Should we ditch Hans Asperger's label?

I've never liked the whole "Asperger" label, because it lends itself to a series of horrible puns (and is unfair to children in that way).

I presume this has been discussed on here, but Dr Hans Asperger is not the kind of man we should be celebrating. This is off Wikipedia - I apologise for using that source, but it is the quickest to cut and paste

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Edith Scheffer, a modern European history scholar, wrote in 2018 that Asperger cooperated with the Nazi regime, including sending children to the Spiegelgrund clinic which participated in the euthanasia program.[26] Scheffer wrote a book further elaborating on her research called Asperger's Children: The Origins of Autism in Nazi Vienna (2018).[27][28]

Another scholar and historian from the Medical University of Vienna, Herwig Czech concluded in a 2017 article in the journal Molecular Autism, which was published in April 2018:

Asperger managed to accommodate himself to the Nazi regime and was rewarded for his affirmations of loyalty with career opportunities. He joined several organizations affiliated with the NSDAP (although not the Nazi party itself), publicly legitimized race hygiene policies including forced sterilizations and, on several occasions, actively cooperated with the child ‘euthanasia' program.[29]

Dean Falk, American anthropologist from Florida State University, questioned Herwig Czech's allegations against Hans Asperger in two papers in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.[30][31] Czech's reply was published in the same journal.[32]

In May 2019, Ketil Slagstad, a Norwegian doctor and historical scholar, added his interpretation of both Scheffer's and Czech's work, in his article "Asperger, the [National Socialists] and the children - the history of the birth of a diagnosis",[33] in which he describes the nuances of the situation. He offers an alternative explanation of Asperger's involvement, citing the challenges of war, desire to protect his career and protect the children for which he cared, Slagstad concludes:

The story of Hans Asperger, Nazism, murdered children, post-war oblivion, the birth of the diagnosis in the 1980s, the gradual expansion of the diagnostic criteria and the huge recent interest in autism spectrum disorders exemplify the historical and volatile nature of diagnoses: they are historic constructs that reflect the times and societies where they exert their effect.

Critically, though, Slagstad noted "Historical research has now shown that he [Asperger] was...a well-adapted cog in the machine of a deadly regime. He deliberately referred disabled children to the clinic Am Spiegelgrund, where he knew that they were at risk of being killed. The eponym Asperger’s syndrome ought to be used with awareness of its historical origin."[34]

Parents
  • I found that it is easier to explain being an Aspie than autistic. I'm an IT professional, and from time to time I have to either apologies or make excuses for poor social behaviour. Initially tried to say I was autistic and others would simply not believe it. Saying I had Aspergers, meant that people had to ask what it was, and that started the dialogue.

    If others want to label themselves as autistic that's up to them, I will refer to myself as an Aspie even if it becomes politically incorrect.

  • have you heard of the "Happy aspies" groups in USA  ? I found them to be highly positive in attitude which I love. They are highly sought after within IT and the science communities. 

    I dont worry about the usages of "aspie".  I love "spectrum", as it is the most accurate.

    I have read in detail of the ("killing") hospitals set up by the N_A_Z_I_S.  The parents thought their children where to be helped but they where often left outside in the snow to die / something similar. The parents would get a letter saying their children died of natural causes ....   truely horrifying stuff which I hope we never see again. 

    so I really love "Happy aspies", because they are so successful,  the ultimate example of the failure of the N_A_Z_I_S regime.

    I love your name,  for the same reason. 

    If in doubt "ask an aspie ! " another beautiful statement / thought and true reason to employ autistic people in companies.

  • In the 1st year of being diagnosed I went to a meeting for aspie/hfa, "spectrum" was certainly an appropriate term. From the one who made a nun who on a vow of silence look like a noisy hooligan. To the other extreme those who tried to dominate every conversation & made internet trolls look like normal people, ouch. Even the senior phycologist who led the session had trouble with the extent of the spectrum. I can understand some of the reactions of NTs as it depends who they have met before.

    The personal history of Hans Asperger & the 3rd Reich are totally indefensible. But Aspergers is a condition and the diminutive to aspie is fairly harmless. To me asking for a black coffee doesnt mean racsim, its the state of the coffe. Yet to get hung up on the "black" because in the past it had bad conitations goes too far. So same as Aspergers.

    Do we hate pets because Adolf Hitler or do we shun vegetarians because Hitler became one?? No, so why should we rename a "condition/disorder"?

  • its ok like i said I dont mind either way

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