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Fred Volkmar of Yale Study Child Center is skeptical.<ref name=GoodeNYT/>{{why}}{{weasel-inline}}
Fred Volkmar of Yale Study Child Center is skeptical.<ref name=GoodeNYT/>{{why}}{{weasel-inline}}

==Researchers==
{{expand-section}}
===Michael Fitzgerald===
{{unbalanced}}
{{off-topic}}
[[Michael Fitzgerald]], Henry Marsh Professor of [[Child and Adolescent Psychiatry]] at [[Trinity College, Dublin]],<ref>[http://www.professormichaelfitzgerald.eu/]</ref> has argued that there is a link between autism and abnormally high levels of creativity and productivity. In an interview with ''[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]'', he said:
<blockquote>
"Psychiatric disorders can also have positive dimensions. I'm arguing the genes for autism/Asperger's, and creativity are essentially the same. We don't know which genes they are yet or how many there are, but we are talking about multiple genes of small effect. Every case is unique because people have varying numbers of the genes involved. These produce people who are highly focused, don't fit into the school system, and who often have poor social relationships and eye contact. They can be quite paranoid and oppositional, and usually highly moral and ethical. They can persist with a topic for 20-30 years without being distracted by what other people think. And they can produce in one lifetime the work of three or four other people."<ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/3326317/Albert-Einstein-found-genius-through-autism.html The Telegraph: Albert Einstein 'found genius through autism']</ref></blockquote>

In 2004's ''Autism and Creativity, Is there a link between autism in men and exceptional ability?''<ref name=Creativity>{{cite book|last=Fitzgerald|first=Michael|title=Autism and creativity: is there a link between autism in men and exceptional ability?|location=East Sussex|publisher=Brunner-Routledge|year=2004|isbn= 1583912134 }}</ref>, Fitzgerald says that Lewis Carroll, Eamon de Valera, [[Sir Keith Joseph]], [[Ramanujan]], [[Ludwig Wittgenstein]] and [[W.B. Yeats]] may have been autistic.

In 2005's ''The Genesis of Artistic Creativity: Asperger's Syndrome and the Arts'',<ref name=FitzGenesis>{{cite book|last=Fitzgerald |first=Michael|title=The genesis of artistic creativity: Asperger's syndrome and the arts|publisher=Jessica Kingsley Publishers|year=2005|location=London|isbn=1843103346}}</ref>, he identifies the following historical figures as possibly having been autistic:
*'''Writers''' – [[Hans Christian Andersen]], [[Lewis Carroll]], [[Bruce Chatwin]], [[Arthur Conan Doyle]], [[Herman Melville]], [[George Orwell]], [[Jonathan Swift]] and [[William Butler Yeats]].
*'''Philosophers''' – [[A.J. Ayer]], [[Baruch de Spinoza]], [[Immanuel Kant]], [[Simone Weil]], and [[Ludwig Wittgenstein]]<ref>Fitzgerald, M. [http://www.springerlink.com/content/wd1bk8fkp4ru6xvy/ "Did Ludwig Wittgenstein have Asperger's syndrome?"],
''European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry'', volume 9, number 1, pp. 61&ndash;65. DOI: 10.1007/s007870050117</ref>
*'''Musicians''' – [[Bela Bartok]], [[Ludwig van Beethoven]], [[Glenn Gould]], [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]] and [[Erik Satie]].
*'''Artists''' – [[Vincent van Gogh]], [[L.S. Lowry]], [[Jack B. Yeats]] and [[Andy Warhol]].

In 2006's ''Unstoppable Brilliance: Irish Geniuses and Asperger's Syndrome''<ref name=Brilliance>{{cite book|last=Walker|first= Antoinette |coauthors=Michael Fitzgerald|title=Unstoppable Brilliance: Irish Geniuses and Asperger's Syndrome|publisher=Liberties Press|year=2006|isbn= 1-905483-031}}</ref>, he discusses [[Daisy May Bates (Australia)|Daisy Bates]], [[Samuel Beckett]], [[Robert Boyle]], [[Eamon de Valera]], [[Robert Emmet]], [[William Rowan Hamilton]], [[James Joyce]], [[Padraig Pearse]] and [[W.B. Yeats]].


