ummm did you know that?

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Yeah. It's been disproven but it goes far back and a lot of people still believe a variant of it (see Dennis Leary's recent rant).

My parents (on the spectrum, incidentally) were ridiculously warm to me, and both my brother and I are AS. I think autism is genetic because it runs in my family.

I wouldn't say my parents were cold but I don't exactly know what this theory of it is.

I grew up with an alcoholic father who at times was a loving man and my mother did all she could for us even me. No one knew what the hell AS was and I went through so many freakn' psychiatrists and psychologists until eventually AS was in question and I got a diagnoses for it.

What's confusing about this forum is I'm not autistic but have AS. At least that's what I've heard from my doctor and in books..that it's under the umbrella of autism.

Any psychologist or doctor from that long ago was heavily influenced by freud and did not even know about genetics like we do and definately knew nothing of neurology. In psycchology fields new evidence is given presidence over old and if you put anything of Kanners or aspergers in your literature review saying it was so and not weighting it with the proper hesitancy your supivisor would be not pleased. Asperger and kanner did the best with what they knew at the time but things have moved on. They were ignorant of further research that has taken place.

All mental health phenomena start off being thought to be caused by mothers then move on to being of genetic origin as research is taken place.

^Agreed. This is the old "nature vrs. nurture" debate that has been mostly settled in favor of genetics, although there are a few diehards that still think that genetics (nature) isn't as important as experience (nuture). Sounds like Kanner was saying, "Wait a minute, it can't all be the effect of bad parenting, these kids have had it from the start."

Z

This is interesting. Goes to show the role parenting plays so parents cannot shirk off their responsibility of their child's outcome saying it's all genetic, they have no influence on it, no use changing their parenting style.
I have read that empathy can be learned and is learned.
Having AS means not getting it 100% but there is no reason not to believe that a parent can help a child with AS develop a reasonable amount of empathy, as far as seeing another person's point of view, recognizing the feelings of others, how they might be different, things like this.
Social intuition is much different not nearly as easy.

That's an interesting point, Aurore- you are living proof. I have read posts by you on WP you seem, from what I can tell, pretty easy going, balanced, I can't tell about empathy IRL but from what I see of you on WP you do have a degree of empathy and decent social skills.
AND you say you had very warm parents which goes to show...it DOES make a huge difference in the child as an adult.

Sounds to me like he's saying this isn't the case. This quote seems to be refuting an idea that's already out there. Sure, allowing it to be partly the case. Still, I very much get the impression that the idea was out there, and Kanner here is saying that idea does not account for autism.

It's true the parent does not cause autism. What the OP doesn't mention is the parent's role in the child's outcome. For instance, a child with AS can have different outcomes, depending on how the parents raise him or her. If a parent is warm, understanding, helpful, positive, consistently so, it can greatly influence how the child will be as an adult with or without autism. The autism will still be there but a child can learn various strategies from the parent and benefit from a certain style of parenting.

I think I might understand the basis of the saying. My parents basically left me alone, then acted totally flabergasted whenever I'd step out of line, and think I was choosing to have difficulties and was just lazy. Kind of frustrating, and it made me feel like they were my parents in name only.

You did sum this up well - although I am mindblind I am empathetic for certain. I did not learn this from a parent (don't have parents - dead) but maybe vicariously from reading. I love Fairy Tales and learned much in this way. I am likely a compassionate person, by nature, but I am CLUELESS as to 'reading' another's emotions, motives, or intent. So, regardless of one's parents, or autism, this is a learned skill. But still the mindblindness is ever-present; this is a constant.

For example, animals can be deeply compassionate - I do not guess. Just for one instance, quite some time ago I BADLY hurt my hand by slamming it in the car door and had to go to the hospital. But when I got into my car, alone but with my dog in the backseat, I cried uncontrollably, sobbing in pain and frustration. I began to faint and laid on the front seat. I'll never forget my dog and his deep compassion: He whined and cried too, then climbed into the front seat with me (he was a huge dog!) and 'held' me next to him. He had more compassion in him than most I've ever met. But he does lack those emotions, as do I.