Autism historical perspective

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] ; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Aditya Ganti M.B.B.S. [2]

The first reported case of autism dates back to 1798, discovered by a medical student, Jean Itard, who treated the patient using a behavioral program. In 1943, Leo Kanner first described 11 cases of autism in his paper called autistic disturbances of affective contact. In 1910, Eugen Bleuler, a Swiss psychiatrist coined the term autism form latin word autismus. In 1981, Asperger was the first to separate Asperger syndrome, from autism.

• The first reported case of autism dates back to 1798, discovered by a medical student, Jean Itard, who treated the patient using a behavioral program.^[1]
• In 1910, Eugen Bleuler, a Swiss psychiatrist coined the term autism form latin word autismus.^[2][3]
• In 1938, Hans Asperger of the Vienna University Hospital adopted Bleuler’s terminology “autistic psychopaths” in a lecture in German about child psychology.^[4]

• In 1981, Asperger was the first to separate Asperger syndrome, from autism.^[1]
• In 1943, Leo Kanner first described 11 cases of autism in his paper called autistic disturbances of affective contact.^[5][6]

• In 1960, autism was established as a separate syndrome for the first time in medical history differentiating it from mental retardation and schizophrenia and from other developmental disorders.^[7]
• As late as the mid-1970s there was little evidence of a genetic role in autism; now it is thought to be one of the most heritable of all psychiatric conditions.^[8][1]

Template:WH Template:WS