==List of figures==
==List of figures==
<!-- This is a list of historic figures only. Do not add living or recently deceased people.-->
<!-- This is a list of historic figures only. Do not add living or recently deceased people.-->
===Authors and writers===
===Authors and writers===
*[[Hans Christian Andersen]] (1805–1875) – author - according to Michael Fitzgerald<ref name=FitzGenesis/>
*[[Hans Christian Andersen]] (1805–1875) – author - according to [[Michael Fitzgerald (psychiatrist)|Michael Fitzgerald]]<ref name=FitzGenesis>{{cite book|last=Fitzgerald |first=Michael|title=The genesis of artistic creativity: Asperger's syndrome and the arts|publisher=Jessica Kingsley Publishers|year=2005|location=London|isbn=1843103346}}</ref>


*[[Lewis Carroll]] (1832–1898) – writer, logician - according to Michael Fitzgerald<ref name=FitzGenesis/><ref name=Creativity/><ref name="Brilliant minds linked to autism">{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3380569.stm|title=Brilliant minds linked to autism|date=8 January 2004|publisher=BBC News|accessdate=2007-11-25}}</ref>
*[[Lewis Carroll]] (1832–1898) – writer, logician - according to Michael Fitzgerald<ref name=FitzGenesis/><ref name=Creativity>{{cite book|last=Fitzgerald|first=Michael|title=Autism and creativity: is there a link between autism in men and exceptional ability?|location=East Sussex|publisher=Brunner-Routledge|year=2004|isbn= 1583912134 }}</ref><ref name="Brilliant minds linked to autism">{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3380569.stm|title=Brilliant minds linked to autism|date=8 January 2004|publisher=BBC News|accessdate=2007-11-25}}</ref>


*[[Emily Dickinson]] (1830–1886) – poet - according to Vernon Smith<ref name=Creativity/>
*[[Emily Dickinson]] (1830–1886) – poet - according to Vernon Smith<ref name=Creativity/>


*[[James Joyce]] (1882–1941) – Irish author of such works as ''[[Ulysses (novel)|Ulysses]]'' and ''[[Dubliners]]'' - according to Michael Fitzgerald and Antionette Walker;<ref name=Brilliance/> this theory has been called "a somewhat odd hypothesis".<ref>{{cite journal |author=Whelan PJ |title=James Joyce and Asperger syndrome |journal=Br J Psychiatry |volume=195 |issue=6 |pages=555–6 |year=2009 |pmid=19949213 |doi=10.1192/bjp.195.6.555a }}</ref>{{by who}}{{why}}
*[[James Joyce]] (1882–1941) – Irish author of such works as ''[[Ulysses (novel)|Ulysses]]'' and ''[[Dubliners]]'' - according to Michael Fitzgerald and Antionette Walker;<ref name=Brilliance>{{cite book|last=Walker|first= Antoinette |coauthors=Michael Fitzgerald|title=Unstoppable Brilliance: Irish Geniuses and Asperger's Syndrome|publisher=Liberties Press|year=2006|isbn= 1-905483-031}}</ref> this theory has been called "a somewhat odd hypothesis".<ref>{{cite journal |author=Whelan PJ |title=James Joyce and Asperger syndrome |journal=Br J Psychiatry |volume=195 |issue=6 |pages=555–6 |year=2009 |pmid=19949213 |doi=10.1192/bjp.195.6.555a }}</ref>{{by who}}{{why}}


*[[George Orwell]] (1903–1950) – 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 [[Sociological and cultural aspects of autism#Asperger syndrome and interpersonal relationships|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. - according to Michael Fitzgerald<ref name=FitzGenesis/><ref name=LauranceJoseph/>
*[[George Orwell]] (1903–1950) – 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 [[Sociological and cultural aspects of autism#Asperger syndrome and interpersonal relationships|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. - according to Michael Fitzgerald<ref name=FitzGenesis/><ref name=LauranceJoseph/>

Revision as of 05:03, 15 November 2010

Some experts believe that Isaac Newton had what is now known as Asperger syndrome.

