In the early 1990s, along with the influx of Romanian adoptees into the U.S. came the term “institutional autism.” Dr. Ron Federici, a neuropsychologist was instrumental in using this term to describe children from Romanian orphanages who exhibited autistic-like behaviors that seem to have resulted from the deprivation and isolation associated with living in an institution.

For some in the world of international adoption, institutional autism was a welcome way of describing the phenomenon they were observing in so many orphans. For others it remains a highly controversial theory.

The only research project on internationally adopted children and autism that has been done to this point was conducted in 2001. This study found that for most of the children exhibiting “quasi-autistic features” the symptoms significantly declined once the child was in the adoptive home, although a substantial minority of children continue to exhibit these difficult behavior patterns for many years.

So, what is the difference between institutional autism and organically-based autism? Well no one has clearly defined it, but Dr. Boris Gindis in his article, A Second Glance at Institutional Autism in Internationally Adopted Children suggests it is a pattern of learned behaviors, not a medical condition. He and others believe that the autistic-like behaviors may be, in fact, an adaptive behavior useful in an institutional setting. Therefore it stands to reason that children with institutional autism can be “cured” of their autism through active interventions.

Dr.Gindis goes on to point out the differences between the two types of autism, although it can be very hard to decide definitively between the two. The main distinguisher is the severity of the child’s problems and the length of time the child has been in the family. So much of healing of institutional autism takes place in the family setting, with mom and dad orchestrating the process. When the symptoms persist despite a year of so of being at home, within a new family, then it’s time to investigate further, as an organic-based autism may be a more accurate diagnosis.

More on institutional autism:

Institutional Autism, Page 1

Institutional Autism - book excerpt

Institutional Autism/Retardation...What is It?