Cited in UK press coverage of health & social care
2 citations
Across 1 topic, first on 27 Aug 2026.
Biography
Lorna Wing OBE, MD, FRCPsych (7 October 1928 – 6 June 2014) was a British psychiatrist and autism researcher who died at the age of 85. She studied medicine at University College Hospital Medical School, London, and was appointed in the mid-1960s to the Social Psychiatry Unit at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, where she worked until retirement. In 1962 she co-founded what became the UK National Autistic Society, and in 1991 she and Judith Gould co-founded the Centre for Social and Communication Disorders, later renamed the Lorna Wing Centre for Autism. She is best known for pioneering the concept of the autism spectrum, developing the 'triad of impairments' framework, and for her 1981 paper introducing Asperger syndrome to the English-speaking medical community. NOTE: Lorna Wing is deceased and cannot be a currently quoted press voice; any recent press references are likely retrospective.
References
- 1.Lorna Wing OBE, MD, FRCPsych – BJPsych Bulletin obituary (PubMed Central) — Career history, co-founding of NAS, co-founding of Centre for Social and Communication Disorders, death at age 85
- 2.Lorna Wing – The Lancet obituary, 2014 — Co-founding of NAS in 1962, DISCO diagnostic tool, Lorna Wing Centre for Autism
- 3.Lorna Wing OBE, MD, FRCPsych – BJPsych Bulletin, Cambridge Core — Institute of Psychiatry career, NAS formation, Centre for Social and Communication Disorders, renaming to Lorna Wing Centre for Autism
- 4.Dr. Lorna Wing: Pioneering psychiatrist in autism research – Telangana Journal of Psychiatry, 2025 — Triad of impairments, Asperger syndrome paper (1981), DISCO, epidemiological contributions, NAS founding
Expertise
Cited on
Stated areas of expertise
- Autism spectrum disorders
- Autism diagnosis and assessment
- Child and developmental psychiatry
- Epidemiology of autism
- Asperger syndrome
Notable achievements
- Co-founded the UK National Autistic Society in 1962 with other parents of autistic children. Source ↗
- Co-founded the Centre for Social and Communication Disorders in 1991 (renamed the Lorna Wing Centre for Autism in 2008) with Judith Gould. Source ↗
- Developed the 'triad of impairments' framework and co-developed the Diagnostic Interview for Social and Communication Disorders (DISCO). Source ↗
- Published the landmark 1981 paper 'Asperger's Syndrome: A Clinical Account' in Psychological Medicine, introducing the concept to the English medical community. Source ↗
What they’ve said
“His work was lost for decades but in 1980 it was rediscovered by British psychiatrist Dr Lorna Wing.”
British psychiatrist · Learning disability & autism · 27 Aug 2026 · His research on autism was compassionate – how could Hans Asperger have collaborated with the Nazis? ↗
“a young psychiatrist, Lorna Wing, who was familiar with Kanner's work and also had an autistic child”
psychiatrist · Learning disability & autism · 27 Aug 2026 · Michael Baron obituary ↗
Source references
- His research on autism was compassionate – how could Hans Asperger have collaborated with the Nazis?theguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
- Michael Baron obituarytheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
Contact & links
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Doctors, nurses, allied health professionals and other registered clinicians quoted in a clinical capacity. Citations are counted by an automated scan of UK press coverage and may be incomplete. Roles, biographies and contact details are researched and human-reviewed before they appear here; anything not yet reviewed is simply absent rather than shown unverified. See the methodology for how this page is built, or email contact@bridgeheadcommunications.com to correct anything on it.