Hans Asperger

[[File:Hans Asperger portrait ca 1940.png|thumb|right|165px|Asperger.]]{{Nazism}}
{{cquote|We should stop saying "Asperger." It’s one way to honor the children killed in his name as well as those still labeled with it.|||Edith Sheffer<ref>[https://intersectionalneurodiversity.wordpress.com/2018/04/20/new-studies-have-unearthed-dr-aspergers-nazi-compliance-but-the-important-question-regards-how-much-has-really-changed/ New Studies Have Unearthed Dr. Asperger’s Nazi Compliance: But The Important Question Regards How Much Has really Changed] (April 20, 2018) ''Intersectional Neurodiversity''.</ref>}}
'''Johann''' "'''Hans'''" '''Friedrich Karl Asperger''' (<!--{{IPAc-en|ˈ|æ|s|p|ɜːr|g|ər}}, {{IPA-de|hans ˈaspɛɐ̯ɡɐ|lang}}; No Lua support on the wiki, can't use the new IPAc system. Going to need to get the pronunciation templates to fix this one.-->18 February 1906 – 21 October 1980) was an [[Austria]]n pediatrician, best known for the disorder named after him, was a [[eugenics|eugenicist]], and was a close collaborator with the [[Nazi Party]], [[Distinction without a difference|though not officially a member]].

==The disorder for which he is known==
Asperger Syndrome (also Asperger Disorder, initially called "autistic [[psychopath]]y" by Hans himself) is a part of the [[autism]] spectrum. The difference is the level of cognitive [[neurotypical]] behavior as opposed to more severe symptoms. In media speak, this is a "mild form" or "high functioning" autism. The difference is such a thin and blurry line that it is truly difficult to know where one begins and the other one ends, which necessitated a 3<sup>rd</sup> diagnosis, Pervasive Development Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS), to catch people with shades of both. In 1994, the [[Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders]] 4<sup>th</sup> Revision (DSM-IV) included this as a valid disorder, but in 2013 with the 5<sup>th</sup> revision (DSM-V), they decided (with some controversy) this wasn't useful or helpful, so it was excised under the general and somewhat narrower label of "Autism Spectrum Disorder" (although anyone diagnosed under the DSM-IV did not have to be re-diagnosed).

==The atrocities for which he should be known==
Hans is far less known for his cooperation with the Nazis in regards to [[Aktion T4|sending what Nazis deem mentally unfit to a death clinic]].

{{cquote|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 [National Socialist German Workers' Party] (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.|||Czech Herwig<ref>{{cite journal|title=Hans Asperger, National Socialism, and "race hygiene" in Nazi-era Vienna|last=Herwig|first=Czech|date=19 April 2018|journal=Molecular Autism|volume = 9|pages=29|pmid=29713442}}</ref>}}

Asperger Syndrome, as it seemed to be used during the [[Holocaust]], was more of a classification of the "gifted" and of use to the [[Third Reich]], to protect them from euthanasia.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180331235602/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/31/opinion/sunday/nazi-history-asperger.html|title=The Nazi History behind "Asperger"|last=Sheffer|first=Edith|date=March 31, 2018|website=The New York Times|access-date=February 25, 2019}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Asperger, Hans}}
[[Category:Ableism]]
[[Category:Autism]]
[[Category:Crimes against humanity]]
[[Category:Eugenics supporters]]
[[Category:Physicians]]

Categories: Ableism, Autism, Crimes against humanity, Eugenics supporters, Physicians