Hans Asperger

Hans Asperger (February 18, 1906 – October 21, 1980) was an Austrian pediatrician, medical theorist, and medical professor. He is best known for his early studies on mental disorders, especially in children. His work was largely unnoticed during his lifetime except for a few accolades in Vienna, and his studies on psychological disorders only acquired world renown posthumously. There was a resurgence of interest in his work beginning in the 1980s, and due to his earlier work which is regarded by some as under the fold of autism spectrum disorders, Asperger syndrome (AS) was named after him. Both Asperger's original paediatric diagnosis of AP and the eponymous diagnosis of AS that was named for him several decades after are controversial.