Tributes poured in at the end of November following the death of Bernard Rimland, considered the godfather of modern autism research.
Rimland (78) died at a southern California care facility in the second-last week of November after losing a fight against cancer, said Stephen Edelson, director of the Autism Research Institute founded by the late doctor.
Edelson said Rimland would be considered ”one of the greats in the field of psychology and a true pioneer in autism research field”.
Tributes from around the world were posted on the institute’s website, with one woman from Morocco praising ”the hope and the welfare you have brought to autistic children even in the most remote countries”.
Rimland revolutionised the study of autism in a 1964 book that shattered the myth that the condition — characterised by poor language and social skills — was caused by bad parenting. Rimland, whose son Mark was autistic, instead argued that the condition was a bio-medical problem.
Rimland was hired as a consultant on the 1988 Oscar-winning movie Rain Man, which focused on an autistic savant played by Dustin Hoffman.
His career often saw him in conflict with the medical establishment, and he courted controversy by claiming that an increase in autism diagnoses might be caused by vaccinations.
Rimland is survived by his wife, Gloria, and three grown children. — AFP
