The theories of two of the past century’s most prominent psychiatrists, Bruno Bettelheim and Sigmund Freud, have led to wrong treatment of children with autism, advocates have charged.

Autism organizations in Switzerland say they face a lopsided battle against the tendency to classify the condition as a psychiatric disease; something prevalent in western Switzerland and France.

They point the finger at psychoanalytic theories of thinkers like Austrian-born child psychologist Bettelheim and of Freud, who for a long time claimed mothers were responsible for how their children acted.

“The Anglo-Saxon and Nordic countries have quickly recognized the disease, and treated it consistently and precisely. They have adapted their institutions.

"Other countries, like Spain or Italy, have not created specialized agencies for autism,” says Annemarie Chavaz, president of Autisme Suisse Romande, a parents’ association in French-speaking Switzerland.

The group fights for early detection, better medical understanding and appropriate care.
And Switzerland, paradoxically, despite its status as a pioneer of care for the disabled, has not developed the institutions or education programmes advocates are calling for.

Parent associations, the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), and the Swiss Film Archive are marking April 2, declared World Autism Awareness Day by the United Nations in 2007, with awareness-raising events.

“One child in 166 is autistic, and in the case of boys, it’s one in 70,” said Nouchine Hadjikhani, professor at the EPFL’s Brain Mind Institute.
And disorders become more common – increasing by up to 600 per cent over a 15-year period.

“This could be explained by an interaction between genes and a poor environment (pollution),” said the neuroscientist. She believes deeply engrained practices are responsible for how doctors approach treatment.

"Some psychiatrists are dinosaurs and defend their territory. It is a mistake because they will always have a role to play, but a different role. Because it is known that autistics are very anxious and suffer from social rejection, the psychiatrists can help them."

Faced with what is taken as "simple" behavioural problems, parents and/or children are sent to a psychiatrist. "If it is not clear, there is a tendency to say that the child is not developing properly because of relationship problems, which makes the parents feel guilty," explains Hadjikhani.

SwissInfo