Rewriting Autism History

What does the NAS make of this discovery by Steve Silberman about Leo Kanner and Hans Asperger?

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/08/autism-history-aspergers-kanner-psychiatry/398903/

Not only does it cast serious doubt on the notion that Kanner’s discovery was completely independent of Asperger. Of perhaps greater importance, it may help resuscitate the reputation of Asperger—a man whose prescient ideas were long ignored.

Other theories as to why Kanner shunned Asperger’s work are less persuasive. Some historians have believed that Asperger’s work was unknown to Kanner because of the language barrier. But German was Kanner’s native language. Not only that, Kanner was keenly familiar with Archiv für Psychiatrie und Nervenkrankheiten, the neurological journal that published Asperger’s papers, and referenced it many times in his work.

It’s possible that Kanner, as a Jew, found it objectionable that Asperger—through no fault of his own—was working for *** who had taken over his clinic. It could be that Kanner thought Asperger himself was a Nazi, though Silberman argues persuasively he was not.

Once you consider the implications of such buried history, the scope of the tragedy is almost crushing.

But the damage done by Kanner, intentionally or otherwise, is inescapable. For far too long he perpetuated ideas about autistic children that were simply not true. And for too long no one was the wiser. “By burying Asperger in history, Kanner obscured the breadth and diversity of the spectrum,” said Silberman. This, in turn, meant “many children who would have been eligible for a diagnosis under Asperger’s more expansive model of autism were left to struggle along on their own in a world not made for them.”

Parents
  • That’s a great article Arran, thanks for posting. 

    I think we have to remember that Kanner did an awful lot of good for a lot of people and he devoted his life to helping individuals with autism and their families. While the article is certainly interesting, I think it’s important we don’t cast any judgements. Nobody is perfect and nobody gets it right all the time, whatever the reason may be. 

    It has sparked my curiosity to do more research and certainly, there’s no doubt that my life would have be different, had I had a diagnosis and relevant support, when I was younger. I won’t deny that. I’m coming to terms with that, slowly, it’s definitely a big deal. 

    I also think it’s important for this information to be made public, as it tells as much about social influence etc as it does about the history of autism. Asperger’s work is extremely important and he deserves credit for it. He too, it seems, was also a remarkable person. 

    I’m interested in this discovery for several reasons but I also acknowledge that if Kanners work did cause a lot of harm, it also caused a lot of good, and so did Asperger’s work. I’m grateful to both of them. I’m also interested how we move forward, as a society, in including autism into society. I’ve got big visions and while I acknowledge challenges, I think we are heading in the right direction. 

    Great discussion everyone. 

  • I also think it’s important for this information to be made public, as it tells as much about social influence etc as it does about the history of autism.

    The article is more than 2 years old.  A good place to start research is Silberman's since-published work 'Neurotribes'.  It's a dense and heavy (for me) read, but fascinating.

  • I found it an excellent read in audiobook form! Lots I didn't know, including the fascinating details of Asperger's work before and during the war.

  • The special school I went to was in 1972.  At that time autism was virtually unheard of in the general population.

    And all these SENs and EHCP were unknown.

    Education was compulsory and if we refused to go to a school we got sent to other schools.

    As far as I know, there was no exhaustive testing like there is now.

    We just got sent from school to school until we agreed to attend.

    That special school was actually enjoyable and peaceful.  In later years I started to question how it was run and what actually went on in there.

    No.  Academic teaching.  Before I went there I was behind other children academically.  When I left I was even further behind.

    Some children were there longer than me.  And I saw no improvement in them. One girl of my age was always sitting under tables or hiding behind a large old wooden bookcase.  Not engaging with anyone in anyway. When I left a year later she was still behaving the same way.

  • AS was generally viewed as a behavioural problem in the 1980s by schools and educational psychologists. They did not tick the boxes for autism back then and as they tended to be of average or above average ability in literacy and numeracy then they were deemed not to have learning difficulties. An erroneous belief circulated that children could only have SEN if they were below average in literacy and numeracy.

    The result is that AS was concluded to be something to be sorted out using harsh discipline as it was believed that children with AS either did not know right from wrong or did know right from wrong and chose to do wrong.

    I mentioned how Jewish power and influence in the post-war years could have been responsible for suppressing Hans Asperger, but could he (and people with AS) also have been a victim of Protestant Christian values of discipline that run high in both the US and Britain even amongst people who are not religious? Remember that Austria was a largely Catholic country when Hans Asperger carried out his research.

  • I do love your stories Robert. Here’s a change in direction. I’m just thinking about friendships and I think I’m coming to the conclusion, that I don’t want them. I’m ok when I’m around them but then I wish they’d just disappear. I don’t know why they contact you. I think I’m going to stick with the friends I have on here, the friends at my autistic group (so long as they keep it to the group) and friends that I meet while at a group, such as a walking group or whatever. I think I’m happy by myself. 

    Your old school sounds like a nice place to be. 

Reply
  • I do love your stories Robert. Here’s a change in direction. I’m just thinking about friendships and I think I’m coming to the conclusion, that I don’t want them. I’m ok when I’m around them but then I wish they’d just disappear. I don’t know why they contact you. I think I’m going to stick with the friends I have on here, the friends at my autistic group (so long as they keep it to the group) and friends that I meet while at a group, such as a walking group or whatever. I think I’m happy by myself. 

    Your old school sounds like a nice place to be. 

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