Eric Schopler

Eric Schopler (born February 8, 1927 in Fürth ; † July 7, 2006 ) was an American psychologist whose pioneering work in the study of autism led to the establishment of the TEACCH program.

childhood

He grew up during the rise of Adolf Hitler and the increasing persecution of Jews. As a child he noticed Jewish friends and teachers disappearing, which later led to his wanting to find out why a certain group is scapegoated by everyone else. In the early 1930s, his family decided to emigrate to the United States, where they settled in Rochester, New York.

Career

After graduating from high school, Schopler joined the US Army and received his PhD in clinical child psychology from the University of Chicago . He then went to the University of North Carolina Psychiatric Department, where he and Robert Reichler did his early research on treating autism. This research into the disease led to the establishment of the TEACCH program in 1966 (treatment and training of children with autism and other communication disorders). Schopler showed that most autistic people did not suffer from mental disabilities, as was believed by many at the time, and that the parents of autistic children could themselves be responsible for the treatment and education of their children. In 1993, Schopler received the North Carolina Award for Public Service. Nine clinics founded by TEACCH are still in North Carolina today. Schopler's work has had a lasting and positive effect on dealing with autistic people around the world.

Eric Schopler died on July 7, 2006 at the age of 79. He received the post mortem gold medal for life's work in the service of psychology from the American Psychological Society.

Web links

• Literature by and about Eric Schopler in the catalog of the German National Library