Autism was first described as a distinct condition in the early 1940s, but the word “autism” itself goes back to the early 1900s.

Quick Scoop

1. Where the word “autism” comes from

  • In 1911, Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler used the word “autism” for symptoms seen in some people with schizophrenia, from the Greek “autos,” meaning “self.”
  • He used it to describe extreme withdrawal into one’s inner world, not what we now call autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

2. When autism as we know it was first described

  • In 1943, child psychiatrist Leo Kanner published a paper on 11 children who had strong needs for sameness, minimal social interaction, and unusual language development; he called this “early infantile autism.”
  • Around the same era, Grunya Sukhareva (1920s) and later Hans Asperger (1940s) described children with autistic traits, but their work was largely overlooked for decades.

3. When autism became an official diagnosis

  • Autism first appeared as its own diagnosis (“infantile autism”) in the DSM-III, a major psychiatric manual, in 1980.
  • In later editions, the concept evolved into “autistic disorder,” then a group of related diagnoses (autistic disorder, Asperger’s syndrome, etc.), and in 2013 these were merged into one umbrella term: autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in DSM‑5.

4. Why it feels like autism is “new”

  • Autism isn’t new in humans; what’s new is recognition, better definitions, and much more awareness in media, schools, and health systems over the last few decades.
  • As diagnostic criteria broadened and understanding improved, more people—especially those with milder traits—started getting identified, which makes it seem like autism suddenly appeared.

5. Today’s picture and ongoing discussion

  • Today, autism is understood as a neurodevelopmental condition that has a strong genetic component, with a wide spectrum of support needs.
  • There is active discussion in autistic communities about language (autistic vs. “person with autism”), identity, and shifting away from viewing autism only as a disorder toward a broader neurodiversity perspective.

In short: the word “autism” was coined in 1911, the modern description of autism as a childhood condition appeared in 1943, and the formal diagnosis really took shape from 1980 onward.

TL;DR:

  • Term coined: 1911 (Bleuler).
  • Classic clinical description of childhood autism: 1943 (Kanner).
  • Official diagnosis in major manuals: 1980, then expanded and renamed to autism spectrum disorder in 2013.

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