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| [[Emily Dickinson]] – poet
| [[Emily Dickinson]] – poet
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| [[Paul Dirac]] – Mathematician and Physicist
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| [[Éamon de Valera]] – Irish revolutionary and politician
| [[Éamon de Valera]] – Irish revolutionary and politician

Revision as of 00:28, 14 March 2011

Famous historical people have been speculated to have had autism or other autism spectrum disorders such as Asperger syndrome by journalists, academics and autism professionals. Such speculation is controversial and little of it is undisputed. For example, several autism researchers speculate that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart had autism and other conditions, while other researchers say there is not sufficient evidence to draw conclusions that he had any such conditions.[1]

Controversial speculation

Speculative claims that historical figures displayed behaviors associated with autism spectrum disorders include people who died before the work done by Hans Asperger and Leo Kanner in classifying autism spectrum conditions was completed. Autism has only been recognized since the 1940s, so many earlier cases may have gone undiagnosed.[2] Speculation about their diagnoses is based on reported behaviors rather than any clinical observation of the individual. Fred Volkmar, a psychiatrist and autism expert and director of the Yale Child Study Center says, "There is unfortunately a sort of cottage industry of finding that everyone has Asperger's."[3]

Michael Fitzgerald, of the Department of Child Psychiatry at Trinity College, Dublin, has speculated about historical figures with autism in numerous journal papers and at least three books: The Genesis of Artistic Creativity: Asperger's Syndrome and the Arts,[4] Unstoppable Brilliance: Irish Geniuses and Asperger's Syndrome[5] and Autism and Creativity, Is there a link between autism in men and exceptional ability?[6]

