Hans Asperger

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/19/hans-asperger-aided-and-supported-nazi-programme-study-says

I have to say that since I first read Steve Silbermann's book 'Neurotribes' about a year plus ago, I have been wondering if it was entirely the case that Asperger tried to keep his subjects away from the Nazi euthanasia programme. This morning's headline is thus no great surprise. And as Sachs-Cohen and Silbermann have already indicated their belief in the emerging facts, I'm not about to get too emotive about it. Regardless of DSM-5, my diagnostician decided it was still a valid term for an older adult who had lived for some years with some knowledge of that label. And I'm not about to avoid that label, myself. I suppose I might as well be the first person on the forum to ask what happens next, because I would guess that not everyone will be quite so philosophical about it as me. I have to admit, I have never really taken very kindly to 'aspie'. I find it a bit patronising; but I'm now wondering if some of that discomfort is down to the fact that I have sort of half expected that the hero thing was not quite the full story. And Kanner, for all his input, wasn't beyond criticism either.

''Carol Povey, director at the National Autistic Society in the UK’s Centre for Autism, said: “We expect these findings to spark a big conversation among autistic people and their family members, particularly those who identify with the term ‘Asperger’. Obviously no one with a diagnosis of Asperger syndrome should feel in any way tainted by this very troubling history.” 

Parents
  • Who exactly is this Herwig Czech and what are his motivations for carrying out this research?

    Something that I'm concerned about is how this is spread like wildfire through the mainstream media. It seems like every English language media source has run away with the story. In contrast Lorna Wing's 1981 paper remained a near secret outside of a small circle of academics for over 10 years. It was referenced by media sources in her obituary but how many journalists even knew of its existence back in the 1980s? Even references to the milestone books about Asperger syndrome by Uta Frith and Tony Attwood have only had a minimal mention in the mainstream media and often years after they were published.

    I can't help but thinking that there is some malevolent behind the scenes project going on by certain factions of the Jewish community to discredit Hans Asperger.

    It's the beginning of the end of Asperger syndrome. In a few years it will be labelled as just autism but the clock will also be turned back so that the only autism which counts will be traditional Kanner autism. Anybody who still wants to push AS (regardless of what it's called) will be vilified as a sympathiser of a Nazi war criminal.

    I suspect that Lorna Wing, Uta Frith, and Tony Attwood will be consigned to the dustbin of history as naïve fools who just wanted to make a name for themselves whilst failing to understand who Hans Asperger was. So will Luke Jackson. I also suspect that JKP will stop publishing books about AS. 

    The eugenics is a mere side show. There was plenty of support for eugenics in Britain both during the early 20th century and today. It's collaborating with the *** that's Hans Asperger's crime. This is just as unforgiveable in academia as it is in the real world.

  • Do not forget Hans Asperger was not accused  of Killing Jews and do not forget most of the world was at War with Nazi Germany.  Hans Asperger was accused of not only been a member of the Nazi party but also referring disabled children to a clinic in Vienna to be murdered.  He would not refer a child with Asperger Syndrome to be murdered because it could be made use of but if the child was profoundly Autistic I expect it would be sent to the clinic to be murdered.   Do you want to be regarded as one of Hans Asperger people?

      The war was started because Hitler invaded Poland and refused to leave Poland.  It was not a Jewish War.  I know that there has always been abuse of disabled people but the Nazi era was uniquely horrible.  I am sure that if  Hans Asperger had not lived we would be aware that you can be on the Spectrum without being Autistic.   Asperger Syndrome has been replaced with Autistic Spectrum Disorder so it should not make that much difference.


  • Do you want to be regarded as one of Hans Asperger people?

    David, as an individual you can identify with whichever diagnostic system you find more culturally befitting for you, just as any other individual can identify with which ever diagnostic system that is personally more befitting for them.

    Be compassionate with yourself, and show respect for others.



  • Yes it might be true that Hans Asperger saved some Autistic people at the higher functioning end.

    It is not the case that it 'might be true', as it is on official records and on account of which reported by researchers and authors as being true, and those with higher functioning autism are on record as being discharged to family members, other institutions and so fourth. Czech's paper at very least covers this matter.


    I have sent  E Mails to Carol at the NAS my views.  I do not think we can do anything in this forum.  I will not tolerate Anti-Semitic personal remarks and I will E Mail the moderator

    Being Anti-Semitic means being 'hostile to or prejudiced against Jews' ~ which has no relationship with or relevance to anything written to you here by others or myself.

    Continued prejudice (preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience) is not becoming of an NAS community member, and this issue has been addressed with you politely several times over by other community members, including again here quite frankly now by myself.


    I do not think the Police would do anything as they would say Deepthought is Autistic and does not know what offence his remarks can cause.

    No, the Police would do nothing unless you kept on pushing them to do so, which would then involve them having to prevent you from doing as much.

    Contact an NAS Moderator to confirm this, perhaps.

    Or ~ be compassionate with yourself, and show respect for others :-)


  • Who is anti-semitic? Unless some posts have been deleted since I last looked at this thread, I have seen no evidence to support that apparent accusation?

    All of you are of course entirely free to choose which terms you wish to use, based on your own conscience.

    I will continue to use Asperger.

    Some people may complain that this "honours" someone associated with an appalling regime, but from my point of view it is nothing to do with honour, and everything to do with maintaining established historical fact.

