News about Leo Kanner

Donald Triplett, the first individual diagnosed with autism, died at the age of 89, indicating an uncanny knack for memorization. Leo Kanner, an Austrian child psychiatrist, examined Triplett at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore in 1938, first perplexed by his illness. Kanner continued to observe Triplett, eventually finding ten other children with similar characteristics. Triplett's autism diagnosis resulted from a lengthy 22-page letter sent to Kanner containing information about his aptitudes and behavior. The letter is still a primary reference document for those who investigate the disorder.