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I found it interesting to read about the theory of refrigerator mothers. This term was first coined by Leo Kanner then somewhat later promoted by Bruno Betterlheim. This theory is the concept that blamed mothers for supposed emotional coldness or poor mothering/parenting, for causing their children's autism. I wonder if in modern day that the same theory could be found about fathers even though it is a discredited belief.

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I found it interesting how it evolved throughout the centuries moving from a eugenic movement resulting in trying to remove the "bad gene" to Hitler following that way of thinking and possibly the reason for the Nazi movement to then taking a huge turn and Asperger realizing that those on the spectrum were smarter than they were given credit for.

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I am curious about how many people today still talk so negatively about autism and how that may be connected to the Nazi era philosophies shaping early autism research.

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It is interesting to see how our perceptions of autism has changed over time. Autism has always existed yet it took a while to acknowledge its existence and even longer to start putting terms and definitions to it. It started out as identifying people who were different that what is considered "normal" to putting characteristics to it. I think it is also interesting how we came up with a more rigid definition that was later changed to be more open, as a spectrum.

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This all makes me wonder what will happen in the future of the US, with our current leadership. Will we be forced back into the archaic thinking of autism or will we be able to progress as a society?

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It is interesting being able to look backwards and to see how each of these researchers had contributed to the definition of autism spectrum disorder as we know it today. It took folks from many different locations with different ideas and perspectives to create a wholistic view of autism. Also, interesting that the traits Kanner attributed to autism are close to those currently in the DSM-5.

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It's interesting to read about the eugenics during the Third Reich, and how similar its parallells are to the movements of modern day United States. We've seen a meteoric rise of anti-autism rhetoric and a push for finding "a cure", which could possibly lead to the return of forced sterilization.

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I really appreciated that this week acknowledged that the Nazi party's ideologies and practices in Germany were directly influenced and pulled from the United States' eugenics and racial policies. That information isn't super widely known or talked about, and I only learned it recently.

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Sukhareva observed autism in boys and girls while Asperger didn't study girls. Were girls not diagnosed with autism as readily/easily as boys in Germany? If so, why?

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Makes me wonder - How many ideas we still use in medicine or education that come from biased or dangerous origins?

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Since the beginning of studying autism, it has followed a negative connotation. In the US, they terminated individuals who had “undesirable traits” and it was studied throughout the Nazi movement, individuals were picked out if they were deemed eligible for society. There was no safe space to study autism in its entirety which is shocking to read.

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I'm curious if there was more research done by women on autism that wasn't highlighted due to gender stereotypes

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I am curious about Kanner's interactions with the children he worked with. Were they mostly observations or did he ever build connections with the children?

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I am curious about Kanner's interactions with the children he worked with. Were they mostly observations or did he ever build connections with the children?

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Why is is that the majority of the research is centered in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland?

Is it because of Freud and his breakthroughs in the areas of psychotherapy?

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How was autism viewed in the 13th century?