1938 paper by Hans Asperger

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03 Dec 2009, 5:28 am

Tony Attwood in his book The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome refers to the following paper by Hans Asperger: 'Das psychisch abnorme Kind.' Wiener klinische Wochenschrift 49, 1-12. ('The mentally abnormal child.' Viennese Clinical Weekly 49.)

Attwood quotes from the paper in his chapter Social Understanding and Friendship:

Quote:

These children can take note of 'rules of etiquette' given to them in a down-to-earth kind of way, which they then can fulfil - like they would a sum. The more 'objective' such a law is - maybe in a form of schedule, which includes all possible variations of daily routines, and which must be stuck to by both parties in the most pedantic kind of way - the better it will be. So it is not through a habit, which unconsciously and instinctively grows by itself, but through conscious, intellectual training, in years of difficult and conflict-ridden work, that one will achieve the best possible assimiliation to the community, which will be more and more successful with growing intellectual maturity.

It would seem that in 1938, Hans Asperger described children who might have been on the autism spectrum.

Until I read Attwood's book I did not know about Asperger's 1938 paper.

CockneyRebel
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03 Dec 2009, 7:38 am

I think that's cool to read.

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03 Dec 2009, 7:13 pm

I thought Tony Atwood's book was informative. It seemed filled with considerably less jargon than other texts I've read about the Autistic Spectrum and Asperger's. I think the best way to gain a full understanding is to research as many different resources as possible. I've read a half dozen or so books cover to cover, and leafed through about a dozen more, and only now do I have an idea of how little people really seem to know with any specificity about the issue. Temple Grandin's Thinking in Pictures was one of my favorites, actually.

Woodpeace
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04 Dec 2009, 5:16 am

In his book Tony Atwood stated that Hans Asperger in his 1938 paper advocated against the Nazi law for the prevention of offspring suffering from hereditary disorder. He was regarded with suspicion by the Nazi authorities.

MartyMoose
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04 Dec 2009, 9:04 am

I'd like to read the whole paper

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1938 paper by Hans Asperger