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{{Multiple issues
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.<ref name=JankovicMozart/>
|expert = November 2010
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|weasel = November 2010}}
[[Image:GodfreyKneller-IsaacNewton-1689.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Some experts believe that [[Isaac Newton]] had what is now known as [[Asperger syndrome]].]]


'''[[Retrospective diagnosis]] of [[autism]]''' is the practice of attempting to [[medical diagnosis|diagnose]] [[autism spectrum]] disorders, including [[Asperger syndrome]] and [[high-functioning autism|high-functioning]] [[autism|classic autism]], in historical figures using modern knowledge and methods. Most often this is done with people who died before the 1940s, when [[autism]] became formally recognized.{{Or|date=November 2010}}<ref name=JamesSingular>{{cite journal |author=James I |title=Singular scientists |journal=J R Soc Med |volume=96 |issue=1 |pages=36–9 |year=2003 |pmid=12519805 |doi= 10.1258/jrsm.96.1.36|url=http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&pubmedid=12519805|accessdate=2007-11-26}}</ref><ref name=JamesAS/>
==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.<ref name=JamesSingular/> 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 syndrome|Asperger's]]."<ref name=GoodeNYT/>


Because the [[historical record]] is incomplete and a true diagnosis can only be performed in person, there is some disagreement among experts as to which historical figures were autistic and which were not.{{Or|date=November 2010}} Some experts, such as Fred Volkmar of the Yale Study Child Center, question the validity of such retrospective diagnosis entirely.<ref name=GoodeNYT/>{{Why?|date=November 2010}}{{vague|date=November 2010}}
[[Michael Fitzgerald (psychiatrist)|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'',<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> ''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> and ''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>


===List===
==List of figures==
<!-- This is a list of historic figures only. Do not add living or recently deceased people.-->
{{See also|List of people on the autistic spectrum}}
<!-- This is a list of historic figures only. Do not add recently deceased people or living people. See List above for current figures. -->


===Authors and writers===
{|class="wikitable"
*[[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>
!Person

!Speculator
*[[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>
|-

| [[Hans Christian Andersen]] – author
*[[Emily Dickinson]] (1830–1886) – poet - according to Vernon Smith<ref name=Creativity/>
| Michael Fitzgerald<ref name=FitzGenesis/>

|-
*[[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 whom|date=November 2010}}{{Why?|date=November 2010}}
| [[Béla Bartók]] – 20th century [[Hungary|Hungarian]] composer

| [[Ioan James]];<ref name=JamesAS>{{cite book|first=Ioan|last=James|title=Asperger's Syndrome and High Achievement: Some Very Remarkable People|publisher=Jessica Kingsley Publishers|location=London|year=2006|isbn=1843103885}}</ref> [[Oliver Sacks]] says the evidence seems "very thin at best".<ref name=SacksCavendish/>
*[[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/>
|-

| Hugh Blair of Borgue – 18th century [[Scotland|Scottish]] landowner thought mentally incompetent, now studied as case history of autism.
*[[Jonathan Swift]] (1667–1745) – author - according to Ioan James<ref name=JamesAS/> and Michael Fitzgerald<ref name=FitzGenesis/>
| Rab Houston and [[Uta Frith]]<ref>{{cite book|title=Autism in history: the case of Hugh Blair of Borgue|last=Houston|first=Rab|coauthors=[[Uta Frith]]|location=Oxford|publisher=Blackwell Publishers|year=2000|isbn= 0631220895}}</ref> Wolff calls the evidence "convincing".<ref>{{cite journal |journal= Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry |year=2004 |volume=13 |issue=4 |pages=201–8 |title= The history of autism |author=Wolff S |doi=10.1007/s00787-004-0363-5 |pmid=15365889}}</ref>

|-
*[[W. B. Yeats]] (1865–1939) – poet and dramatist - according to Michael Fitzgerald<ref name=FitzGenesis/><ref name=LauranceJoseph/>
| [[Lewis Carroll]] – writer, logician

