The first diagnosis of autism as an independent condition was made by Dr. Leo Kanner, an Austrian-American psychiatrist, in 1943. He described "early infantile autism" in a paper based on his study of 11 children who showed extreme social withdrawal, communication difficulties, repetitive behaviors, and strong attachments to routines and objects. This was the first time autism was recognized as a separate condition distinct from schizophrenia, which it had previously been associated with.
The term "autism" itself was first introduced earlier, in 1911, by Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler, but he used it to describe a symptom of schizophrenia, not the distinct developmental disorder we now know as autism.
Thus, the first formal diagnosis of autism as a distinct condition dates to 1943 by Leo Kanner.
