In this episode of the Ananya podcast, host Jewel and guest Madhavi take listeners on a journey through time to uncover the history of autism. They revisit the contributions of Eugene Bleuler and Leo Kanner, focusing on Kanner's revolutionary work at Johns Hopkins University, where he established America's first child psychiatry service and identified key characteristics of autism in 11 children. The discussion also covers the damaging Refrigerator Mother Theory and its eventual debunking through the efforts of Bernard Rimland and other dedicated researchers and parents. The episode concludes by highlighting Kanner's admissions of his early mistakes and sets the stage for future episodes to explore the autism spectrum, neurodiversity, and recent scientific discoveries. 00:00 Introduction to the Journey Through Time 00:24 The Pioneers of Autism Understanding 00:43 Kanner's Observations and Discoveries 02:36 The Groundbreaking 1943 Paper 04:42 The Refrigerator Mother Theory 05:36 The Shift to Biological Understanding 06:56 Kanner's Legacy and Future Directions 07:28 Conclusion and Next Episode Preview