Paul Togard's theory of the tree of conceptual change applied to autism spectrum disorders

AbstractIn this article, we use Thagard's conceptual tree theory to explain the increase in the number of people with "Autism Spectrum Disorders." At first glance, the explanation for the increase in the number of cases of this disorder may be due to the actual increase in the number of people, for reasons that have not yet been identified. Or that medical professionals have developed more accurate tools for identification and screening. But this initial explanation for the increase in the number of people can also have complementary explanations, such as medicalization and conceptual change. In this article, we explain the conceptual change; In such a way that the increase in the number of cases is due to changes in the concept of this disorder, which results in the inclusion of new people who were not previously included in this spectrum. It is also cited as an alternative explanation for Paul Thagard's theory of the tree of conceptual change, in which he researched the conceptual hierarchical change of tuberculosis And by applying his theory, we show that the increase in the number of cases of autism spectrum disorders can be due to a change in the concept of autism, in addition to the possibility of an increase in the number of people and more accurate medical devices..