The first recorded case of autism as a distinct medical diagnosis is widely considered to be Donald Triplett, who was born in 1933 in Mississippi. He was the first person ever diagnosed with autism by child psychiatrist Leo Kanner in 1943. Kanner described Triplett as "Case 1" in his groundbreaking paper, "Autistic Disturbances of Affective Contact," which identified autism as a unique developmental disorder separate from schizophrenia or other conditions. Although behaviors resembling autism had been documented earlier in history, 1943 marks the formal medical recognition of autism as a diagnosis.
Before this formal diagnosis, there were earlier observations of children with autism-like behaviors, going back to the late 18th century and cases such as Hugh Blair of Borgue or Victor, the Wild Boy of Aveyron. However, these were not diagnosed as autism at the time since the condition was not yet defined. The word "autism" itself was first used in 1911 by Eugen Bleuler, but in the context of schizophrenia, not as an independent diagnosis.
In summary, Donald Triplett in 1943 is considered the first officially recorded case of autism diagnosis.
