Something Profound wrote:
Technic1 wrote:
I didn’t get to read through the whole thing...was the article about Hans Asperger?
And the fact that Hans Asperger use to work for the Nazis?!?
In summary the article was about how the terms "Aspie" or "Asperger's Syndrome" is outdated, including a history in how it only has one factor differentiating it from Autism (speech development and capability), and now is a defunct term in the DSM-5. The article goes on to explain that the terms have negative connotations associated with them, particularly because a significant number of "Aspies" affect a superiority complex regarding other people with ASD, bordering on discriminatory.
Having read the article, I find myself agreeing with the point and will probably eschew using the term "Aspie" and "Asperger's" in general moving forward. I was unaware of the controversy. Now I am.
Two main things to unpack here Aspie Supremacism and Hans Asperger's Nazi complicity.
When "Aspergers" was being considered for a diagnosis a couple of Jewish clinicians questioned it considering Asperger worked for the Nazis. No proof was found that he was a Nazi and the Asperger diagnosis went into the DSM IV. Over time Hans Aspergers reputation increased so by the time the Aspergers diagnosis was being considered for removal his reputation was that of a person who surreptitiously worked to undercut the Nazis for the disabled. By that time "Aspie" had become an identity especially helpful to repair the self-esteem of older people who went undiagnosed not knowing why they were having difficulty in life or believing what everybody was telling them their whole lives, that it was about them being weak attention-getting excuse-makers. There were others like ourselves, a revelation. Hans Asperger's "hero" status only added to self-esteem. For some, this went too far and ventured into Aspie elitism and Supremacism signified as mentioned in the article by the vicious statement by the head of GRASP at the time ‘ “I personally am probably going to have a very hard time calling myself autistic,” said Carley in an interview with National Public Radio, comparing the cultural perception of Asperger’s as a diagnosis perceived as associated with major historical figures, like Edison and Einstein, to “somebody who might have to wear adult diapers and maybe a head-restraining device. This is very hard for us to swallow,”’. Being on WP at the time I can attest most of us did not feel this way. A lot of us did feel hurt by the elimination of the Aspergers diagnosis, we had finally after all these decades found something that described us and these mean NT’s had taken it away from us. It was not about superiority.
And the elimination of the Aspergers diagnosis had nothing to do with Hans Asperger’s Nazi complicity as it was generally not known at the time. As mentioned in the article it was about inconsistent diagnosis and perceived over-diagnosis.
During the following year or so those of us who wanted to hold on to Aspie” as a cultural thing were often told to just stop, we were just holding onto it because we did want to be associated with “real autistics”, we're probably over-diagnosed or faking it to be trendy or to excuse bad behavior. This controversy got conflated with the “self-diagnosis” controversy also going on hot and heavy at the time. There were often three or four concurrent threads like this going on. It was just brutal.
When most of this had blown over, came the documentation by two historians who specialized in that period that Hans Asperger was complicit in Nazi Eugenics. In twitter land, those that never liked the Aspergers in the first place had a victory dance. “We were right all along, You Aspies have always been about your ablism towered the more affected just like the Nazi you name yourself after". Thankfully that did not happen here because while generally not true it was hard to argue with.
I had to admit to myself that I had ignored the obvious that person could not fool the meticulous Nazis he worked under, in an office right down the hall. My “Aspie” identity was gone. It was not as difficult for me as some because I had always identified as “Autistic” also. I am not “canceling” Aspie or Aspergers. A very important turning point occurred in my life under those terms. Hans Asperger's work indirectly helped identify so many of us. This site probably would not be here without his wider criteria. There is no wishing that away. But what Aspie/Aspergers is, IS MY HISTORY NOT MY CURRENT.
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Professionally Identified and joined WP August 26, 2013
DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM IV: Aspergers Moderate Severity
“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman
03 May 2021, 4:46 am
