His research on autism was compassionate – how could Hans Asperger have collaborated with the Nazis?

<p>The Vienna-based ‘father of neurodiversity’ was ahead of his time in his work but was also implicated in the Third Reich’s crimes. My novel set out to explore these contradictions</p><p>In 2015, I decided to write a&nbsp;novel about Dr Hans Asperger,&nbsp;who worked at the University Children’s Hospital in Vienna during the second world war. My interest was sparked by two nonfiction books: NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and How to Think Smarter About People Who Think Differently by Steve&nbsp;Silberman and In a Different Key: The Story of Autism by John Donvan and Caren Zucker.</p><p>Reading these stories told about Asperger, you would have thought they were talking about two different people. To Silberman, Asperger was a&nbsp;compassionate and original thinker, whereas Donvan and Zucker depict him as an enthusiastic supporter of&nbsp;Hitler. For a historical novelist, widely&nbsp;differing accounts of the same&nbsp;person are gold dust, and I began&nbsp;to dig deeper.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/nov/16/his-research-on-autism-was-compassionate-how-could-hans-asperger-have-collaborated-with-the-nazis">Continue reading...</a>