How did Leo Kanner distinguish early infantile autism from childhood schizophrenia

Bibliographic Data

ID19445244
AuthorsMasaaki Sasaki (0000-0001-9925-5801, Department of Psychiatry, Federation of National Public Service Personnel Mutual Aid Association, Toranomon Hospital Kajigaya, Kawasaki, Japan, corresponding author), Hiroki Kocha (0000-0003-2402-988X, Department of Neuropsychiatry, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Kawasaki, Japan)
Year2025
Volume37
Issue1
Pages7-24
Publication date2025-10-23
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueHistory of Psychiatry (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0957-154X • E-ISSN: 1740-2360
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0957154x251371358
PMID41127988
OpenAlexW4415465615
LanguageEN
References cited44

Since the 2000s, the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has increased, and the diagnosis of ASD has become heterogeneous. Recently, some researchers have begun to regard ASD as a form of neurodiversity rather than a medical disorder. In this article, we re-examine the establishment process of early infantile autism, as reported by Leo Kanner, and place the current debate in a historical context. An essential issue for Kanner was differentiating early infantile autism from childhood schizophrenia, but what made this difficult was the changing concept of schizophrenia over time. We consider how this affected Kanner’s arguments and how it relates to the current autism debate

Autism · Autism spectrum disorder · Childhood schizophrenia · Developmental disorder · Early childhood · Infantile autism · Autism Spectrum Disorder Research · Mental Health and Psychiatry · Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders

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