when was autism.discovered

The term “autism” was first used in 1911, but autism as a distinct condition in children was first described in 1943 by psychiatrist Leo Kanner, who called it “early infantile autism”.

The First Use of the Word “Autism”

In 1911, the Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler coined the term autism (from the Greek autos , meaning “self”) to describe a symptom of schizophrenia, where people withdrew into their own inner world. At that time, “autism” was not seen as a separate condition, but rather as a feature of severe mental illness in adults, not a lifelong developmental difference.

So, the word was “discovered” linguistically in 1911, but it meant something very different from how we use it today.

First Recognition of Autism as a Condition

In 1943, Austrian‑American child psychiatrist Leo Kanner published a landmark paper titled “Autistic Disturbances of Affective Contact”. In it, he described 11 children who shared a very similar pattern of behaviors, including:

• Extreme social withdrawal and difficulty forming relationships

• Delayed or unusual language (like echolalia, or repeating phrases)

• Strong need for sameness and routines, and intense attachment to objects

• High intelligence and good memory in some, despite social and communication challenges

Kanner called this condition “early infantile autism,” and this is widely considered the first formal description of autism as a unique developmental disorder in children.

Asperger’s Work at the Same Time

Around the same time, in 1944, Austrian pediatrician Hans Asperger described a group of children (mostly boys) with social difficulties, narrow intense interests, and motor clumsiness, but without major language delays.

He called it “autistic psychopathy,” and his work later became the basis for what we now know as Asperger’s Syndrome, which is part of today’s autism spectrum.

Because of the war and language barriers, Kanner’s and Asperger’s work were largely independent, though both pointed to a similar kind of neurodevelopmental pattern.

When Autism Became an Official Diagnosis

Autism didn’t become an official psychiatric diagnosis until 1980 , when the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition (DSM‑III) included “Infantile Autism” as a distinct condition.

Later editions (DSM‑IV in 1994 and DSM‑5 in 2013) refined the concept into what we now call Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), recognizing that autism varies widely in support needs and presentation.

A Quick Timeline

• 1911 : Eugen Bleuler uses the term “autism” to describe a symptom of schizophrenia

• 1943 : Leo Kanner publishes the first detailed description of “early infantile autism” in children

• 1944 : Hans Asperger describes children with similar traits but better language skills (“autistic psychopathy”)

• 1980 : Autism is officially recognized as a separate diagnosis in the DSM‑III

• 1994/2013 : Autism becomes part of the broader Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis in DSM‑IV and DSM‑5

So, while people we might now see as autistic have always existed, 1943 is the key year when autism was first identified as its own condition in modern medicine.

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Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.