Early infantile autism in monozygotic twins.

A doctor described one pair of identical twin baby boys. Both boys later met criteria for early infantile autism. The report suggested trouble that started before birth might explain their shared diagnosis.

Both twins had autism, so the doctor pointed to pre-birth events as a likely cause. The paper added one more real-life example that autism can run in families.

Later reviews folded this twin story into the bigger picture. Leung et al. (1998) and Gillberg (1993) both list early twin cases when they say autism is partly genetic. Yelton (1979), printed the same year, also cites twin pairs to argue for body-based subgroups inside autism.

Sugie et al. (2005) went beyond the single pair. They checked birth records of 225 infants later diagnosed with autism. Boys with autism were often born heavier and after longer pregnancies, and both sexes had more newborn problems. This larger study keeps the idea that womb events matter, but shows the twin case was just the tip of the iceberg.

Waltz et al. (2004) used the same case-report style, yet looked at old London files. Both papers simply describe behaviors; the 1979 twins support a birth-cause theory, while the 2004 histories prove the behavior pattern existed long before the name "autism" did.

You still meet families who ask, "Where did this come from?" This 1979 twin case is a short story you can share when you talk about genes and prenatal risks. It reminds caregivers that autism can start very early, before any parenting choices are made. That single story, plus the later bigger studies, helps you shift talk away from blame and toward early screening and support.