Famous People with Signs of Autism (Sprenger's Syndrome)
Dr Abe V Rotor
Who would ever think the famous Charles Darwin had signs of Sprenger's Syndrome? Charles Darwin dropped out of medical school, a disgrace to his family of high reputation. He joined a scientific expedition around the world and became the the world's greatest naturalist. His theory of evolution became a fundamental principle in biology and other fields of discipline. This photo was taken after his voyage on the Beagle.
If you have a child showing signs of autism, scientifically called Asperger's Syndrome, do not despair. Or if you know someone showing unconventional behavior that may be likened to this syndrome, treat him the way we want people to treat us should we be in their shoes. Take it from famous people who have this "abnormal" condition.
One time I saw on TV an autistic adolescent, the only child, suddenly revealing his genius in music on the piano in the middle of the night. Like a wind from nowhere, his music relived the compositions of the great masters - Bach, Beethoven, Mozart et al - to the amazement of his parents who could not believe their eyes and ears.
Those who have watched the movie The Rain Man, a story of two brothers, one of them autistic, will certainly agree that genius lies buried in a seemingly frail body and expressionless face. And yet in the very core of such infirmity is an extraordinary ability not so often shown by normal people - and a kinder and more lovely one at that.
Autism or Asperger's Syndrome is often described, as having social skills deficits, reluctance to listen, and difficulty in understanding. It was first recognized by Hans Asperger in 1944, whom this conditioned is named. It may have genetic roots predisposing an individual to neurological, and consequently to psychological or environmental factors. It is probable that autism has long been part of our evolution as a species, but the condition, in spite of its debilitating characteristics, have proved to carry desirable genes that contributed to the success of human evolution.
A proof to this contention is the fact that there are many great men and women, in the various fields of human endeavor, who apparently had Asperger's Syndrome in varying degrees.
1. Albert Einstein, man of the twentieth century, for his famous theory of relativity, was thought to be mentally retarded at an early age.
2. Isaac Newton dropped out of school as a teenager because he was unable to accept rules in school. (photo, left)
3. Benjamin Franklin, one of the most important of the founding fathers of US, was notorious for an extreme or different sense of humor.
4. Napoleon Bonaparte was reportedly afraid of cats, and believed humanists were troublemakers.
5. George Washington, the first president of the United States of America, grew marijuana in his own garden, and practiced self medication to "soothe their restless brain and body." He was extremely terrified of being buried alive.
6. John Quincy Adams, also a president of the country, owned and kept a pet alligator in the East Room of the White House.
John Quincy Adams
8. Andrew Johnson taught himself tailoring, and made his own clothes and clothes for those in his cabinet. Tailoring may have been a means of self-medicating the "gut wrenching feelings that accompany ADHD," and Asperger's Syndrome.
9. Abraham Lincoln had a nervous breakdown, and before his election to the presidency in 1860, he lost eight other elections. Asperger's is often first misdiagnosed as depression, anxiety, bipolar, or a breakdown and running repeatedly for office may be indicative of preservation.
10. James Garfield was able to write in Latin with one hand, and in Greek with the other hand at the same time. Evidence of savant skills?
11. After being shot, Teddy Roosevelt refused to accept medical assistance, until after completing a speech he was delivering. Rigidity of rule and routine, with a touch of obsessive-compulsive behaviors. He also wrote 37 books.
12. William Taft got stuck in his bathtub on the day of his Inauguration, and "had to be pried out by his attendants," Eating disorders are often a part of Asperger's Syndrome and autism.
13. Harry Truman's middle name remained just an S, because "his parents could not decide between two different names beginning with S.
Harry Truman
14. Louis IV, who was the king of France, reportedly had a stomach that was twice the size of a normal stomach, and he only bathed one time a year.
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Hygiene issues and failure to acknowledge or dress in trendy fashions can be notoriously difficult for people with Asperger's, especially those with extremely high IQ's and a hyper reactive olfactory response. Soaps and perfumes can be overwhelming to their olfactory system.
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15. Catherine the Great relaxed by being tickled, which could be a result of the characteristic sensation seeking of light to moderate touch. She probably suffered hypo reactivity to touch.
16. Cleopatra and other female Egyptian rulers wore a fake beard. Research has demonstrated "massive neurological effects" hormones can have on females during the different stages of life and maturation. Emotional "maleness" may lead to relational conflicts and a lack of intimate relationships, gender confusion, wanting to dress like the opposite sex, or become the opposite sex.
11. Peter the Great reportedly killed his wife's lover, and then "forced her to keep her lover's head in a jar of alcohol in her bedroom."
