Theoretical definition and explanation of autism: the narrative of Ángel Rivière and his reflections ( Definición y explicación teórica del autismo: la narrativa de Ángel Rivière y sus reflejos )

Abstract

Ángel Rivière developed a very personal way of presenting the complex challenges posed by the scientific definition and explanation of autism. His compact narrative, of great pregnancy, reproduced the hegemonic proposals of his time yet also provided original coordinates. Many of those ideas remain valid to date. However, others are challenged from different angles, even questioning whether autism as a construct, as it has been defined since the 1970s, should continue to guide research, treatments and expectations that are transferred to society.