Leo Kanner

Leo Kanner (1894-1981) was an Austrian-American physician and social activist. He is dubbed as one of the most influential clinical psychiatrists. Kanner is most popularly known for his work on autism with his research, “Autistic Disturbances of Affective Contact”. He studied children whom he described as having “early infantile autism”, they had extreme preference for sameness, remarkable intelligence, and a significant desire to be alone. This condition is now termed as Autism Spectrum Disorder ("insert link"). Kanner is also credited for the development of the first American child psychiatry clinic.