Man with Asperger's claims he has been accused of being a 'Nazi'

Adam Bradford, 25, claims to have suffered a torrent of abuse online after sordid details of the work carried out by Hans Asperger, the eminent doctor, emerged this week.

The pioneering pediatrician reportedly sent hundreds of disabled children to their deaths under Nazi rule at Spiegelgrund, a clinic in Vienna that was part of a euthanasia programme.

Adam says the revelation regarding Mr Asperger has “cast a dark spell” over the autism community.

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He also says the new study conclusions have sparked bullying similar to what he suffered during his childhood which he thought was behind him.

Adam even claims several people have told him the condition is false and suggested Mr Asperger invented it as part of a cover-up because of his links to Nazism.

(Picture credit: SWNS)

But the entrepreneur, who received a Queen's Young Leader award for his work with young people in 2016, has rubbished those claims and says the condition is real and is supported by credible research.

Asperger's Syndrome, marked by an impaired ability to interact socially with others, tends to affect people of average or above average intelligence.

Adam said: “People have been suggesting on social media the whole condition could be false and it was a cover-up for his Nazi background.

“I have engaged in conversation with people who have been saying the condition is not even real and those diagnosed are making it up to get attention.

“I have a psychological diagnosis from a psychologist. People have been saying to me ‘maybe you are a Nazi if you are sticking up for him’."

Adam says the name of the Asperger’s condition should be changed for the “protection” of the community.

“We need to change the name because we have to suffer the abuse on his behalf,” he added.

“It’s a shame because it has cast such a dark spell over the autism community.”

Adam was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, aged 11 after being referred to a psychology by a teacher at school.

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The referral came after Adam, from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, says he was bullied by other pupils.

“It was really difficult at the time, I didn’t fit in and a lot of people started saying ‘he is weird and different’," he added.

“I didn’t have any friends so there was nowhere for me to turn, it can be very isolating."

Mr Asperger has for decades been regarded as a hero in the field of autism treatment and research.

But analysis of a crucial set of documents shows he not only collaborated with the Nazis but “actively contributed” to their eugenics programme.

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Herwig Czech, from the Medical University of Vienna, set out the claims against Prof Asperger after trawling through previously unexamined documents from the Nazi era including personnel files and patient records.

Published in the journal Molecular Autsim, the new study says Asperger referred “profoundly disabled” children to the Am Spiegelgrund clinic in Vienna, despite knowing what took place there.