12. Wilhelm II reportedly had a withered arm, that he often hid by posing with it resting on a sword or holding a glove.
13. Alexander the Great experienced seizure disorder. Seizure disorder is present in a percentage of people with autism.
14. Leonardo da Vinci took twelve years to paint the Mona Lisa' lips, and could write with one hand while drawing with the other. Perfectionist tendency is sign of the Syndrome.
15. Vincent van Gogh committed suicide. Depression sometimes accompanies people with Asperger's, often with suicide attempts.
16. Beethoven was such a poor music student, that his music teachers decided he was hopeless as a composer and each time he sat to write music, he reportedly "poured ice water over his head."
17. Elvis Priestley was a notorious over eater, failed his music class in school, never ever gave an encore, and had ten distinctly different drugs in his body when he died.
18. Jeremy Bentham left his estate to a London Hospital, so long as they allowed his body to continue to preside over board meetings. "His skeleton was clothed and fitted with a wax mask of his face. It was present at the meeting for ninety-two years and can still be viewed there.".
19. Socrates committed suicide, indicating potential depression stemming from difficulties with understanding social conventions, a development of "compensatory thoughts and attitudes for feeling alienated, socially isolated and not understood."
20. Henry Ford reportedly believed history to be bunk, and he firmly believed in reincarnation.
21. Bill Gates has long been suspected of demonstrated Aspie traits. His first business, Traff-O-Data, involved the creation of a machine recording the number of cars passing a point on a road.
22. Robin Williams was voted least likely to succeed in high school. People with Asperger's are noted to have "an unusual prosody" affecting tone, rhythm, pitch, and speed of speech. Williams was found dead in his room apparently of suicide
24. Marilyn Monroe had a history of emotional instability, depression, and suicide.
25. Clark Gable used to take more than four showers a day, indicating potential obsessive-compulsive characteristics, frequent in the Aspie population.
26. Author, Virginia Woolf, would only write her books when standing and she suffered from depression, social isolation, and eccentricities.
27. Shakespeare reportedly spelled his own name in several different ways.
28. Hans Christian Anderson was word blind and he never learned to spell correctly. Written language difficulties often accompany Asperger's Syndrome and ADD/ADHD.
29. Goethe reportedly hated the sound of barking dogs, which could indicate hyperactivity to sound or noises; and he "could only write if he had an apple rotting in the desk drawer."
30. Isaac Asimov has a book included in each Dewey decimal category, which could indicate compulsivity or perseverative need for control or ritual.
31. The novel, Gatsby, written by Ernest Vincent Wright, has a word count of fifty thousand with no word containing the letter e, probably a phobia.
Ernest Vincent Wright
32. Charles Dickinson dropped out of school and suffered from insomnia. He believed that if his bed was facing north, and he was in the center, he might be able to sleep. Difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, nightmares or night terrors, is common in people with Asperger's. Creating odd rituals and routines as a coping mechanism is also frequent in our people.
The world,our world today, cannot be any better without Asperger's Syndrome. It is indeed an arouser, a genetic messenger in disguise that tells each and every one of us, "You can do it!" "Don't be afraid to be different." "You are great!"
That is, if we can overcome the disability itself.
Note: View other well known and famous people with disabilities of different types, and add on to our list.
------------------------------------------------
Autism impacts normal development of the brain in the areas of social interaction and communication skills. The disorder makes it hard to communicate with others and relate to the social world. In some cases, aggressive and/or self-injurious behavior may be present (Autism Society of Delaware, 2005); however, internal behaviors such as withdrawal, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and social isolation may be just as prevalent (Fattig, 2007). "Persons with autism may exhibit repeated body movements (hand flapping, rocking), unusual responses to people or attachments to objects and resistance to changes in routines. Individuals may also experience sensitivities in the five senses of sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste," (Autism Society of Delaware, 2005). Asperger, described a group of children with similar characteristics, observing that "the children's social maturity and social reasoning were delayed and some aspects of their social abilities were quite unusual at any stage of development."
------------------------------------------------
References and acknowledgement: Michelle Fattig, author of Annie Books Series- 2007-12-28; www.anniebooks.com INTERNET
11. After being shot, Teddy Roosevelt refused to accept medical assistance, until after completing a speech he was delivering. Rigidity of rule and routine, with a touch of obsessive-compulsive behaviors. He also wrote 37 books.
12. William Taft got stuck in his bathtub on the day of his Inauguration, and "had to be pried out by his attendants," Eating disorders are often a part of Asperger's Syndrome and autism.
13. Harry Truman's middle name remained just an S, because "his parents could not decide between two different names beginning with S.
