Dustin Hoffman como Raymond Babbitt
10:54
earned "Rain Man" four Academy Awards,
199
642969
3135
acadara para "Rain Man"
catro Óscars da Academia,
10:58
pediatricians, psychologists,
200
646104
2740
pediatras, psicólogos,
11:00
teachers and parents all over the world
knew what autism looked like.
201
648844
4690
profesores e pais de todo o mundo
coñeceron o autismo.
11:05
Coincidentally, at the same time,
202
653534
2925
De casualidade, tamén coincidiu
11:08
the first easy-to-use clinical tests
for diagnosing autism were introduced.
203
656459
5130
coa aparición dos primeiros test sinxelos
para o diagnóstico do autismo.
Xa non había que estar relacionado
con ese minúsculo grupo de expertos
11:13
You no longer had to have a connection
to that tiny circle of experts
204
661939
4690
para que avaliaran o teu fillo.
11:18
to get your child evaluated.
205
666629
2578
11:21
The combination of "Rain Man,"
206
669207
2113
A combinación de "Rain Man"
11:23
the changes to the criteria,
and the introduction of these tests
207
671320
4179
cos cambios nos criterios
e a aparición destes tests
creou unha reacción en cadea,
11:27
created a network effect,
208
675499
2275
11:29
a perfect storm of autism awareness.
209
677774
3530
a tormenta perfecta
da concienciación sobre o autismo.
11:33
The number of diagnoses started to soar,
210
681304
3018
O número de diagnósticos
comezou a dispararse,
11:36
just as Lorna and Judith predicted,
indeed hoped, that it would,
211
684322
5668
xusto como Lorna e Judith predixeran,
ou esperaban que sucedese,
e posibilitou que autistas e familias
11:41
enabling autistic people
and their families
212
689990
2116
11:44
to finally get the support
and services they deserved.
213
692106
3692
recibiran o apoio
e os servizos que merecían.
Entón apareceu Andrew Wakefield
11:47
Then Andrew Wakefield came along
214
695798
2066
11:49
to blame the spike
in diagnoses on vaccines,
215
697864
3855
e culpou as vacinas
do pico nos diagnósticos.
11:53
a simple, powerful,
216
701719
2113
Una historia simple,
11:55
and seductively believable story
217
703832
2786
poderosa, sedutora e crible
11:58
that was as wrong as Kanner's theory
218
706618
2368
tan errada como a teoría de Kanner
12:00
that autism was rare.
219
708986
2253
do autismo pouco común.
12:03
If the CDC's current estimate,
220
711239
3471
Se os cálculos son correctos
e un de cada 68 nenos en Estados Unidos
están dentro do espectro autista,
12:06
that one in 68 kids in America
are on the spectrum, is correct,
221
714710
4423
12:11
autistics are one of the largest
minority groups in the world.
222
719133
4207
as persoas autistas constitúen
unha das principais minorías do mundo.
Nos últimos anos,
estableceron unha comunidade en Internet
12:15
In recent years, autistic people
have come together on the Internet
223
723340
3827
12:19
to reject the notion that they
are puzzles to be solved
224
727167
3645
para rexeitar a idea de que son
un crebacabezas que será resolto
12:22
by the next medical breakthrough,
225
730812
2183
polo próximo avance médico,
12:24
coining the term "neurodiversity"
226
732995
2461
e acuñaron o termo "neurodiversidade"
12:27
to celebrate the varieties
of human cognition.
227
735456
3288
para celebrar a pluralidade
cognitiva do ser humano.
Un xeito de entender a neurodiversidade
12:31
One way to understand neurodiversity
228
739264
2391
12:33
is to think in terms
of human operating systems.
229
741655
3669
é pensar en termos
de sistemas operativos humanos.
Que un ordenador non funcione con Windows
non significa que estea estragado.
12:37
Just because a P.C. is not running Windows
doesn't mean that it's broken.
230
745324
4916
Segundo o estándar autista,
un cerebro humano normal
12:42
By autistic standards,
the normal human brain
231
750240
3629
12:45
is easily distractable,
232
753869
2020
distráese con facilidade,
12:47
obsessively social,
233
755889
1788
é obsesivamente social
12:49
and suffers from a deficit
of attention to detail.
234
757677
3320
e sofre dun déficit
de atención aos detalles.
Está claro que resulta difícil
para as persoas autistas
12:52
To be sure, autistic people
have a hard time
235
760997
2995
12:55
living in a world not built for them.
236
763992
2276
vivir nun mundo
que non se deseñou para eles.
Agora, 70 anos máis tarde,
aínda imos por detrás de Asperger,
12:58
[Seventy] years later, we're still
catching up to Asperger,
237
766268
4252
que cría que a "cura" para a maioría
das discapacidades do autismo
13:02
who believed that the "cure"
for the most disabling aspects of autism
238
770520
4083
eran os profesores comprensivos,
13:06
is to be found in understanding teachers,
239
774603
2926
13:09
accommodating employers,
240
777529
2136
os xefes con capacidade de adaptación,
13:11
supportive communities,
241
779665
1857
as comunidades que prestan apoio
e os pais que cren
no potencial dos seus fillos.
13:13
and parents who have faith
in their children's potential.
242
781522
3344
Unha muller autista, Zosia Zaks dixo:
13:16
An autistic woman
named Zosia Zaks once said,
243
784866
3042
13:19
"We need all hands on deck
to right the ship of humanity."
244
787908
5303
"Todas as mans son necesarias
para endereitar o barco da humanidade."
13:25
As we sail into an uncertain future,
245
793211
2553
Mentres navegamos
cara a un futuro incerto,
13:27
we need every form
of human intelligence on the planet
246
795764
3738
necesitamos tódalas formas
de intelixencia humana do planeta
13:31
working together to tackle
the challenges that we face as a society.
247
799502
5967
traballando xuntas para encarar
os desafíos da nosa sociedade.
13:37
We can't afford to waste a brain.
248
805469
2322
Non podemos desaproveitar ningún cerebro.
13:39
Thank you.
249
807791
2345
Grazas.
(Aplausos)
13:42
(Applause)
250
810136
4000

▲Back to top

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Steve Silberman - Writer and editor
Steve Silberman is a writer and contributing editor for Wired who covers science and society. His newest book explores neurodiversity and the link between autism and genius.

Why you should listen
Steve Silberman is a writer and contributing editor for Wired and other national magazines. In 2001, he published "The Geek Syndrome," one of the first articles in the mainstream press to probe the complex relationship between autism and genius. The article was praised by experts in the field like neurologist Oliver Sacks and author Temple Grandin, but as time went on, Silberman was haunted by the biggest question that he had left unanswered: Why have rates of autism diagnosis increased so steeply in the past 30 years?

This question has become particularly pressing in the face of a resurgence of measles, mumps, pertussis and other childhood diseases worldwide due to parental fears of vaccines, despite numerous studies debunking their alleged connection to autism. To solve that medical mystery for his new book, NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity, due out in August 2015, Silberman went back to the first years of autism research, where he uncovered a series of events -- some long forgotten, and others deliberately buried -- that will require the history of autism to be rewritten.

A former teaching assistant for the poet Allen Ginsberg, Silberman has won numerous awards over the years for his science coverage in the New Yorker, Nature and many other national and international magazines.
More profile about the speaker
Steve Silberman | Speaker | TED.com

Data provided by TED.

This site was created in May 2015 and the last update was on January 12, 2020. It will no longer be updated.

We are currently creating a new site called "eng.lish.video" and would be grateful if you could access it.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to write comments in your language on the contact form.

Privacy Policy

Developer's Blog

Buy Me A Coffee