Because autism did not become first recognized until the 1940s[original research?][1][2] and is still not completely understood,[3], researchers believe that a number of important figures from history may have been on the autism spectrum, even though they could not have been or were not diagnosed with autism during their respective lifetimes.[original research?]

By comparing primary historical documents by and about figures from history against modern understanding of the signs and symptoms of autism, autism experts, historians and other academics have found evidence that reason many historical figures excelled in their respective fields may have been in part due to having an autism spectrum disorder,[unreliable medical source?][4] similar to the phenomenon of savant syndrome.[citation needed][dubious – discuss] Most speculated figures are usually believed to have had Asperger syndrome or high-functioning classic autism, which less impede social function and are harder to diagnose.[unreliable medical source?][5]

Because the historical record is incomplete and the only true way to diagnose the condition is in person, there is some disagreement among experts as to which historical figures were autistic and which were not.[original research?]

Fred Volkmar of Yale Study Child Center is skeptical.[6][why?][weasel words]

List of figures

Authors and writers

  • George Orwell (1903–1950) – 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. - according to Michael Fitzgerald[7][12]

Musicians and composers

  • Glenn Gould (1932–1982) – 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. - according to Michael Fitzgerald,[7] Ioan James,[2] Tony Attwood,[14] and NPR[15]
  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) – composer - according to Tony Attwood[14] and Michael Fitzgerald;[7] others[who?] disagree that there is sufficient evidence to indicate any diagnoses for Mozart.[16]
  • Erik Satie (1866–1925) – composer - according to Ioan James[2] and Michael Fitzgerald[7]

Political figures

  • Charles XII of Sweden (1682–1718) – speculated to have had Asperger syndrome - according to Swedish researchers, Gillberg[18] and Lagerkvist[19]
  • Anne d'Arpajon, comtesse de Noailles (1729-1794) – French governess, lady of honor, tutor - according to Society for French Historical Studies, New York Times[8]
  • Adolf Hitler (1889–1945) – Austrian born, Nazi German politician, chancellor and dictator - according to Michael Fitzgerald[8] and Andreas Fries[20]

Philosophers

Scientists and mathematicians

  • Henry Cavendish (1731–1810) – 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. - according to Oliver Sacks,[6][13] and Ione James;[1][why?]
  • Paul Dirac (1902–1984) – 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. - according to Ione James[1] and Graham Farmelo[24]
  • Nikola Tesla (1856–1943) - 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 and also had several eating compulsions - according to NPR,[27] Harvey Blume[28]
  • Alan Turing (1912–1954) – pioneer of computer sciences. He seemed to be a math savant and his lifestyle has many autism traits about it. - according to Tony Attwood[14] and Ioan James[2]

Visual artists

  • Michelangelo (1475–1564) – Italian Renaissance artist, based on his inability to form long-term attachments and certain other characteristics - according to Arshad and Fitzgerald;[7][31][32] Ioan James also discussed Michelangelo's autistic traits.[2]

Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton

Albert Einstein's delayed development of speech in childhood is seen as evidence that he may have had autism.
See also: Einstein syndrome

Albert Einstein (1879–1955) and Isaac Newton (1643–1727) both died before Asperger syndrome became known, but psychologists such as Ioan James,[1] Michael Fitzgerald,[12][34] and Simon Baron-Cohen[35] 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.[14]

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.[36] 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.[37]

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".[38] As an adult his lectures were confusing.[35][36]

