Um percurso pela psiquiatria infantil: dos antecedentes históricos à origem do conceito de autismo

This article is a conceptual study that aims to trace a historical course of the psychiatric knowledge about children, pointing how the conceptualization of autism will lead into this prospect. For such, we divided this work into three parts: the first is dedicated to the discussion of the concept of mental retardment, followed by the questioning of the first reflections on the psychoses of childhood and the birth of the Child Psychiatrist clinic and the conceptualization of autism by Psychiatry. Therefore, we seek to understand the meaning and origin of current practices, critically analyzing the psychiatric manuals and its impact on child psychopathology.