I re-publish this from my blog. I decided to put together an outline to diagnosis, starting with an introduction.
PART ONE
This will be the first part in a series of articles, designed to enable parents, or adults, to identify Asperger’s Disorder. It will include a detailed description of all of the symptoms, in the clearest terms. Realistically, it is recognised that accurate diagnosis of neurological syndromes is a complex matter, so my essays can only hope to point the way in terms of probability. I base all my information on Hans Asperger’s personal research papers, that date back to the 1930s. I also refer to textbooks and essays published in the Soviet Union.
First of all, we need to address the fact the former diagnosis, called Asperger Syndrome was recently abandoned and replaced by the new definition A. S.D. (Autism Spectrum Disorder). Before any attempt is made to outline, and describe, the diagnostic criteria for the original diagnosis, it is crucial to discuss the reasons behind its disappearance.
There were two main reasons (and a possible third) why Hans Asperger’s research was ultimately discarded:
(1) Asperger was accused of supporting fascist ideology.
The rather unpleasant reality we have to face is that pre WW2 German psychology (including neurology, anthropology) took place amongst a backdrop of political extremism and fascist ideology. Academic Herwig Czech recently accused Asperger of involvement in the Nazi eugenics program, which was an ideology based upon elimination of severely disabled people. It lies outside the scope of this article to address accusations made against Hans Asperger, whom I still consider to have been motivated by a sincere desire to assimilate autistic people.
It must be stated that rejection of Asperger’s almost unique research into autism genuinely harms those who today suffer from the pathology outlined in “Die Autistischen Psychopathen Im Kindesalter”. The insurmountable problem posed by such a position is where to draw the boundaries?
The harsh reality is the sciences of genetics, neurology and anthropology were practically dominated by German researchers, from the 1920s to the post WW2 period. What many people fail to grasp, however, is that German psychology contradicted Nazi ideology. For instance, Ernst Kretschmer wrote:
“But already today, we might say that the incidence of genius and cultural achievements are based on complex biological factors and are not at all the privilege of a certain race. The assertion: the more pure the race, the more genius and productivity, is false.” (Dr. Ernst Kretschmer).
Fortunately, a solution can be offered in this article: The same condition studied by Asperger had already been recognised in 1925. Jewish doctor and geneticist, Grunya Suhareva, described the medical case histories of six children, all suffering from the same symptoms Asperger described, a decade later. Therefore, we could by necessity diagnose Asperger Pathology using Suhareva’s detailed essays. It is likewise highly probable that Asperger had read Dr.Suhareva’s work, published in the USSR.