List

See also: List of people on the autistic spectrum
Person Speculator
Hans Christian Andersen – author Michael Fitzgerald[4]
Béla Bartók – 20th century Hungarian composer Ioan James;[7] Oliver Sacks says the evidence seems "very thin at best".[8]
Hugh Blair of Borgue – 18th century Scottish landowner thought mentally incompetent, now studied as case history of autism. Rab Houston and Uta Frith[9] Wolff calls the evidence "convincing".[10]
Lewis Carroll – writer, logician Michael Fitzgerald[4][6][11]
Henry Cavendish – 18th century British scientist. He was unusually reclusive, literal minded, had trouble relating to people, had trouble adapting to people, difficulties looking straight at people, drawn to patterns, etc. Oliver Sacks,[3][8] and Ioan James;[2][7] Fred Volkmar of Yale Study Child Center is skeptical.[3]
Charles XII of Sweden – speculated to have had Asperger syndrome Swedish researchers, Gillberg[12] and Lagerkvist[13]
Jeffrey Dahmer – serial killer Silva, et al.[14][15]
Anne Claudine d'Arpajon, comtesse de Noailles – French governess, lady of honor, tutor Society for French Historical Studies, New York Times[6]
Charles Darwin – naturalist, associated with the theory of evolution by natural selection Michael Fitzgerald[11]
Emily Dickinson – poet Vernon Smith[6]
Paul Dirac – Mathematician and Physicist
Éamon de Valera – Irish revolutionary and politician Michael Fitzgerald[4][16]
Paul Dirac – British mathematician and physicist. He was Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University, 1933–1963 and a Fellow of St John's College. Awarded the 1933 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on the mathematical foundations of Quantum Mechanics. Ioan James[2] and Graham Farmelo[17]
Albert Einstein – physicist See analysis below
Janet Frame – New Zealand author Sarah Abrahamson;[18] this suggestion has been the subject of some controversy.[19][failed verification][20]
Glenn Gould – Canadian pianist and noted Bach interpreter. He liked routine to the point he used the same seat until it was worn through. He also disliked social functions to the point that in later life he relied on the telephone or letters for virtually all communication. He had an aversion to being touched, had a different sense of hot or cold than most, and would rock back and forth while playing music. He is speculated to have had Asperger syndrome. Michael Fitzgerald,[4] Ioan James,[7] Tony Attwood,[21] and NPR[22]
Adolf Hitler – Austrian born, Nazi German politician, chancellor and dictator Michael Fitzgerald[6] and Andreas Fries[23]
Thomas Jefferson – US President Norm Ledgin[24] Tony Attwood,[21] and Ioan James[7]
Keith Joseph – father of Thatcherism Michael Fitzgerald[4][16]
James Joyce – author of Ulysses Michael Fitzgerald and Antionette Walker;[5] this theory has been called "a somewhat odd hypothesis".[25]
Ted Kaczynski – Unabomber Silva, et al.[14][26]
Stanley Kubrick - filmmaker Michael Fitzgerald[27]
Michelangelo – Italian Renaissance artist, based on his inability to form long-term attachments and certain other characteristics Arshad and Fitzgerald;[4][28][29] Ioan James also discussed Michelangelo's autistic traits.[7]
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – composer Tony Attwood[21] and Michael Fitzgerald;[4] others disagree that there is sufficient evidence to indicate any diagnoses for Mozart.[1]
Isaac Newton See analysis below
Moe Norman – Canadian golfer USA Today[30]
George Orwell – writer speculated to have had Asperger Syndrome. His troubled life went along with social interaction problems. Towards the end of his life he wrote bitter polemic on his preparatory boarding school Such, Such Were the Joys which displays many of the characteristics of Asperger's and interpersonal relationships. Orwell knew this intensely personal account was libellous and biographers have found it a challenge to explain its conflict with the truth, but Orwell still felt it important to publish this account eventually. Michael Fitzgerald[4][16]
Enoch Powell – British politician Michael Fitzgerald[4][16]
Srinivasa Ramanujan – mathematician Ioan James[7] and Michael Fitzgerald[31]
Charles Richter – seismologist, creator of the eponymous scale of earthquake magnitude Susan Hough in her biography of Richter[32]
Erik Satie – composer Ioan James[7] and Michael Fitzgerald[4]
Jonathan Swift – author Ioan James[7] and Michael Fitzgerald[4]
Nikola Tesla - Serbian inventor, and electrical and mechanical engineer. Was able to mentally picture very detailed mechanisms; spoke 8 languages; was never married; was very sensitive to touch and had an acute sense of hearing and sight; was obsessed with the number three; was disgusted by jewelery and overweight people and also had several eating compulsions NPR,[33] Harvey Blume[34]
Alan Turing – pioneer of computer sciences. He seemed to be a math savant and his lifestyle has many autism traits about it. Tony Attwood[21] and Ioan James[7]
Michael Ventris – English architect who deciphered Linear B Simon Baron-Cohen[35]
Andy Warhol – American artist Michael Fitzgerald[4][36] and Ioan James[7]
Blind Tom Wiggins – autistic savant Oliver Sacks[37]
Ludwig Wittgenstein – Austrian philosopher Michael Fitzgerald[38] Tony Attwood,[21] and Ioan James;[7] Oliver Sacks says the evidence seems "very thin at best".[8]
W. B. Yeats – poet and dramatist Michael Fitzgerald[4][16]

Einstein and Newton

It has been speculated that Isaac Newton had what is now considered Asperger syndrome.
It has been speculated that Albert Einstein was on what is now considered the autism spectrum.

Albert Einstein (1879–1955) and Isaac Newton (1643–1727) both died before Asperger syndrome became known, but Ioan James,[2] Michael Fitzgerald,[16] and Simon Baron-Cohen[39] believe their personalities are consistent with those of people with Asperger syndrome; Tony Attwood has also named Einstein as a likely case of mild autism.[21]

Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton both experienced intense intellectual interests in specific areas. Both scientists had trouble reacting appropriately in social situations and had difficulty communicating. Both scientists sometimes became so involved with their work that they did not eat. Newton spoke little and was frequently lukewarm or bad-tempered with the few friends he had. If no one attended his lecture he still lectured to an empty room.[40] When he was 50, Newton suffered a nervous breakdown involving depression and paranoia. After Newton's death however, his body was found to contain massive amounts of mercury, probably from his alchemical pursuits, which could have accounted for his eccentricity in later life.[41]

In her 1995 book In a World of His Own: A Storybook About Albert Einstein, author Illana Katz notes that Einstein "was a loner, solitary, suffered from major tantrums, had no friends and didn't like being in crowds".[42] As an adult his lectures were confusing.[39][40]

