Autism was not "invented" but rather recognized and defined over time as a distinct condition. The term "autism" was first used in 1911 by Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler to describe a symptom of schizophrenia, not as a separate disorder. The first formal description of autism as a distinct condition was made by Leo Kanner in 1943, when he documented a set of children with unique social and communication challenges, calling the condition "early infantile autism." Around the same time, Hans Asperger described a similar condition now known as Asperger's syndrome. Autism became officially recognized as a separate diagnosis in the 1980 DSM-III manual. Since then, the understanding and classification of autism have evolved into what is now called Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
Key Historical Milestones
- 1911: The term "autism" coined by Eugen Bleuler to describe a schizophrenia symptom.
- 1943: Leo Kanner first described autism as a unique developmental disorder.
- 1944: Hans Asperger described a related condition (Asperger syndrome).
- 1980: Autism officially recognized as a distinct diagnosis in DSM-III.
- 2013: Autism and Asperger syndrome merged into a single Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis.
These milestones outline how autism was gradually "discovered" and understood rather than invented at a particular point in time.
