The first BBC programmes about Asperger Syndrome

Horizon used to regularly show pop psychology programmes since the 1980s...

It's possible to look as AS from two different ends.

1. Using 'behind closed doors' research carried out by professional psychologists on a small number of subjects. This was the Lorna Wing approach.

2. Using findings from observing people in everyday settings. This was the Hans Asperger approach.

Research carried out by myself and a few people I know reveal that the pieces were not falling into place in Britain to co-discover AS using (2) before Hans Asperger's papers were translated into English by Uta Frith. Teachers are often the first 'professionals' to observe children with AS over prolonged periods but there doesn't appear to be any articles published in teaching magazines about children with unusual behavioural traits that cannot be explained using existing psychology, or problematic children who are of high academic ability, that nowadays would immediately be recognised as being AS. There also doesn't seem to be any TV documentaries about such children unless anybody knows otherwise. Was anything produced for Channel 4 in the 1980s or early 1990s? 

The National Association for Gifted Children probably had a higher than average for society proportion of children with AS within its circles in the 1980s but even they never succeeded in publicising the existence of AS traits where there is no explanation for why they exist. Especially if children who were members had siblings who did not have AS and were rather conventional and not particularly gifted children. 

Horizon used to regularly show pop psychology programmes since the 1980s...

It's possible to look as AS from two different ends.

1. Using 'behind closed doors' research carried out by professional psychologists on a small number of subjects. This was the Lorna Wing approach.

2. Using findings from observing people in everyday settings. This was the Hans Asperger approach.

Research carried out by myself and a few people I know reveal that the pieces were not falling into place in Britain to co-discover AS using (2) before Hans Asperger's papers were translated into English by Uta Frith. Teachers are often the first 'professionals' to observe children with AS over prolonged periods but there doesn't appear to be any articles published in teaching magazines about children with unusual behavioural traits that cannot be explained using existing psychology, or problematic children who are of high academic ability, that nowadays would immediately be recognised as being AS. There also doesn't seem to be any TV documentaries about such children unless anybody knows otherwise. Was anything produced for Channel 4 in the 1980s or early 1990s? 

The National Association for Gifted Children probably had a higher than average for society proportion of children with AS within its circles in the 1980s but even they never succeeded in publicising the existence of AS traits where there is no explanation for why they exist. Especially if children who were members had siblings who did not have AS and were rather conventional and not particularly gifted children.