Difficulty With Verbal Communication
A child with HFA will typically have no problems understanding language. Learning individual words, grammar rules, and vocabulary may not be an issue for them.
The use of language to communicate, however, can be problematic. Someone with HFA may have difficulty understanding sarcasm, metaphors, or idioms. This is known as “pragmatic” language.
In addition, some people with HFA may struggle to speak when under stress or overwhelmed.
What Are The Symptoms Of Autism
According to the NHS, the main signs of autism are differences in how autistic people communicate and interact with others.
While it affects people in different ways, there are two common characteristics:
- difficulties with social communication and interaction autistic people may find it hard to join in conversations or to make friends
- repetitive behaviour, routines and activities such as fixed daily routines, repetitive body movements and a hypersensitivity to certain sounds.
Chris Rock Aspergers Comedian
Famous comedian Chris Rock started therapy after a friend suggested he may have Aspergers Syndrome. According to Today:
The actor went through nine hours of cognitive tests and was eventually diagnosed with NVLD, which makes it difficult for him to understand nonverbal signals.
We did include Rock in our blog, Famous People with Disabilities since has was diagnosed with LVLD, a learning disorder.
Recommended Reading: What Does Level 2 Autism Look Like
Famous Musicians With Aspergers
Many musicians with Aspergers use music as an outlet, especially rappers. Does Eminem have Aspergers? He raps about Aspergers in his songs, but it has never been officially diagnosed. Does Chief Keef have Aspergers? Elite Daily says:
Rumors have swirled that Keef has Asperger syndrome, which puts him somewhere on the Autism spectrum.
- AutistiX an indie band from the U.K.
- Lil B Rapper
- Adam Young Musician
Bill Gates Asperger’s Syndrome And Your Gifted Child
What do Bill Gates, people with Asperger’s Syndrome, and your gifted child have in common? Some would say a great intellect coupled with difficult social interactions. Rumors and anecdotal tales abound about the connection between various brain disorders and high intelligence let’s take them one at a time.
First, what is Asperger’s Syndrome? According to the U.S. government , Asperger’s is an Autism spectrum disorder, characterized by impaired social skills and “repetitive or restrictive patterns of thought or behavior.” A child with Asperger’s may develop an obsessive interest in one narrow subject area, and be completely unaware that the rest of the world does not share this interest. He may have speech delays, a clumsy and awkward gait, and difficulty modulating the volume and tone of his voice.
Diagnosing Aspergers, as with other Autism spectrum disorders, is a tricky process. There is no simple, definitive test physicians instead will collect evidence of symptoms. A child with a good number of indicator symptoms may be given a provisional diagnosis, but the strength and frequency of the symptoms matter, as does the childs relative success interacting with others, complicating the process.
Lisa Natcharian blogs about the education of bright children on Thursdays.
Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission.
Read Also: Aspergers Life Expectancy
More Famous People With Autism
- Leonardo da Vinci – Artist
- John Denver – Singer-Songwriter & Record Producer
- Charles Darwin – Naturalist & Geologist
References:
20 Incredibly Successful People on the Autism Spectrum. ABA Degree Programs. . https://www.abadegreeprograms.net/successful-people-on-the-autism-spectrum/.
Article by: Katie Hurley. . 7 Famous People With Autism Spectrum Disorder. Psycom.net – Mental Health Treatment Resource Since 1996. .
Cascio, C. J., Foss-Feig, J. H., Heacock, J., Schauder, K. B., Loring, W. A., Rogers, B. P., Pryweller, J. R., Newsom, C. R., Cockhren, J., Cao, A., & Bolton, S. . Affective neural response to restricted interests in autism spectrum disorders. Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines, 55, 162171. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12147
Famous – with Autism. AUTISM COMMUNITY NETWORK . . .
Frye R. E. . Social Skills Deficits in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Potential Biological Origins and Progress in Developing Therapeutic Agents. CNS drugs, 32, 713734.
