Lauretta Bender, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Lauretta Bender

American neuropsychiatrist

Date of Birth: 09-Aug-1897

Place of Birth: Butte, Montana, United States

Date of Death: 04-Jan-1987

Profession: physician, psychiatrist, child psychiatrist

Nationality: United States

Zodiac Sign: Leo

Lauretta Bender (August 9, 1897 – January 4, 1987) was an American child neuropsychiatrist known for developing the Bender-Gestalt Test, a psychological test designed to evaluate visual-motor maturation in children.
First published by Bender in 1938, the test became a widely used for assessing children's neurological function and screening for developmental disorders. She performed research in the areas of autism spectrum disorders in children (formerly "childhood schizophrenia"), suicide and violence, and was one of the first researchers to suggest that mental disorders in children might have a neurological basis, rather than attributing them to the child's bad behavior or poor upbringing.
Because she was not trained as a psychologist, but rather as a medical doctor and psychiatrist, most of her work focused on diagnosing mental disorders in children.
She also served as the head of the children's psychiatric service at Bellevue Hospital for 21 years starting in 1934.