Editing Hans Asperger - Grokipedia (section)

=== Directorship and Retirement ===

In the post-war period, Hans Asperger advanced to represent pediatrics more broadly at the University Children's Clinic in Vienna, while maintaining his foundational emphasis on Heilpädagogik (therapeutic pedagogy) for children exhibiting behavioral and developmental difficulties.<ref name="Czech2018" /> He assumed leadership of the clinic's pediatric operations, building on his prior oversight of the specialized Heilpädagogik ward established in the 1930s.<ref name="Czech2018" />

As director, Asperger prioritized integrative educational therapies over purely medical interventions, advocating for tailored pedagogical strategies to foster social adaptation in affected children, consistent with his earlier publications on "autistic psychopaths."<ref name="Czech2018" /> This approach aligned with Austria's post-war reconstruction of child welfare institutions, where he collaborated with educators and psychologists to expand outpatient and residential programs at the clinic.

Asperger retired from his directorial position at the Heilpädagogik department in 1977, at age 71, though he continued occasional consultations at the clinic until his death on October 21, 1980.<ref name="BovenCh2">Boven, F. (n.d.). ''Solitary Persons?'' Chapter 2. University of Groningen. [https://research.rug.nl/files/569851515/Chapter_2.pdf]</ref> His retirement marked the end of a four-decade tenure at the University Children's Clinic, during which he trained numerous Austrian specialists in child psychology and pedagogy.<ref name="Czech2018" />