Harry Truman
14. Louis IV, who was the king of France, reportedly had a stomach that was twice the size of a normal stomach, and he only bathed one time a year.
-----------------
Hygiene issues and failure to acknowledge or dress in trendy fashions can be notoriously difficult for people with Asperger's, especially those with extremely high IQ's and a hyper reactive olfactory response. Soaps and perfumes can be overwhelming to their olfactory system.
---------------------
15. Catherine the Great relaxed by being tickled, which could be a result of the characteristic sensation seeking of light to moderate touch. She probably suffered hypo reactivity to touch.
11. Peter the Great reportedly killed his wife's lover, and then "forced her to keep her lover's head in a jar of alcohol in her bedroom."
12. Wilhelm II reportedly had a withered arm, that he often hid by posing with it resting on a sword or holding a glove.
13. Alexander the Great experienced seizure disorder. Seizure disorder is present in a percentage of people with autism.
Mona Lisa painting by Da Vinci
15. Vincent van Gogh committed suicide. Depression sometimes accompanies people with Asperger's, often with suicide attempts.
Vincent van Gogh
17. Elvis Priestley was a notorious over eater, failed his music class in school, never ever gave an encore, and had ten distinctly different drugs in his body when he died.
18. Jeremy Bentham left his estate to a London Hospital, so long as they allowed his body to continue to preside over board meetings. "His skeleton was clothed and fitted with a wax mask of his face. It was present at the meeting for ninety-two years and can still be viewed there.".
19. Socrates committed suicide, indicating potential depression stemming from difficulties with understanding social conventions, a development of "compensatory thoughts and attitudes for feeling alienated, socially isolated and not understood."
20. Henry Ford reportedly believed history to be bunk, and he firmly believed in reincarnation.
21. Bill Gates has long been suspected of demonstrated Aspie traits. His first business, Traff-O-Data, involved the creation of a machine recording the number of cars passing a point on a road.
22. Robin Williams was voted least likely to succeed in high school. People with Asperger's are noted to have "an unusual prosody" affecting tone, rhythm, pitch, and speed of speech. Williams was found dead in his room apparently of suicide
Robin Williams
23. Tom Hanks is reportedly related to Abraham Lincoln, and genetic ties are strong in our people.24. Marilyn Monroe had a history of emotional instability, depression, and suicide.
25. Clark Gable used to take more than four showers a day, indicating potential obsessive-compulsive characteristics, frequent in the Aspie population.
26. Author, Virginia Woolf, would only write her books when standing and she suffered from depression, social isolation, and eccentricities.
27. Shakespeare reportedly spelled his own name in several different ways.
28. Hans Christian Anderson was word blind and he never learned to spell correctly. Written language difficulties often accompany Asperger's Syndrome and ADD/ADHD.
29. Goethe reportedly hated the sound of barking dogs, which could indicate hyperactivity to sound or noises; and he "could only write if he had an apple rotting in the desk drawer."
30. Isaac Asimov has a book included in each Dewey decimal category, which could indicate compulsivity or perseverative need for control or ritual.
31. The novel, Gatsby, written by Ernest Vincent Wright, has a word count of fifty thousand with no word containing the letter e, probably a phobia.
Ernest Vincent Wright
32. Charles Dickinson dropped out of school and suffered from insomnia. He believed that if his bed was facing north, and he was in the center, he might be able to sleep. Difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, nightmares or night terrors, is common in people with Asperger's. Creating odd rituals and routines as a coping mechanism is also frequent in our people.
The world,our world today, cannot be any better without Asperger's Syndrome. It is indeed an arouser, a genetic messenger in disguise that tells each and every one of us, "You can do it!" "Don't be afraid to be different." "You are great!"
That is, if we can overcome the disability itself.
Note: View other well known and famous people with disabilities of different types, and add on to our list.
------------------------------------------------
Autism impacts normal development of the brain in the areas of social interaction and communication skills. The disorder makes it hard to communicate with others and relate to the social world. In some cases, aggressive and/or self-injurious behavior may be present (Autism Society of Delaware, 2005); however, internal behaviors such as withdrawal, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and social isolation may be just as prevalent (Fattig, 2007). "Persons with autism may exhibit repeated body movements (hand flapping, rocking), unusual responses to people or attachments to objects and resistance to changes in routines. Individuals may also experience sensitivities in the five senses of sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste," (Autism Society of Delaware, 2005). Asperger, described a group of children with similar characteristics, observing that "the children's social maturity and social reasoning were delayed and some aspects of their social abilities were quite unusual at any stage of development."
------------------------------------------------
References and acknowledgement: Michelle Fattig, author of Annie Books Series- 2007-12-28; www.anniebooks.com INTERNET
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