• From the early 1900s, autism has referred to a range of psychological conditions.
• The word "autism," which has been in use for about 100 years, comes from the Greek word "autos," meaning "self." The term describes conditions in which a person is removed from social interaction -- hence, an isolated self.
• Eugen Bleuler, a Swiss psychiatrist, was the first person to use the term. He started using it around 1911 to refer to one group of symptoms of schizophrenia.
• In the 1940s, researchers in the United States began to use the term "autism" to describe children with emotional or social problems.