Better Diagnosis

 

In 1974-1976, I worked part-time at Elwyn Institute…. A very upscale residential facility in Pennsylvania for retarded people of all ages.  We had the granddaughter of a Supreme Court justice/daughter of U.S. Attorney General, and the daughter of some D.C. bigwig who told us about visits to see President Ford at the White House.   Tuition was not cheap. I was a counselor in one of the 3 female buildings.  My building had 4 wings, each with 20 souls.  One housed the “little girls”, ages 6 up to about 18…. Many  of whom were severely retarded (or disabled?).  A second housed the “old ladies” - 30s - 40’s age group… these residents had life experience and knew the routine of the institution.  A third held emotionally disturbed teenagers, along with those known to exhibit occasional violence - working that wing on a full moon was a hoot!  And a fourth wing held the 20 somethings.  50% of the residents needed help with the daily activities of living (hygeine, dressing, etc.).  We walked to the dining hall 3 times daily for cafeteria style meals.  We didn’t have “autism” in our vocabulary, and we observed a wide variety of behaviors from the residents.  Looking back, I can say the only person with “autism”, as it is understood today, was a 7 year old named Sally.  We had no idea what was wrong with her.  She was non-verbal, and did not make eye contact or interact with people.