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Famous People On The Autism Spectrum

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Strong Interests Support Success

Famous People on the Autism Spectrum

One example of a trait of autism is called restricted interests. This is a type of restrictive behavior. Restricted interests have to do with how the person with ASD has an intense passion for a certain topic. Whereas people without autism often have a range of interests and can easily switch focus from one topic or activity to another and may not commit to excelling at one particular thing, people with autism may have a limited and narrow range of interests.

This characteristic may contribute to the success that many people with ASD experience in life. By being able to focus and maintain one core interest for years or even for most of ones life, the person with ASD can use this interest to accomplish great things.

Who Famous Has Aspergers Syndrome

There are many famous people who have Aspergers Syndrome. Some of these people include: Bill Gates Dan Aykroyd Tim Burton

Hans Asperger first coined the term Aspergers Syndrome in 1944. People with this disorder find it difficult to communicate with others and connect with society. Women and girls are frequently misdiagnosed with Aspergers due to a lack of awareness that their condition resembles that of females. Individuals with autism may have a pattern of repetitive movements in their arms, legs, or back, unusual responses to people or objects in their environment, and resistance to routine changes. According to traditional models, Aspergers syndrome is a female who is extremely shy, quiet, and at ease at school. People in the list below are well-known for whom there has been a lot of speculation regarding Asperger syndrome. Many successful historical figures were diagnosed with Aspergers syndrome in their prime.

What Is It Like Having Aspergers

In general, people with Asperger syndrome may struggle with social interaction, communication, and social imagination .

Dont Give Up On Kids With Aspergers

Its possible that children with Aspergers are excellent at specific things. They may excel at math or science in particular. They might be exceptional problem solvers. They may require more time and patience to succeed in new areas of study. The most important thing to remember is that Aspergers can be successfully treated. A few things may take some time and patience for them to master, but they are typically extremely intelligent and capable.

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Clinical Development And Diagnoses

Leo Kannerearly infantile autism

Autism as it is known today can be drawn back to the late 1930s, when two separate psychiatrists – Hans Asperger of the Vienna University Hospital and Leo Kanner of the Johns Hopkins Hospital – used the word autism to describe the patients they were studying in their own clinical research. The word autism first took its modern sense in German, when Asperger adopted Bleuler’s terminology autistic psychopaths in a 1938 lecture in German about child psychology. Asperger was investigating an ASD which was later known as Asperger syndrome, although it did not become widely recognized as a separate diagnosis until 1981. In English, Kanner first used autism in its modern sense when he introduced the label early infantile autism in a 1943 report of 11 children with striking behavioral similarities. Almost all the characteristics described in Kanner’s first paper on the subject, notably “autistic aloneness” and “insistence on sameness”, are still regarded as typical of the autistic spectrum of disorders. It is not known whether Kanner derived the term independently of Asperger.

Jerry Seinfeld Autism Controversy

Famous People on the Autism Spectrum

As part of our research, we were amazed to find a high volume of people querying Google about whether comedian Jerry Seinfeld is autistic (e.g. 400 people per month Google the phrase Jerry Seinfeld Autism.

The Seinfeld autism controversy began in an interview with Brian Williams of NBC News:

Heres the full transcript:

Seinfeld:

I think, on a very drawn out scale, I think Im on the spectrum.

Brian Williams:

Why, what are the markers if I was sitting here analyzing you

Seinfeld:

Youre never paying attention to the right things.

Basic social engagement is really a struggle.

Im very literal.

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Famous People Who Are Autistic 2022

As people are becoming more autism aware adult diagnoses are increasing. Autism is common with the National Autistic Society estimating 700,000 people are on the autistic spectrum in the UK. Whilst there is no official count of people who are autistic this is a well-recognised figure and if anything is likely to be conservative. This figure represents more than 1% of the population in the UK. In the USA the CDC reported approximately 1 in 44 children in the U.S. is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Personally I think it is much higher than both these estimates based on huge numbers of undiagnosed adults.

Incredibly Successful People On The Autism Spectrum

Though autism is said to affect one in every 59 people in the United States, for those who have been diagnosed with autism, Aspergers syndrome, or another developmental disorder on the autism spectrum, the world can sometimes feel like a lonely place. While autism remains relatively misunderstood, one thing is for certain those with autism are just as capable as anyone else of achieving incredible success. The proof? These famous people with autism: 30 incredibly successful people on the spectrum. The first 20 are modern-day people on the autism spectrum the last 10 are people who lived before autism was formally diagnosed, but who are thought to have had autism based on their habits, social life, and other characteristics. Other than that, these famous people with autism are listed in no particular order.

