A Short History of Autism 53A Short History of Autism
Steve Silberman’s recent book, NeuroTribes [16], provides an excellent over-
view of people and themes that have been involved in the story of autism.
According to Silberman, among the key people involved in the dramatic and
moving story of autism are Henry Cavendish, Hans Asperger, Leo Kanner,
Lorna Wing, Bruno Bettelheim, Bernard Rimland, Dustin Hoffman, and
Temple Grandin.
Autism involves traits that are out of balance with those present in a more
typical human being. Although individuals on the autism spectrum are
commonly lacking in certain areas, notably in the areas of social communi-
cation and interaction, they may excel in other areas. They are more prone
to see things in new ways rather than being bound by preconceived notions,
and they often have incredible memories. They also perceive the world visu-
ally with great sensitivity. One can easily recognize that these types of traits
can be very important in scientific fields that depend on inventiveness and
creative genius. An example given in NeuroTribes is of the great British sci-
entist Henry Cavendish (1731–1810), who is particularly famous for discov-
ering hydrogen and helium. It may be that Henry Cavendish’s ASD‐related
weaknesses in some areas gave rise strengths in others. Well known to be
exceedingly reclusive and exceptionally unassuming with regard to his dis-
coveries, Cavendish may never have made the discoveries he did were it not
for his autism. A scientist as well as a natural philosopher, Cavendish was
afflicted with autism at a time when there was no official diagnosis available;
however, a retrospective diagnosis of autism seems warranted. It was
Cavendish who, from his own back yard, found a way to measure the density
of the entire Earth. Numerous important scientists have also been unoffi-
cially diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum. Henry Cavendish typifies
this pattern.
Hans Asperger was an Austrian pediatrician and scientific researcher at
the University of Vienna. It was he who first recognized that the disorder
that came to bear his name was a condition that took various forms and
appeared at different levels of severity. He published his seminal finding in
1944 that clearly described autistic symptoms. Asperger perceived a con-
nection between high levels of intelligence and autism in such challenging
intellectual areas as mathematics and music. Consequently, he referred to
his patients as “little professors”. A devastating historical event under-
mined Asperger’s progress in making his observations known: Hitler
ordered the invasion of Austria at the same time as Asperger was making
his groundbreaking contributions. Consequently, his prestigious University
of Vienna, instead of becoming more renowned for quality research, came
under the grip of the Hitler regime and its obsession with eugenics and