| 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>
===Musicians and composers===
|-
*[[Béla Bartók]] (1881–1945) – 20th century [[Hungary|Hungarian]] composer - according to [[Ioan James]];<ref name=JamesAS>{{cite book|first=Ioan|last=James|title=Asperger's Syndrome and High Achievement: Some Very Remarkable People|publisher=Jessica Kingsley Publishers|location=London|year=2006|isbn=1843103885}}</ref> [[Oliver Sacks]] says the evidence seems "very thin at best".<ref name=SacksCavendish/>{{Why?|date=November 2010}}
| [[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,<ref name=GoodeNYT>{{cite news|title=CASES; A Disorder Far Beyond Eccentricity|author=Goode, Erica
*[[Glenn Gould]] (1932–1982) – Canadian pianist and noted [[Johann Sebastian Bach|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,<ref name=FitzGenesis/> Ioan James,<ref name=JamesAS/> [[Tony Attwood]],<ref name=AttwoodStrat>{{cite web|url=http://www.tonyattwood.com.au/pdfs/attwood4.pdf|format=PDF|author=Attwood, Tony|title=Strategies for Improving the Social Integration of Children with Asperger's Syndrome|publisher=Tony Attwood|accessdate=2007-09-09}}</ref> and NPR<ref>{{cite web|date=September 21, 2002|publisher=National Public Radio|url=http://www.npr.org/programs/wesat/features/2002/sept/gould/|title=The Variations of Glenn Gould; A Look at the Life and Career of a Brilliant Pianist|accessdate=2007-09-09}}</ref>
|date=October 9, 2001|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/health/article-page.html?res=9E0CE6DB103CF93AA35753C1A9679C8B63&n=Top%2fNews%2fHealth%2fDiseases%2c%20Conditions%2c%20and%20Health%20Topics%2fAutism|work=New York Times|accessdate=2007-11-26}}</ref><ref name=SacksCavendish>{{cite journal |author= [[Oliver Sacks|Sacks O]] |title= Henry Cavendish: an early case of Asperger's syndrome? |journal=Neurology |volume=57 |issue=7 |pages=1347 |year=2001 |pmid=11591871 |url=http://www.neurological.org.nz/html/article.php?documentCode=26 |accessdate=2007-06-28 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070901095011/http://www.neurological.org.nz/html/article.php?documentCode=26 <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 2007-09-01}}</ref> and Ione James;<ref name=JamesSingular>{{cite journal |author=James I |title=Singular scientists |journal=J R Soc Med |volume=96 |issue=1 |pages=36–9 |year=2003 |pmid=12519805 |doi= 10.1258/jrsm.96.1.36|url=http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&pubmedid=12519805|accessdate=2007-11-26}}</ref><ref name=JamesAS/> Fred Volkmar of Yale Study Child Center is skeptical.<ref name=GoodeNYT/>

|-
*[[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]] (1756–1791) – composer - according to Tony Attwood<ref name=AttwoodStrat/> and Michael Fitzgerald;<ref name=FitzGenesis/> others{{who|date=November 2010}} disagree that there is sufficient evidence to indicate any diagnoses for Mozart.<ref name=JankovicMozart>{{cite journal |author=Ashoori A, Jankovic J |title=Mozart's movements and behaviour: a case of Tourette's syndrome? |journal=J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. |volume=78 |issue=11 |pages=1171–5 |year=2007 |month=November |pmid=17940168 |pmc=2117611 |doi=10.1136/jnnp.2007.114520 |url=}}</ref>
| [[Charles XII of Sweden]] – speculated to have had Asperger syndrome

| Swedish researchers, Gillberg<ref>{{cite journal |author=Gillberg C |title=[Charles XII seems to have fulfilled all the criteria of Asperger syndrome] |language=Swedish |journal=Lakartidningen |volume=99 |issue=48 |pages=4837–8 |year=2002 |pmid=12523067 |doi=}}</ref> and Lagerkvist<ref>{{cite journal |author=Lagerkvist B |title=[Charles XII had all symptoms of Asperger syndrome: stubbornness, a stereotyped existence and lack of compassion] |language=Swedish |journal=Lakartidningen |volume=99 |issue=48 |pages=4874–8 |year=2002 |pmid=12523074 |doi=}}</ref>
*[[Erik Satie]] (1866–1925) – composer - according to Ioan James<ref name=JamesAS/> and Michael Fitzgerald<ref name=FitzGenesis/>
|-

| [[Jeffrey Dahmer]] – [[serial killer]]
*[[Blind Tom Wiggins]] (1849–1908) – savant pianist - according to Oliver Sacks<ref>{{cite web|url=http://chevalierdesaintgeorges.homestead.com/Wiggins.html|author=Zick, William|publisher=AfriClassical.com|accessdate=2007-09-09|title=Thomas "Blind Tom" Wiggins (1849-1908), African American Pianist and Composer; A Blind And Autistic Slave Was A Musical Genius}}</ref>
| Silva, ''et al.''<ref name="CT">[http://www.autismwebsite.com/crimetimes/05c/w05cp13.htm 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</ref><ref>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.</ref>