History’s 30 Most Inspiring People on the Autism Spectrum. Applied Behavior Analysis Programs Guide. .
Kettler, S. . Matthew Labyorteaux. Biography.com. https://www.biography.com/actor/matthew-labyorteaux.
Wikimedia Foundation. . Ghostbusters. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghostbusters.
July 14, 2021
Does Bill Gates Have High Functioning Autism
Bill Gates, creator of Microsoft, is one of the richest men on the planet. He is also rumored to have Aspergers Syndrome, a type of high-functioning autism. While he has never publicly admitted to this diagnosis, anecdotal evidence suggests that he may be on the autism spectrum.
There are several videos of Mr. Gates where he appears to be rocking or stimming. He is also rumored to have weak social skills, though that certainly did not hamper him professionally. He is a pioneer in the computer field, an area that employs many individuals with autism. He is also clearly not interested in fancy clothes or haircuts, though he could easily afford them.
Recommended Reading: Toys For Autistic 2 Year Old
Barbara Mcclintock Scientist And Cytogeneticist
McClintock was a notable scientist who made important breakthroughs in the study of chromosomes and how they change during the reproduction process. She is thought to be autistic. She was able to focus for great lengths on her interests, specifically her work, and she found social attention very aversive, so much so that she almost refused the Nobel Prize.
The Challenges Of Living With High
Steven Gans, MD, is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Autism is a spectrum disorder. This means people with autism have a wide range of symptoms and abilities. High-functioning autism is often considered mild, but that’s not necessarily true.
People with HFA can struggle significantly. They may not need the same level of support as people with more severe autism. However, it can still have a major impact on their daily lives.
This article discusses the common challenges of living with high-functioning autism.
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Autism Doesnt Have To Hold You Back
Climate activist Greta Thunberg has referred to her autism diagnosis as her superpower.
Baron-Cohen has previously suggested that physicists Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton may both have had Asperger syndrome, and there has been speculation that Bill Gates has autistic traits. Some believe that two of the greatest inventors, Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla, also had the disorder.
In fiction, the Nordic-noir drama The Bridge was acclaimed for its portrayal of Swedish detective Saga Noren and her undiagnosed but apparent traits of Aspergers a form of autism that often involves often being unable to pick up on non-verbal cues and can lead to awkward social situations, but which also seemed to help make Noren such a dedicated and thorough detective.
The singer Susan Boyle was diagnosed with Aspergers in 2013 and said: I think people will treat me better because they will have a much greater understanding of who I am and why I do the things I do.
Baron-Cohen has faced heated criticism some autistic people for what they perceive as unfair suggestions that they cannot empathise, and from some academics for his neurosexist work examining typical differences between the average brains of men and women, which some fear could lead to the underdiagnosing of autistic women. Some have even accused him of achieving the opposite of his mission to destigmatise autism.
Is Donald Trump An Anti
Josh Keefe U.S.Donald TrumpAutismBill Gates
In newly released footage from a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation event, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said President Donald Trump told him he was considering a commission to look into the “bad effects” of vaccines. “Don’t do that,” Gates said he told the president, and Trump has never publicly proposed such a commission. Yet the incident recalls Trump’s longtime skeptical comments about vaccines.
Gates said that in two separate meetings since he was elected, Trump asked the billionaire philanthropist if “vaccines weren’t a bad thing.”
“He was considering a commission to look into the bad effects of vaccines and somebody, I think his name was Robert Kennedy Jr., was advising him that vaccines were causing bad things,” Gates recalled. “And I said ‘No, that’s a dead end, that would be a bad thing, don’t do that.”
Exclusive footage obtained by All In… Bill Gates dishes on his meetings with Donald Trump. More tonight at 8PM ET. #inners
All In with Chris Hayes May 17, 2018
Robert Kennedy Jr., the son of former Senator and U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy, has long pushed the now-debunked theory that vaccines cause autism. Shortly after Trump was elected president, Kennedy said he would head up a vaccine safety panel for the president, but the panel never materialized. Trump himself, however, has repeatedly tweeted about the supposed connection between vaccines and autism.