    If Asperger (regardless of how evil he may have been) was the first person to identify the condition, it should carry his name. To do otherwise is a very troubling alternative, because I believe it to be a slippery slope towards a "1984-esque" world where we are constantly airbrushing history:

    "We have always been at war with Eastasia".

    Consider this:

    If we reject Asperger, then by implication his henchman Georg Frankl is similarly tainted?

    Frankl switched from working with Asperger to working with Kanner in 1938. Although 1938 is before the invasion of Poland, it was well after the April 1933 beginnings of discrimination against Jewish people. It seems Frankl even stuck around with Asperger for roughly three years after the 1935 establishment of the so called Nuremberg Laws. Therefore Frankl was assisting the regime as a collaborator. Since Frankl went to assist Kanner in 1938, if you believe that Asperger's work is tainted, so must Kanner's, because of his close association with an apparent collaborator?

    This is an unworkable way of thinking, because there will be no end to it:

    1. We won't be able to talk about Roman baths, because the Romans also persecuted Christians, had slaves and enjoyed gladiatorial combat. Their policy of decimation was inhumane.
    2. We can't describe anything as British, because the British Empire did terrible things (https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/worst-atrocities-british-empire-amritsar-boer-war-concentration-camp-mau-mau-a7612176.html).
    3. We can't describe anything as American, because the state was founded in racist ideology. Jefferson's claim in the United States Declaration of Independence "that all men are created equal" is misunderstood by modern readers. Jefferson "owned" roughly 600 slaves in his lifetime. Therefore, the words in the declaration penned by him actually meant WHITE MEN, i.e. not men of any other colour, nor women...
  • Yes it might be true that Hans Asperger saved some Autistic people at the higher functioning end.  I have sent  E Mails to Carol at the NAS my views.  I do not think we can do anything in this forum.  I will not tolerate Anti-Semitic personal remarks and I will E Mail the moderator.  I do not think the Police would do anything as they would say Deepthought is Autistic and does not know what offence his remarks can cause.

Reply
  • Yes it might be true that Hans Asperger saved some Autistic people at the higher functioning end.  I have sent  E Mails to Carol at the NAS my views.  I do not think we can do anything in this forum.  I will not tolerate Anti-Semitic personal remarks and I will E Mail the moderator.  I do not think the Police would do anything as they would say Deepthought is Autistic and does not know what offence his remarks can cause.

Children

  • Yes it might be true that Hans Asperger saved some Autistic people at the higher functioning end.

    It is not the case that it 'might be true', as it is on official records and on account of which reported by researchers and authors as being true, and those with higher functioning autism are on record as being discharged to family members, other institutions and so fourth. Czech's paper at very least covers this matter.


    I have sent  E Mails to Carol at the NAS my views.  I do not think we can do anything in this forum.  I will not tolerate Anti-Semitic personal remarks and I will E Mail the moderator

    Being Anti-Semitic means being 'hostile to or prejudiced against Jews' ~ which has no relationship with or relevance to anything written to you here by others or myself.

    Continued prejudice (preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience) is not becoming of an NAS community member, and this issue has been addressed with you politely several times over by other community members, including again here quite frankly now by myself.


    I do not think the Police would do anything as they would say Deepthought is Autistic and does not know what offence his remarks can cause.

    No, the Police would do nothing unless you kept on pushing them to do so, which would then involve them having to prevent you from doing as much.

    Contact an NAS Moderator to confirm this, perhaps.

    Or ~ be compassionate with yourself, and show respect for others :-)


  • Who is anti-semitic? Unless some posts have been deleted since I last looked at this thread, I have seen no evidence to support that apparent accusation?

    All of you are of course entirely free to choose which terms you wish to use, based on your own conscience.

    I will continue to use Asperger.

    Some people may complain that this "honours" someone associated with an appalling regime, but from my point of view it is nothing to do with honour, and everything to do with maintaining established historical fact.

    If Asperger (regardless of how evil he may have been) was the first person to identify the condition, it should carry his name. To do otherwise is a very troubling alternative, because I believe it to be a slippery slope towards a "1984-esque" world where we are constantly airbrushing history:

    "We have always been at war with Eastasia".

    Consider this:

    If we reject Asperger, then by implication his henchman Georg Frankl is similarly tainted?

    Frankl switched from working with Asperger to working with Kanner in 1938. Although 1938 is before the invasion of Poland, it was well after the April 1933 beginnings of discrimination against Jewish people. It seems Frankl even stuck around with Asperger for roughly three years after the 1935 establishment of the so called Nuremberg Laws. Therefore Frankl was assisting the regime as a collaborator. Since Frankl went to assist Kanner in 1938, if you believe that Asperger's work is tainted, so must Kanner's, because of his close association with an apparent collaborator?

    This is an unworkable way of thinking, because there will be no end to it:

    1. We won't be able to talk about Roman baths, because the Romans also persecuted Christians, had slaves and enjoyed gladiatorial combat. Their policy of decimation was inhumane.
    2. We can't describe anything as British, because the British Empire did terrible things (https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/worst-atrocities-british-empire-amritsar-boer-war-concentration-camp-mau-mau-a7612176.html).
    3. We can't describe anything as American, because the state was founded in racist ideology. Jefferson's claim in the United States Declaration of Independence "that all men are created equal" is misunderstood by modern readers. Jefferson "owned" roughly 600 slaves in his lifetime. Therefore, the words in the declaration penned by him actually meant WHITE MEN, i.e. not men of any other colour, nor women...