Arguments against

Oliver Sacks says that claims that Einstein or Newton had autism "seem very thin at best".[8] Glen Elliott, a psychiatrist at the University of California at San Francisco, is unconvinced that either scientist had Asperger syndrome, claiming "Einstein had a good sense of humour, a trait stereotypically uncommon among those with Asperger syndrome.[39]

References

  1. ^ a b Ashoori A, Jankovic J (2007). "Mozart's movements and behaviour: a case of Tourette's syndrome?". J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. 78 (11): 1171–5. doi:10.1136/jnnp.2007.114520. PMC 2117611. PMID 17940168. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  2. ^ a b c d James I (2003). "Singular scientists". J R Soc Med. 96 (1): 36–9. doi:10.1258/jrsm.96.1.36. PMC 539373. PMID 12519805.
  3. ^ a b c Goode, Erica (October 9, 2001). "CASES; A Disorder Far Beyond Eccentricity". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-11-26.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Fitzgerald, Michael (2005). The genesis of artistic creativity: Asperger's syndrome and the arts. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. ISBN 1843103346.
  5. ^ a b Walker, Antoinette (2006). Unstoppable Brilliance: Irish Geniuses and Asperger's Syndrome. Liberties Press. ISBN 1-905483-031. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ a b c d e Fitzgerald, Michael (2004). Autism and creativity: is there a link between autism in men and exceptional ability?. East Sussex: Brunner-Routledge. ISBN 1583912134.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k James, Ioan (2006). Asperger's Syndrome and High Achievement: Some Very Remarkable People. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. ISBN 1843103885.
  8. ^ a b c d Sacks O (2001). "Henry Cavendish: an early case of Asperger's syndrome?". Neurology. 57 (7): 1347. PMID 11591871. Archived from the original on 2007-09-01. Retrieved 2007-06-28.
  9. ^ Houston, Rab (2000). Autism in history: the case of Hugh Blair of Borgue. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers. ISBN 0631220895. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ Wolff S (2004). "The history of autism". Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 13 (4): 201–8. doi:10.1007/s00787-004-0363-5. PMID 15365889.
  11. ^ a b "Brilliant minds linked to autism". BBC News. 8 January 2004. Retrieved 2007-11-25.
  12. ^ Gillberg C (2002). "[Charles XII seems to have fulfilled all the criteria of Asperger syndrome]". Lakartidningen (in Swedish). 99 (48): 4837–8. PMID 12523067.
  13. ^ Lagerkvist B (2002). "[Charles XII had all symptoms of Asperger syndrome: stubbornness, a stereotyped existence and lack of compassion]". Lakartidningen (in Swedish). 99 (48): 4874–8. PMID 12523074.
  14. ^ a b Asperger's Disorder: A possible explanation for behavior of subgroup of serial killers? Crime Times Vol. 11, No. 3, 2005 Page 6. Retrieved on 2008-01-25
  15. ^ Silva, J. A. Ferrari, M. M. Leong, G. B. The case of Jeffrey Dahmer: sexual serial homicide from a neuropsychiatric developmental perspective. J Forensic Sci. 2002 Nov;47(6):1347-59. PMID 12455663 Retrieved on 2008-01-25.
  16. ^ a b c d e f Laurance, Jeremy (July 12, 2006). "Keith Joseph, the father of Thatcherism, 'was autistic'". The Independent (London). Retrieved 2007-11-26.
  17. ^ Farmelo, Graham (2009-01-22). The Strangest Man: The Hidden Life of Paul Dirac, Quantum Genius. Faber and Faber. ISBN 0571222781.
  18. ^ Abrahamson S (2007). "Did Janet Frame have high-functioning autism?". N Z Med J. 120 (1263): U2747. PMID 17972967.
  19. ^ Gordon, Pamela. Janet Frame and Autism: Fools rush in where Angels fear to tread. Janet Frame Estate. Retrieved on 2007-02-12.
  20. ^ Stace H (2007). "Janet Frame and autism". N Z Med J. 120 (1264): U2791. PMID 17972997.