|-
===Political figures===
| [[Anne d'Arpajon, comtesse de Noailles|Anne Claudine d'Arpajon, comtesse de Noailles]] – French governess, lady of honor, tutor
*[[Charles XII of Sweden]] (1682–1718) – speculated to have had Asperger syndrome - according to Swedish researchers, Gillberg<ref>{{cite journal |author=Gillberg C |title=[Charles XII seems to have fulfilled all the criteria of Asperger syndrome] |language=Swedish |journal=Lakartidningen |volume=99 |issue=48 |pages=4837–8 |year=2002 |pmid=12523067 |doi=}}</ref> and Lagerkvist<ref>{{cite journal |author=Lagerkvist B |title=[Charles XII had all symptoms of Asperger syndrome: stubbornness, a stereotyped existence and lack of compassion] |language=Swedish |journal=Lakartidningen |volume=99 |issue=48 |pages=4874–8 |year=2002 |pmid=12523074 |doi=}}</ref>
| Society for French Historical Studies, New York Times<ref name=Creativity/>

|-
*[[Anne d'Arpajon]], comtesse de Noailles (1729–1794) – French governess, lady of honor, tutor - according to Society for French Historical Studies, New York Times<ref name=Creativity/>
| [[Charles Darwin]] – naturalist, associated with the theory of [[evolution]] by [[natural selection]]

| Michael Fitzgerald<ref name="Brilliant minds linked to autism"/>
*[[Éamon de Valera]] (1882–1975) – Irish revolutionary and politician - according to Michael Fitzgerald<ref name=FitzGenesis/><ref name=LauranceJoseph>{{cite news|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20060712/ai_n16527646|title=Keith Joseph, the father of Thatcherism, 'was autistic'|work=The Independent (London)|date=July 12, 2006|author=Laurance, Jeremy|accessdate=2007-11-26}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>
|-