Oliver Sacks has said that claims that Einstein or Newton had autism "seem very thin at best".[13][why?][vague] Glen Elliott, a psychiatrist at the University of California at San Francisco, is likewise unconvinced that either scientist had Asperger syndrome, saying "Einstein had a good sense of humour," a trait he says "is virtually unknown in people with severe Asperger syndrome."[35]

References

  1. ^ a b c d James I (2003). "Singular scientists". J R Soc Med. 96 (1): 36–9. doi:10.1258/jrsm.96.1.36. PMID 12519805. Retrieved 2007-11-26.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ [1]
  4. ^ [unreliable medical source?][2]
  5. ^ [unreliable medical source?][3]
  6. ^ a b Goode, Erica (October 9, 2001). "CASES; A Disorder Far Beyond Eccentricity". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-11-26.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Fitzgerald, Michael (2005). The genesis of artistic creativity: Asperger's syndrome and the arts. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. ISBN 1843103346.
  8. ^ a b c d Fitzgerald, Michael (2004). Autism and creativity: is there a link between autism in men and exceptional ability?. East Sussex: Brunner-Routledge. ISBN 1583912134.
  9. ^ a b "Brilliant minds linked to autism". BBC News. 8 January 2004. Retrieved 2007-11-25.
  10. ^ 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)
  11. ^ Whelan PJ (2009). "James Joyce and Asperger syndrome". Br J Psychiatry. 195 (6): 555–6. doi:10.1192/bjp.195.6.555a. PMID 19949213.
  12. ^ 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. [dead link]
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ "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.
  16. ^ 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)
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ Gillberg C (2002). "[Charles XII seems to have fulfilled all the criteria of Asperger syndrome]". Lakartidningen (in Swedish). 99 (48): 4837–8. PMID 12523067.
  19. ^ 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.
  20. ^ 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.
  21. ^ Ledgin, Norm (2000). Diagnosing Jefferson. Future Horizons. ISBN 1885477600.
  22. ^ Fitzgerald M (2000). "Did Ludwig Wittgenstein have Asperger's syndrome?". Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 9 (1): 61–5. doi:10.1007/s007870050117. PMID 10795857.
  23. ^ Fitzgerald M (2000). "Ludwig Wittgenstein: autism and philosophy" (PDF). J Autism Dev Disord. 30 (6): 621–2. doi:10.1023/A:1005655930819. PMID 11261476.
  24. ^ Farmelo, Graham (2009-01-22). The Strangest Man: The Hidden Life of Paul Dirac, Quantum Genius. Faber and Faber. ISBN 0571222781.
  25. ^ Fitzgerald M (2002). "Did Ramanujan have Asperger's disorder or Asperger's syndrome?". J Med Biogr. 10 (3): 167–9. PMID 12114951.
  26. ^ 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)
  27. ^ "Strange scientists". NPR. Retrieved 2009-01-11.
  28. ^ Blume, Harvey. ""Autism & The Internet" or "It's The Wiring, Stupid"". MIT Communications forum. Retrieved 2009-01-11.
  29. ^ 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)
  30. ^ [4]
  31. ^ "Michelangelo 'linked' with autism". BBC News. June 1, 2004. Retrieved 2007-11-26.
  32. ^ Arshad M, Fitzgerald M (2004). "Did Michelangelo (1475-1564) have high-functioning autism?". J Med Biogr. 12 (2): 115–20. PMID 15079170.
  33. ^ "Were Socrates, Darwin, Andy Warhol and Eisntein (sic) autistic?". Medical News Today. 11 January 2004. Retrieved 2007-11-26.
  34. ^ Fitzgerald M (2000). "Einstein: brain and behavior" (PDF). J Autism Dev Disord. 30 (6): 620–1. doi:10.1023/A:1005603913981. PMID 11261475. Retrieved 2007-11-26.
  35. ^ 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).
  36. ^ a b "Einstein and Newton 'had autism'". BBC. 30 April 2003. Retrieved 2007-11-07.
  37. ^ Newton, Isaac. Scienceworld.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-09.
  38. ^ 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.

See also

External links

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