  21. ^ a b c d e f Attwood, Tony. "Strategies for Improving the Social Integration of Children with Asperger's Syndrome" (PDF). Tony Attwood. Retrieved 2007-09-09.
  22. ^ "The Variations of Glenn Gould; A Look at the Life and Career of a Brilliant Pianist". National Public Radio. September 21, 2002. Retrieved 2007-09-09.
  23. ^ Fries, Andreas (2009-04-22). "Did Adolf Hitler suffer of Asperger syndrome?" (PDF). Läkartidningen. 106 (17): 1201–1204. ISSN 0023-7205. Retrieved 2009-08-03.
  24. ^ Ledgin, Norm (2000). Diagnosing Jefferson. Future Horizons. ISBN 1885477600.
  25. ^ Whelan PJ (2009). "James Joyce and Asperger syndrome". Br J Psychiatry. 195 (6): 555–6. doi:10.1192/bjp.195.6.555a. PMID 19949213.
  26. ^ Silva JA, Ferrari MM, Leong BB (2003). "Asperger's Disorder and the Origins of the Unabomber". American Journal of Forensic Psychiatry. 24 (T 2): 5–44.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  27. ^ Lyons V, Fitzgerald M (2005). Asperger syndrome: a gift or a curse? Nova Publishers, Chapter IX.
  28. ^ "Michelangelo 'linked' with autism". BBC News. June 1, 2004. Retrieved 2007-11-26.
  29. ^ Arshad M, Fitzgerald M (2004). "Did Michelangelo (1475-1564) have high-functioning autism?". J Med Biogr. 12 (2): 115–20. PMID 15079170.
  30. ^ Selcraig, Bruce (2004-09-28). "Golf's purest striker rarely missed a fairway". USA Today. Retrieved 2007-09-09.
  31. ^ Fitzgerald M (2002). "Did Ramanujan have Asperger's disorder or Asperger's syndrome?". J Med Biogr. 10 (3): 167–9. PMID 12114951.
  32. ^ Marschall, Laurence A (2007). "Richter's Scale: Measure of an Earthquake, Measure of a Man". Natural History. FindArticles.com. Retrieved 2007-11-26. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  33. ^ "Strange scientists". NPR. Retrieved 2009-01-11.
  34. ^ Blume, Harvey. ""Autism & The Internet" or "It's The Wiring, Stupid"". MIT Communications forum. Retrieved 2009-01-11.
  35. ^ Baron-Cohen, Simon (c2003). The essential difference: the truth about the male and female brain. New York, N.Y.: Basic Books. ISBN 0738208442. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  36. ^ "Were Socrates, Darwin, Andy Warhol and Eisntein (sic) autistic?". Medical News Today. 11 January 2004. Retrieved 2007-11-26.
  37. ^ Zick, William. "Thomas "Blind Tom" Wiggins (1849-1908), African American Pianist and Composer; A Blind And Autistic Slave Was A Musical Genius". AfriClassical.com. Retrieved 2007-09-09.
  38. ^ Fitzgerald M (2000). "Did Ludwig Wittgenstein have Asperger's syndrome?" (PDF). Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 9 (1): 61–5. doi:10.1007/s007870050117. PMID 10795857. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  39. ^ a b c Hazel Muir (April 30, 2003). "Einstein and Newton showed signs of autism". New Scientist. Retrieved 2009-09-03. Cite error: The named reference "newsci" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  40. ^ a b "Einstein and Newton 'had autism'". BBC. 30 April 2003. Retrieved 2007-11-07.
  41. ^ Newton, Isaac. Scienceworld.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-09.
  42. ^ Katz, Illana (May 26, 2005). "Does Autism Offer Special Gifts?". The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles. Retrieved 2008-11-29.

Further reading

  • Berman D, Fitzgerald M, Hayes J (Editors)(1996). The danger of words and writings on Wittgenstein M.O.C. Drury Bristol Thoemmes Press.
  • Fitzgerald M, Berman D (1994). "Of Sound Mind". Nature, 368:92. Reprinted in Portraits of Wittgenstein. Ed by F.A. Flowers Thoemmes Press, 1999.
  • Fitzgerald M (1999). "Did Isaac Newton have Asperger's Syndrome". European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Journal 8:244.
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