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Is Keir Gilchrist Autistic

Keir Gilchrist plays teenager Sam Gardner in Netflixs Atypical. Sam is autistic in the show, causing many fans to ask is Keir Gilchrist autistic?

The answer is no:

Despite playing an autistic character, Gilchrist is not autistic. The actor did a great deal of research to get to the point where he could play an autistic person, including reading works by writer and speaker David Finch.

source: Newsweek, Atypical on Netflix: Is Sam Actor Keir Gilchrist Actually Autistic?, July 12, 2021

Satoshi Tajiricreator Of Pokmon

10 Famous People On Autism Spectrum

Tajiris restrictive interestgrowing up involved an intense fascination with bugs and arcade games. He later expanded this interest as an adult by creating the first Pokémon video game for Nintendo. Today, Pokémon is a worldwide phenomenon. Tajiri has said that he wanted his games to give kids the same thrill of collecting things that he had when he was collecting bugs.

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Messi Autism Rumors Or Diagnosed

Lionel Messi is a worldwide soccer superstar, but there are rumors that he struggled with Autism early in life. According to WessexScene.com:

There are unconfirmed reports that Messi was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome at the age of 9.

As a child, Messi kept to himself and was known in his village as el pequeño mudito . His extreme focus on his sport has many autism experts convinced he has Aspergers or is somewhere on the autism spectrum.

Carl Jung Specialist & Therapist

Psychoanalytic theories have a great deal to do with the personality of the creator. Carl Jung was on the autism spectrum formerly called Aspergers syndrome. People on the spectrum have identity diffusion and move very easily between fact and fantasy. Jung had what is called autistic intelligence, which was, unconventional, unorthodox, and strange.

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Being Social With Asd

Another way a person with autism can uniquely contribute their talents to the world is by sharing how they experience the world. Autistic people often learn how to work through problems independently. While a child may require more alone time and personal space, their logical approach to communicating can aid them in staying focused on their goals.

Famous People With Autism/adhd

Famous People on the Autism Spectrum â Bentham Science

Autism Spectrum Disorder Traits contribute to accomplishing nice things.No matter what traits of disorder one might have, they have their distinctive strengths and talents.

There are several famed personalities with autism spectrum disorder who have used their strengths and talents to attain success, fame, or to accomplish wonderful things.

Following are the names of some of them:

Also Check: List Of Autistic Traits

Famous People With Autism Breaking Down Barriers

The autism spectrum is a condition of the nervous system that causes difficulties with social skills, communication issues, repetitive behavior, and intense interests. Its sometimes referred to as Autism Spectrum Disorder or ASD. However, the use of disorder is controversial in the medical profession and the autism community. Throughout history, numerous people have been on the autism spectrum or possibly had it, including many famous people with autism.

Theres no way of knowing for sure, but many historical figures displayed traits of autism. There are lots of famous people today who are on the spectrum but embrace it. Most of these famous people didnt learn about their diagnosis until adulthood. For the most part, everyone just considers them to be eccentric,odd, or unpredictable. Regardless, they overcame the obstacles in their way. They are some of the most influential people in their fields of work, including science, music, math, art, and more.

There are varying levels of autism that a person might experience. Those with autism might find it challenging to have a lot of friends and often become intensely interested in one subject. They might even feel overwhelmed at parties and prefer to be alone. Most usually only have a few friends that are understanding and supportive.

Restricted And Repetitive Behaviors

ASD includes a wide variety of characteristics. Some of these include behavioral characteristics which widely range from slow development of social and learning skills to difficulties creating connections with other people. They may develop these difficulties of creating connections due to anxiety or depression, which autistic people are more likely to experience, and as a result isolate themselves.

Other behavioral characteristics include abnormal responses to sensations including sights, sounds, touch, taste and smell, and problems keeping a consistent speech rhythm. The latter problem influences an individual’s social skills, leading to potential problems in how they are understood by communication partners. Behavioral characteristics displayed by autistic people typically influence development, language, and social competence. Behavioral characteristics of autistic people can be observed as perceptual disturbances, disturbances of development rate, relating, speech and language, and motility.

The second core symptom of autism spectrum is a pattern of restricted and repetitive behaviors, activities, and interests. In order to be diagnosed with ASD under DSM-5 or DSM-5-TR, a person must have at least two of the following behaviors:

Autistic individuals can display many forms of repetitive or restricted behavior, which the Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised categorizes as follows.

