When was autisim first discovered?

Answer 1

The term autism came about decades before the disorder was recognized. Autismus, the New Latin word that autism is derived from, was coined by the Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler in 1910. He used the term as a descriptor of symptoms of schizophrenia. The word Autismus was derived from the Greek word autos meaning morbid self-admiration which is in reference to the tendency of his patients to have a preference to be alone. It was not until 1938 that this word was used in its current sense. Austrian Hans Asperger began using Bleuler's term "autistic psychopaths" when studying an autism spectrum disorder that was eventually named after him, Asperger's Disorder. This disorder was not classified as a different diagnosis from autism until 1994 (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). Around the same time of Asperger's studies in Austria, American Leo Kanner (1943) began studying what he called "early infantile autism." He was also the first person to use the English word "autism" in 1943 when he identified 11 children with very similar behaviors. Many of the characteristics that Kanner used to describe early infantile autism are still used today when describing autism, such as social impairments and insistence on sameness.

Answer 2

Leo Kanner - a child psychologist was the first to recognize autism as an independent mental disorder. Kanner described a group children who shared the following common characteristics:

• Displaying anguish with changes
• Problems with social interaction
• Vocally repeating the sounds or words of another
• Good memory
• Overly sensitive to specific stimulants, particularly sound
• Problems with food
• Difficulty being spontaneous
• Notable intellectual potential

Answer 3

Signs and symptoms of autism were noted as early as 1747 before autism was given its name. A Swiss psychiatrist, Eugen Bleuler derived the label Autism in 1910.

Answer 4

The first case of autism was found in 1943 by Leo Kanner.

Answer 5

1943