The AutSide
The AutSide Podcast
Episode 245: Legacy of Normalisation - Paperclip to HHS and Autism
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Episode 245: Legacy of Normalisation - Paperclip to HHS and Autism

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“Today’s episode asserts that post-World War II American institutions, particularly those related to health, education, and ‘behavioural science,’ were built upon foundations linked to Nazi ideology and eugenics. The author of the source article, Dr. Jaime Hoerricks, argues that Operation Paperclip brought individuals with fascist ties into positions of power, and that key figures in autism research and behavioural therapy, such as Hans Asperger and Ole Ivar Lovaas, had documented connections to the Nazi regime or operated within the existing framework of eugenics. Dr. Hoerricks claims that modern systems for classifying and treating autism, like Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA), prioritise compliance and normalisation, reflecting these historical underpinnings. Ultimately, they suggest that the lack of a formal reckoning with these historical ties has allowed these problematic logics to persist, impacting how neurodivergent and disabled individuals are understood and treated today.

Here’s the link to the source article: https://open.substack.com/pub/autside/p/the-system-was-built-this-way-from

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