GRUNYA SUKHAREVA: THE UNKNOWN FIGURE OF CHILD PSYCHIATRY AND THE PIONEER OF AUTISM RESEARCH

Abstract

The history of medicine has long overlooked the contributions of the eminent scientist Grunya Sukhareva, whose works laid the foundation for modern child psychiatry. Although her first clinical descriptions of autism were published as early as 1925, global recognition was for decades attributed almost exclusively to Leo Kanner and Hans Asperger. This article is dedicated to restoring historical justice and analyzing the scientific legacy of the Kyiv and Kharkiv schools of psychiatry, which Sukhareva represented. The work examines her life journey and intellectual courage in describing conditions that, at the time, were erroneously classified as childhood schizophrenia. Purpose. The primary objective of this study is a descriptive analysis of Grunya Sukhareva’s scientific output within the context of the formation of the autism spectrum concept. The work aims to highlight the priority of her discoveries, analyze her methodological approaches to the diagnosis of psychopathies in children, and compare her descriptions of «autistic psychopathy» with modern diagnostic criteria (DSM-5, ICD-11). Scientific novelty. For the first time, this article systematically organizes evidence demonstrating that Sukhareva described the key features of autism 20 years before her Western colleagues by utilizing a phenomenological approach. The scientific novelty lies in highlighting how socio-political conditions and the language barrier led to the «oblivion» of her works in global science. The author emphasizes her unique perspective on the child’s psyche as a developing system, rather than a mere miniature version of an adult’s, which was a revolutionary step for 20th-century medicine. Conclusions. The research confirms that Grunya Sukhareva is the true pioneer of autism research. Her clinical observations were distinguished by their depth and humanism, and the treatment methods she proposed were far ahead of their time. Reinstating Sukhareva’s name in the scientific discourse not only restores ethical balance but also allows for a deeper understanding of the genesis of the national psychiatric school. Recognizing her role is an essential step for modern child psychology and medicine as a whole.