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Hans Heinze was one of the three experts on child euthanasia in the "Reichsausschuss zur wissenschaftlichen Erfassung erb- und anlagebedingter schwerer Leiden" and head of the first "Kinderfachabteilung" in Brandenburg-Görden, Germany. He was one of the experts in the euthanasia "Aktion T4". He became nominated president of the "Deutsche Gesellschaft für Kinderpsychiatrie und Heilpädagogik" after Paul Schröder who died in 1941. The documents about his function exist in five German archives.

Focus of this paper is a description of "child euthanasia" during National Socialism 1939-1945 in the "specialized children's department" of the Ansbach state hospital. The historical and ideological bases for euthanasia and the development of child and adolescent psychiatry are explained. Material was found in public archives and trial records of German courts. 156 case histories of children who were killed in the Ansbach state hospital were evaluated. Child euthanasia in Ansbach was done in the same stereotyped way as in other specialized children's departments. The 156 children were aged between one week and 16 years. 39 children died within the first three months, 31 children died within three to six months in hospital. Most children were autopsied, at least 86 brains were examined neuropathologically. The trials against the involved physicians were quashed finally in 1968.

76 first grade children of a special school for learning disabled were tested for specific developmental disorders of motor functions (SDDM). 15 children (19.7%), boys and girls proportionately, had a SDDM. This is a substantial increase compared to the unselected population. 8 children (15.5%) suffered from a specific disorder of body coordination and low finger-eye coordination. 4 children (5.3%) were found to have specific disorders of motor functions and specific language retardations. Isolated disorders of hand coordination were not found. 31% of the children with SDDM suffered from psychiatric disorders. Roughly the same percentage of psychiatric diagnosis was found in children without disorders of motor functions. A total of 24 children (33%) had impaired physical coordination: these children had significantly higher total scores in the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Though this questionnaire was not sensitive for detection of disorders of motor functions.

The study was conducted to assess the consequences of multiple diagnoses and handicaps in children aged 6 to 8 years. Children were considered to be "multiply handicapped" if they suffered from two or more disorders or impairments included in the Multi-axial Classification Scheme. To this end children in special schools were compared with a random sample of children from three communities in Bavaria. As expected, all prevalences found in the population of children from special schools were substantially higher than those found in the random sample. Furthermore, the proportion of children with multiple handicaps in the special schools far exceeded what one would have expected based on the findings for the random sample. Most of the disturbances did not differ in respect to their comorbidity. But the mentally retarded children in the special schools were all "multiply handicapped". The importance of "multiple handicaps" for the assignment to special schools is discussed, as are the implications for the planning of services.