In the 1940s, Asperger viewed autism as a broad, lifelong spectrum. He recognized his "little professors" as individuals with unique talents in areas like science and math. Most critically, he attempted to protect these children from Nazi eugenics programs by emphasizing their potential social value to the Reich, such as their aptitude for code-breaking.

Conversely, Kanner defined autism as a rare, severe childhood psychosis. He shifted the focus toward deficits and famously (and incorrectly) blamed "refrigerator mothers"—parents who were supposedly too cold or distant—for their children's condition. The Suppressed History

The story of NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity by Steve Silberman is a sweeping historical narrative that reframes autism from a modern "epidemic" to a longstanding, natural variation in the human genome. The Two Pioneers