Self-injury

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Thomas Blind Tom Wiggins

Thomas Wiggins, known as Blind Tom, was a child piano prodigy who was blind, and a slave. He possessed the marveled gift of being able to hear a short selection of complex music and echo it. At just four years old, he became a pianist, who began touring the United States by the age of eight. Although a lot of his profit was passed over to his slave owners, he became the highest paid pianist of the 19th century and, in 1960, at 10 years old, was the first black musician to perform at the White House.

His skills were said to surpass Mozart. If he was alive today, many believe that he would have been diagnosed autistic. He was highly fascinated with sound and had the ability to mimic sounds from bird calls to trains. He is also said to have rocked and twitched, and he was nonverbal.

Thanks to the knowledge we now have of autism, we understand Blind Tom sought after sensory input, as he was hyposensitive to sound, and rocking and twitching was probably his stimmusic became his escape to feed his sensory needs.

More Famous People With Autism

16 Famous People with Autism Spectrum Disorder
  • 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

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Famous People With Autism

People with autism are often creative, innovative, and highly talented. But many people are surprised when a famous person admits to being on the autism spectrum . While there may be many challenges accompanying a diagnosis, there is still room for success and achievement.

Challenges associated with autism include communication skills, social skills, and difficulty regulating emotions and behaviors. Some behaviors can be compulsive, restrictive, or repetitive. With that said, no matter what behaviors you or your child are exhibiting, a person with autism has unique strengths and abilities. Some of the neurodivergent population have used their unique talents to achieve prosperity and fame.

The Asd Social Way Of Being

Additionally, the way in which a person with autism experiences social interactions and their general social way of being may also contribute to their success. Although social skills vary widely from one person with ASD to another, in general, social skills for people with ASD may include things like having few friends, getting overwhelmed by too much social interaction, and limited tendency to share ones interests, thoughts, and feelings with others.

The way a person with autism approaches social experiences can support their success in life. For instance, having only a few close friends can support the persons well-being. Their friends may have similar interests and may be truly supportive of the persons goals.

Needing alone time and space from others can help the person with ASD to have a clearer and more focused mind. Not spending so much time socializing and on small talk and being more straightforward and logical in the way the person communicates with others can help them stay focused on their goals and reaching the next step for success.

This way of living can contribute not only to the persons success but also to their overall life satisfaction.

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Famous People On The Autism Spectrum

The good news about autism is that for some people it can highlight their natural gifts and talents, so its no surprise that many remarkable people on the autism spectrum rise to be leaders in the fields of art, literature, music and science.

Autistic and neurodiverse people existed long before the term autism was developed, so naturally they lived their lives without ever receiving an official diagnosis.

A lot of research has been done into the individuals on our list, and its safe to say that if they were born today theyd be diagnosed as autistic while still very young.

Weve also listed many exceptional people from modern day society, most of whom are officially diagnosed as autistic, while a few are not.

Theyre all included here to inspire and uplift anyone who struggles with similar social and sensory issues reminding them that despite the challenges, being neurodiverse can help you live an extraordinary life and bring something truly unique and worthwhile to the world.

Social And Communication Skills

Famous People on the Autism Spectrum

A defining feature is that autistic people have social impairments and often lack the intuition about others that many people take for granted.

Impairments in social skills present many challenges for autistic individuals. Deficits in social skills may lead to problems with friendships, romantic relationships, daily living, and vocational success. One study that examined the outcomes of autistic adults found that, compared to the general population, autistic people were less likely to be married, but it is unclear whether this outcome was due to deficits in social skills or intellectual impairment, or some other reason.

Prior to 2013, deficits in social function and communication were considered two separate symptom domains of autism. The current social communication domain criteria for autism diagnosis require individuals to have deficits across three social skills: social-emotional reciprocity, nonverbal communication, and developing and sustaining relationships. Communication deficits are due to problems with social-emotional skills like joint attention and social reciprocity.

Older children and adults with ASD perform worse on tests of face and emotion recognition than non-autistic individuals, although this may be partly due to a lower ability to define a person’s own emotions.

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Aspergers Syndrome: The Advantage Of Being Different

Elon Musk, one of the worlds wealthiest and most successful entrepreneurs, has been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome. The term Aspergers is frequently associated with children, but it is actually quite common in adults and the wealthy, as well. Despite the fact that many people are surprised to learn that one of the worlds wealthiest and most successful individuals, Bill Gates, suffers from Aspergers Syndrome, it is not uncommon. As a young man, Gates was diagnosed with the disorder, and he formed a club with his friends known as the Lakeside Programmers Group, which taught them about programming and allowed them to write computer programs for corporations in exchange for computer time. Despite the difficulties associated with Aspergers, Bill Gates has used it to his advantage to become one of the worlds wealthiest and most successful people.

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