Donald J. Trump
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Would You Have Allowed Bill Gates To Be Born
Who needs Bill Gates? No, I dont mean who needs a gazillionaire corporate titan, a man whose company, Microsoft, took in billions of dollars last year by controlling nearly all the software used to run nearly every computer on the planet.
No, I mean, literally, who needs him? If you could go back in time and stop the birth of the worlds most famous nerd, would you?
You probably answered my question with a “no.” Whatever Gates sins may be, he is the father of a computer revolution that has brought much good to many people throughout the world. Add to that achievement his current generous philanthropic activities supporting some very worthy causes, such as vaccine research and a center for autism research in Seattle, and the case for having Bill with us becomes pretty persuasive.
But what if I told you its possible that Gates has a medical condition that accounts, in part, for both his tremendous achievements and for his “nerdiness?” Gates is widely reported to display many personality traits characteristic of a condition known as Aspergers syndrome. Aspergers is a mild version of autism, a more serious condition that renders many children unable to talk, be touched, communicate or socialize. While I certainly do not know if Gates has Aspergers, his difficulties in social settings are nearly as legendary as his genius, so it’s possible.
Arthur Caplan is director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania.
Autism Spectrum Disorders In The Media
Autism spectrum disorders or autism spectrum conditions describe a range of conditions classified as neurodevelopmental disorders in the DSM-5, used by the American Psychiatric Association. As with many neurodivergent people and conditions, the popular image of autistic people and autism itself is often based on inaccurate media representations. Additionally, media about autism may promote pseudoscience such as vaccine denial or facilitated communication.
Since the 1970s, fictional portrayals of people with autism, Asperger syndrome, and other ASCs have become more frequent. Public perception of autism is often based on these fictional portrayals in novels, biographies, movies, and television series. These depictions of autism in media today are often made in a way that brings pity to the public and their concern of the topic, because their viewpoint is never actually shown, leaving the public without knowledge of autism and its diagnosis. Portrayals in the media of characters with atypical abilities may be misinterpreted by viewers as accurate portrayals of all autistic people and of autism itself. James McGrath writes that the stereotype of autistic individuals as successful in math and science, along with disliking fiction, is widely overrepresented in literature.
Read Also: Sensory Processing Disorder Vs Aspergers
Famous People With Adhd
Last Updated on June 24, 2020 by Inspire Malibu
ADHD which causes symptoms such as difficulty staying focused or paying attention, problems controlling behavior or mood and bouts of near manic energy is one of the most common childhood disorders. When the subject of ADHD or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder makes the news, most people associate the mental health condition with children. Theyre not entirely incorrect either. Even so, children grow up, and there are many successful celebrities and famous people with ADHD, who live with the condition into adulthood.
However, the National Institute of Mental Health estimates that around 4.4 percent of adults in the U.S. more than 14 million people also cope with ADHD.
Its more common among men, though women can also experience the condition. Adults with undiagnosed or untreated ADHD are more likely to self-medicate with drugs and alcohol and develop a secondary condition of addiction.
The combined conditions are often referred to as a dual diagnosis or co-occurring disorder. Lasting recovery is only possible when both conditions are managed through treatment.
As exemplified by the people on this page, its possible to overcome the effects of ADHD and find great success in life in a wide range of professions.
Celebs Who Have Kids With Aspergers
Famous comedian D.L. Hughleys son, Kyle Hughley, has Aspergers.