| [[Emily Dickinson]] – poet
*[[Adolf Hitler]] (1889–1945) – Austrian born, [[Nazi]] German politician, chancellor and dictator - according to Michael Fitzgerald<ref name=Creativity/> and Andreas Fries<ref>{{Cite journal
| Vernon Smith<ref name=Creativity/>
|-
| [[Éamon de Valera]] – Irish revolutionary and politician
| Michael Fitzgerald<ref name=FitzGenesis/><ref name=LauranceJoseph>{{cite news|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20060712/ai_n16527646|title=Keith Joseph, the father of Thatcherism, 'was autistic'|work=The Independent (London)|date=July 12, 2006|author=Laurance, Jeremy|accessdate=2007-11-26}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>
|-
| [[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.
| Ione James<ref name=JamesSingular/> and Graham Farmelo<ref name=Farmelo>{{Cite book
| publisher = Faber and Faber
| isbn = 0571222781
| last = Farmelo
| first = Graham
| title = The Strangest Man: The Hidden Life of Paul Dirac, Quantum Genius
| date = 2009-01-22
}}</ref>
|-
| [[Albert Einstein]] – physicist
| See analysis below
|-
| [[Janet Frame]] – New Zealand author
| Sarah Abrahamson;<ref>{{cite journal |journal= N Z Med J |year=2007 |volume=120 |issue=1263 |pages=U2747 |title= Did Janet Frame have high-functioning autism? |author= Abrahamson S |pmid=17972967}}</ref> this suggestion has been the subject of some controversy.<ref>Gordon, Pamela. [http://janetframe.org.nz/ Janet Frame and Autism: Fools rush in where Angels fear to tread.] Janet Frame Estate. Retrieved on 2007-02-12.</ref>{{Failed verification|date=February 2008}}<ref>{{cite journal |journal=N Z Med J |year=2007 |volume=120 |issue=1264 |pages= U2791 |title= Janet Frame and autism |author= Stace H |pmid=17972997}}</ref>
|-
|[[Glenn Gould]] – Canadian pianist and noted [[Johann Sebastian Bach|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,<ref name=FitzGenesis/> Ioan James,<ref name=JamesAS/> [[Tony Attwood]],<ref name=AttwoodStrat>{{cite web|url=http://www.tonyattwood.com.au/pdfs/attwood4.pdf|format=PDF|author=Attwood, Tony|title=Strategies for Improving the Social Integration of Children with Asperger's Syndrome|publisher=Tony Attwood|accessdate=2007-09-09}}</ref> and NPR<ref>{{cite web|date=September 21, 2002|publisher=National Public Radio|url=http://www.npr.org/programs/wesat/features/2002/sept/gould/|title=The Variations of Glenn Gould; A Look at the Life and Career of a Brilliant Pianist|accessdate=2007-09-09}}</ref>
|-
| [[Adolf Hitler]] – Austrian born politician, chancellor and dictator
| Michael Fitzgerald<ref name=Creativity/> and Andreas Fries<ref>{{Cite journal
| issn = 0023-7205
| issn = 0023-7205
| volume = 106
| volume = 106
Line 86: Line 65:
| url = http://www.lakartidningen.se/store/articlepdf/1/11854/LKT0917s1201_1204.pdf
| url = http://www.lakartidningen.se/store/articlepdf/1/11854/LKT0917s1201_1204.pdf
}}</ref>
}}</ref>
|-
| [[Thomas Jefferson]] – US President
| [[Norm Ledgin]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Ledgin|first=Norm|title=Diagnosing Jefferson|publisher=Future Horizons|year=2000|isbn=1885477600}}</ref> Tony Attwood,<ref name=AttwoodStrat/> and Ioan James<ref name=JamesAS/>
|-
| [[Keith Joseph]] – father of [[Thatcherism]]
| Michael Fitzgerald<ref name=FitzGenesis/><ref name=LauranceJoseph/>
|-
| [[James Joyce]] – author of ''[[Ulysses (novel)|Ulysses]]''
| 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>
|-
| [[Ted Kaczynski]] – Unabomber
| Silva, ''et al.''<ref name="CT"/><ref>Silva, J. A. Ferrari, M. M. Leong, G. B. [http://direct.bl.uk/bld/PlaceOrder.do?UIN=131320619&ETOC=RN&from=searchengine Asperger's Disorder and the Origins of the Unabomber.] ''American Journal of Forensic Psychiatry'' VOL 24; PART 2, 2003, pages 5-44. Retrieved on 2008-01-25.</ref>
|-
| [[Stanley Kubrick]] - filmmaker
| Michael Fitzgerald<ref>http://books.google.com/books?id=eMunoqn0iU8C&pg=PA185&q=Stanley%20Kubrick&f=false#v=snippet&q=Stanley%20Kubrick&f=false</ref>
|-
| [[Michelangelo]] – [[Italian Renaissance]] artist, based on his inability to form long-term attachments and certain other characteristics
| Arshad and Fitzgerald;<ref name=FitzGenesis/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/3765509.stm|title=Michelangelo 'linked' with autism|publisher=BBC News|date=June 1, 2004|accessdate=2007-11-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Arshad M, Fitzgerald M |title=Did Michelangelo (1475-1564) have high-functioning autism? |journal=J Med Biogr |volume=12 |issue=2 |pages=115–20 |year=2004 |pmid=15079170 }}</ref> Ioan James also discussed Michelangelo's autistic traits.<ref name=JamesAS/>
|-
| [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]] – composer
