FROM PSYCHOSIS TO THE AUTISM SPECTRUM: A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE DIAGNOSTIC TRANSITION IN THE FIELD OF CHILD PSYCHOPATHOLOGY

Abstract

This article analyzes the historical and discursive transition between the diagnoses of childhood psychosis and autism from DSM-III to V, exploring the formulations in psychiatric manuals and the impact of epistemological changes since the twentieth century. The article proposes that the notion of spectrum articulates a new regime of recognition for difference, while incorporating tensions between control, standardization, and subjective resistance in the context of treatments and public health policies.