When Kyle Hughley was a child, doctors diagnosed him with Aspergers syndrome. At times, D.L. Hughley has seriously discussed how that disorder has affected Kyles life. For example, in 2015 D.L. spoke with pride about Kyle graduating from college during an Oprah: Where Are They Now segment. After talking about his sons education, D.L. briefly spoke about Kyles day-to-day life and then he got emotional as he told a touching story.
source: The Things
Also Check: Life Expectancy Of Autistic People
Speculated To Have Asperger’s Syndrome
Although the diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome is not possible without direct testing and observation of an individual, it has been suggested by some authors that many successful historical figures may have had Asperger’s syndrome, including Mozart, Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and Marie Curie. Of course, definitive diagnosis of historical figures with Asperger’s syndrome is not possible, and many of the traits exhibited by people with Asperger’s syndrome can also occur because of intellectual giftedness or even attention deficit disorder – https://www.medicinenet.com/asperger_syndrome/article.htm
Perhaps the most powerful observation Diane M. Kennedy offers in defense of her theory is that the unusual characteristics of some of the most influential people in history are quite likely attributable to diagnoses that appear in this spectrum. Her personal acquaintance with the manifestations of these varying illnesses is, at times, compelling – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC181243/
Genius May Be An Abnormality: Educating Students With Asperger’s Syndrome Or High Functioning Autism
Temple Grandin, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Colorado State University Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
I am becoming increasingly concerned that intellectually gifted children are being denied opportunities because they are being labeled either Asperger’s or high functioning autism. Within the last year I have talked to several parents, and I was disturbed by what they said. One mother called me and was very upset that her six-year-old son had Asperger’s. She then went on to tell me that his IQ was 150. I replied that before people knew about Asperger’s Syndrome, their child would have received a very positive label of intellectually gifted.
In another case the parents of an Asperger teenager called and told me that they were so concerned about their son’s poor social skills that they would not allow him to take computer programming. I told her that depriving him of a challenging career in computers would make his life miserable. He will get social interaction by shared interests with other computer people. In a third case, a super smart child was not allowed in the talented and gifted program in his school because he had an autism label. Educators need to become aware that intellectually satisfying work makes life meaningful.
Read Also: Best Toys For Autistic 3 Year Olds
Facilitated Communication And Rapid Prompting
A number books and films exist that promote the scientifically discredited techniques of facilitated communication and rapid prompting as legitimate.
Some notable figures such as American animal handling systems designer and author Temple Grandin, American Pulitzer Prize-winning music critic and author Tim Page, and Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg are autistic. Thunberg, who in August 2018 started the “School strike for climate” movement, has explained how the “gift” of living with Asperger syndrome helps her “see things from outside the box” when it comes to climate change. In an interview with presenter Nick Robinson on BBC Radio 4’s Today, the then-16-year-old activist said that autism helps her see things in “black and white”. She went on to say:
Famous People Who Have/had Aspergers Syndrome
- Adam Young, multi-instrumentalist, producer and the founder of the electronic project Owl City.
- Adrian Lamo, American computer hacker
- Carl Soderholm, speaker in neuropsychiatric disorders
- Clay Marzo, American professional surfer
- Craig Nicholls, frontman of the Australian garage rock band, The Vines
- Dan Aykroyd, comedian and actor: Aykroyd stated he has Asperger’s, but some feel he was joking.
- Daniel Tammet, British autistic savant, believed to have Asperger Syndrome
- Daryl Hannah, actress
- Phillipa “Pip” Brown , indie rock musician
- Raymond Thompson, New Zealand scriptwriter and TV producer
- Richard Borcherds, mathematician specializing in group theory and Lie algebras
- Satoshi Tajiri, creator and designer of Pokemon
- Tim Ellis, Australian magician and author
- Tim Page, Pulitzer Prize-winning critic and author
- Travis Meeks, lead singer, guitarist and song writer for acoustic rock band Days of the New.
- Vernon L. Smith, Nobel Laureate in Economics
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Famous People With Autism Spectrum Disorder
Autism can be challenging but there are many people on the spectrum who have achieved great heights.
Autism spectrum disorder is a diagnosis that is characterized by differences from the general population in the area of social skills, communication skills, as well as the presence of certain behaviors which may look atypical from other people. These behaviors are known as restrictive or repetitive behaviors.