The Man Himself

The entire time that I have known that I had Aspergers I don’t think that I’ve ever stopped to consider its history. Aspergers is one of the main factors in determining who I am and as such plays an important role in my life. If you had asked me about why it is called Aspergers I don’t think that until now I would have been able to say much more than “it was named after this bloke called Asperger. I’m surprised that I haven’t studied this subject before. So, realising this the other day, I determined to learn a bit more about the man behind the syndrome.

Hans Asperger was born on the 18^th of February 1906 close to what is now the capital of Austria, Vienna (the 18^th of February is widely recognised as International Asperger’s day). It turns out that Hans Asperger was himself an Aspie: he had trouble making and keeping friends and had an almost obsessive interest in the Austrian poet Franz Grillpazer. Eventually though, his interest seems to have shifted to medicine and he attained his doctorate in 1931. After a brief stint running a children’s clinic, he moved to a psychiatric clinic in Leipzig. This must have been a particularly stressful time for him as like me he hated travel. Not long after the move, he published his famous 1944 paper outlining what we know today as Asperger’s Syndrome. Unlike Leo Kanner’s work at the same time on Autism, Asperger considered Aspies to high-functioning. In other words, Asperger’s had far more positive attributes than other parts of the ASD. Indeed, Asperger fought for the safety of children with Asperger’s during the Nazi policy of eugenics. He argued that they had a lot to offer society.

Ultimately, Asperger’s work did not lead to widespread recognition until 46 years after his first paper on it was published and the year after his death. In one of the great ironies of the Second World War allied bombing destroyed his lab and most of his notes. Unable to continue his work, Hans Asperger and his syndrome faded into obscurity. Although remembered in Austria, they didn’t reach the English speaking world, partly due to his dislike of travel and partly due to the nature of world events at the time (A world War and Cold War tend to distract people from the important things in life).

However, in 1981, Aspergers finally gained a foothold in psychology, thanks primarily to the work Lorna Wing MD. FRCPsych (I have no idea what the latter title means; sounds like a Starbucks drink) and a founder of the National Autistic Society. Before then, Aspies were just lumped together with others on the ASD, which lead to problems with diagnosis and ‘treatment’. After his rediscovery, it took another decade for Asperger and his syndrome to gain worldwide recognition.

We still don’t have a full understanding of Aspergers and it could do with more recognition, but we are slowly getting there. Hopefully Aspies around the world will receive the diagnosis that could help them to live their lives fully and receive the level of care that they need. Ignorance helps no one and in the case of Aspergers, it certainly isn’t bliss. It is a shame that Hans Asperger died in 1980, aged 74. We have a lot to thank him for.       

                                                            Hans Asperger: 1906-1980