The Dark History of Neurodivergence and the Holocaust

Jul 12

The history of neurodivergence is not confined to recent diagnoses and modern support systems; it extends back into the darkest periods of human history. This chapter explores the appalling and largely unspoken tragedy of neurodivergent individuals who were targeted by the Nazi regime during the Holocaust, examining how disability, intellectual difference, and perceived burdens on the state were used as justifications for extermination.

The Nazi Regime's Double-Sided Approach

The Nazi project to "transform humanity" involved both treatment and elimination. This double-sided nature was evident even in the work of figures such as Dr. Hans Asperger, who first described the condition that would later bear his name.

The regime sought to categorize individuals to determine who could be "remediated" to meet Nazi standards and who needed to be "eradicated." For certain neurodivergent individuals, particularly those with Asperger deemed "promising" or "favorable" on the autistic spectrum, the approach was to provide specialized care and social integration, and even to recognize their special abilities. Asperger noted the prevalence of autistic traits among distinguished scientists and suggested that "for success in science and art, a dash of autism is essential." He believed their enhanced pattern recognition skills could make them valuable, even suggesting they could be codebreakers for the Reich.

However, those who were deemed unfavorable, such as three-year-old Jurek Mayhover, whom Asperger described as "severely autistic," were destined for elimination. This process was completely at odds with the view that individuals with disabilities could make valuable contributions; instead, it was driven by the core eugenics belief that humanity could only thrive by shedding the "burden" of supporting disabled people.

The T4 Program: Targeting the Disabled

The systematic murder of people with disabilities was carried out under a program known as the T4 program (an abbreviation of the address, the location from which the program was coordinated). The propaganda against the mentally and physically disabled was based on the belief that these individuals were a burden both to society and to the state.

Forced Sterilization

The groundwork for extermination began with the Law for the Prevention of Hereditarily Diseased Offspring in 1933, which allowed for the forced sterilization of those deemed "unfit." This included people with conditions such as:

Epilepsy
Schizophrenia
Alcoholism

Institutions such as prisons, nursing homes, asylums, care homes for the elderly, and special schools were targeted to select people for this procedure.

Statistics on Forced Sterilization:

It is estimated that between 1933 and 1939, approximately 360,000 individuals were subjected to forced sterilization.

The Killing of Children and Adults

The T4 program, focused on killing, began in 1939. Initially, it targeted children under the age of three who had an illness or a disability, such as Down syndrome or cerebral palsy. A panel of medical experts was required to give their approval for this act of so-called "euthanasia" or "mercy killing" for each child.

Despite public protests, the Nazi leadership continued the T4 program in secret throughout the war.

Statistics on Murdered Individuals with Disabilities:

Between 1940 and 1945, approximately 200,000 people with disabilities were murdered under the T4 program.
Another source estimates that close to 250,000 disabled people were murdered under the Nazi regime.

This group included severely mentally and physically disabled people, as well as those who were merely perceived to have disabilities, a terrifying indication of how easily a label or a medical classification could be weaponized.

The history of the Holocaust serves as a stark warning about the dangerous power of labeling people and the horrific consequences that follow when a society decides that certain lives have more value than others. It is a crucial piece of knowledge that underscores the importance of promoting acceptance, inclusion, and the understanding that human value is inherent, regardless of ability or neurotype.

Links for articles: