An Extrodanary Find...

What do these fine Historical, and well known people, have in common with each other:

Albert Einstein
Vincent van Gogh
Bill Gates
Sir Issac Newton
Mozart
George Orwell
Hans Christian Anderson
Charles Darwin
Thomas Jefferson
Adolf Hitler
Matt Savage

Would you be surprised to find out that all of these people are infact Autistic?

Suprised, aren't you?

Most of the people listed above had died before the means to study their disorders was created, however looking bakc on behaviors displayed and works created in the past we can analyze and diagnose Autism Spectrum Disease in all of the listed people.

Autism Spectrum Disorders range in severity from Low functioning autism (Kanner's Syndrome) to High functioning Autism (Asberger's Syndrome) and an unknown, unnamed grey area that exists in the middle. Most of the people listed above had Asberger's syndrome.

I will only explain a few of the individuals listed above to create a relatively short passage.

Albert Einstein- This famous scientist did not learn to speak until the age of 4, and wrote many letters to mothers of autistic children in his lifetime reassuring them that their children will be ok, and might turn out like him! He was more focused on work and ideas and never bothered with peronal relationships of any kind because he did not understand them. He is said to work on a specific idea or thought for days without sleep or nourishment. Students report that Einsteins lectures were scattered, and they could not make the connections that this man made with his theories. The reason for this is because he was a visual thinker, not a verbal one. He, himself had said, "Thoughts did not come in any verbal formulation. I rarely think in words at all. A thought comes, and I try to express it in words afterwards." Such a thing is VERY common with autistic children. The clothes he chose to wear as well could giv a clue about his behavioral disorder. The clothes he chose to wear were very soft andcomfortable such as sweaters and leather. He has even been reported to wear fuzzy green slippers with flowers on them to work and to town. This is because of his sensory problem. Autistic children have very sensitive skin causing a razor, for example, on their face or legs to feel like a power sander.

Most will argue that he was a genius and an individual, but let me remind you that when Einstein was around it was not "in style" to be an individual.



Vincent van Gogh- There is no doubt among us that Vincent Van Gogh's artwork is nothing short of spectacular, but no one would have told you that it might have been due to his autism. Like Einstein he showed no outstanding ability as a child and was described as Aloof, and odd by his peers. He did not have any rtistic talents until the age of 27. Those who have studied his life and written his biographies say that he was forever a child and had an extremely limited ability to respond to people and the feelings of others or himself. In his famous working called "Starry Night" we see swirls in teh sky and tiny bumps around the stars. Autistic people with severe sensory problems often see teh edges of objects vibrate thus getting a jumbled sensory input.


Adolf Hitler- The man who killed husndreds of disabled people before ever touching a Jew is debated to have Asberger's Syndrome. Not much is written about this that I can find, however he meets all of the critera set forth from Hans Asberger (originator of Asberger's Syndrome). Hitler severely detested physical contact which is another sensory problem almost all autistic hildren have, sometimes causing slight contact to be painful. His relationships were empty with other people, is this because he could not relate to them? He is also reported not to have feelings and to be very montone and robotic, as some autistics can be.

I encourage anyone to read up on the disorder and become an advocate. For a VERY interesting read as to how autistic's think and feel please read "Thinking in Pictures" By: Dr. Temple Grandin, famous autistic. Also look into Daniel Tammat's personal blog which sites his personal struggle with The spectrum disorder of Synthesia, speaking 11 different langages and reciting pi up to 22,000 places.