| Tony Attwood<ref name=AttwoodStrat/> and Michael Fitzgerald;<ref name=FitzGenesis/> others disagree that there is sufficient evidence to indicate any diagnoses for Mozart.<ref name=JankovicMozart>{{cite journal |author=Ashoori A, Jankovic J |title=Mozart's movements and behaviour: a case of Tourette's syndrome? |journal=J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. |volume=78 |issue=11 |pages=1171–5 |year=2007 |month=November |pmid=17940168 |pmc=2117611 |doi=10.1136/jnnp.2007.114520r}}</ref>
|-
| [[Isaac Newton]]
| See analysis below
|-
| [[Moe Norman]] – Canadian golfer
| USA Today<ref>{{cite web|date=2004-09-28|url=http://www.usatoday.com/sports/golf/2004-09-28-norman_x.htm|title=Golf's purest striker rarely missed a fairway
|author=Selcraig, Bruce|publisher=USA Today|accessdate=2007-09-09}}</ref>
|-
| [[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 [[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.
| Michael Fitzgerald<ref name=FitzGenesis/><ref name=LauranceJoseph/>
|-
| [[Enoch Powell]] – British politician
| Michael Fitzgerald<ref name=FitzGenesis/><ref name=LauranceJoseph/>
|-
| [[Srinivasa Ramanujan]] – mathematician
| Ioan James<ref name=JamesAS/> and Michael Fitzgerald<ref>{{cite journal |author=Fitzgerald M |title=Did Ramanujan have Asperger's disorder or Asperger's syndrome? |journal=J Med Biogr |volume=10 |issue=3 |pages=167–9 |year=2002 |pmid=12114951 |doi=}}</ref>
|-
| [[Charles Richter]] – [[seismologist]], creator of the [[eponym]]ous scale of [[earthquake]] magnitude
| [[Susan Hough]] in her biography of Richter<ref>{{cite web|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1134/is_1_116/ai_n17216514|title=Richter's Scale: Measure of an Earthquake, Measure of a Man|work=Natural History|publisher=FindArticles.com|month=February | year=2007|author=Marschall, Laurence A|accessdate=2007-11-26}}</ref>
|-
| [[Erik Satie]] – composer
| Ioan James<ref name=JamesAS/> and Michael Fitzgerald<ref name=FitzGenesis/>
|-
| [[Jonathan Swift]] – author
| Ioan James<ref name=JamesAS/> and Michael Fitzgerald<ref name=FitzGenesis/>
|-
| [[Nikola Tesla]] - [[Serbs|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
|NPR,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1010570|publisher=NPR|title=Strange scientists|accessdate=2009-01-11}}</ref> Harvey Blume<ref>{{cite web|url=http://web.mit.edu/comm-forum/papers/blume.html|title="Autism & The Internet" or "It's The Wiring, Stupid"|publisher=MIT Communications forum|author=Blume, Harvey|accessdate=2009-01-11}}</ref>
|-
| [[Alan Turing]] – pioneer of computer sciences. He seemed to be a math savant and his lifestyle has many autism traits about it.
| [[Tony Attwood]]<ref name=AttwoodStrat/> and Ioan James<ref name=JamesAS/>
|-
| [[Michael Ventris]] – English architect who deciphered [[Linear B]]
| [[Simon Baron-Cohen]]<ref>{{cite book|title=The essential difference: the truth about the male and female brain|last=Baron-Cohen|first=Simon|location=New York, N.Y.|publisher=Basic Books|date= c2003|isbn=0738208442 }}</ref>
|-
| [[Andy Warhol]] – American artist
| Michael Fitzgerald<ref name=FitzGenesis/><ref>{{cite web|title=Were Socrates, Darwin, Andy Warhol and Eisntein (sic) autistic?|publisher=Medical News Today|date=11 January 2004|url=http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=5274|accessdate=2007-11-26}}</ref> and Ioan James<ref name=JamesAS/>
|-
| [[Blind Tom Wiggins]] – autistic savant
| Oliver Sacks<ref>{{cite web|url=http://chevalierdesaintgeorges.homestead.com/Wiggins.html|author=Zick, William|publisher=AfriClassical.com|accessdate=2007-09-09|title=Thomas "Blind Tom" Wiggins (1849-1908), African American Pianist and Composer; A Blind And Autistic Slave Was A Musical Genius}}</ref>
|-
| [[Ludwig Wittgenstein]] – Austrian philosopher
| Michael Fitzgerald<ref>{{cite journal |author=Fitzgerald M |title=Did Ludwig Wittgenstein have Asperger's syndrome? |journal=Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry |volume=9 |issue=1 |pages=61–5 |year=2000 |pmid=10795857 |doi= 10.1007/s007870050117|url=http://link.springer.de/link/service/journals/00787/bibs/0009001/00090061.htm}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Fitzgerald M |title=Ludwig Wittgenstein: autism and philosophy |journal=J Autism Dev Disord |volume=30 |issue=6 |pages=621–2 |year=2000 |pmid=11261476 |doi= 10.1023/A:1005655930819|url=http://www.kluweronline.com/art.pdf?issn=0162-3257&volume=30&page=621|format=PDF}}</ref> [[Tony Attwood]],<ref name=AttwoodStrat/> and Ioan James;<ref name=JamesAS/> Oliver Sacks says the evidence seems "very thin at best".<ref name=SacksCavendish/>
|-
| [[W. B. Yeats]] – poet and dramatist
| Michael Fitzgerald<ref name=FitzGenesis/><ref name=LauranceJoseph/>
|}


*[[Thomas Jefferson]] (1743–1826) – a [[Founding Fathers of the United States|Founding Father of the United States]] and the third U.S. [[United States President|President]], political theorist, philosopher - according to [[Norm Ledgin]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Ledgin|first=Norm|title=Diagnosing Jefferson|publisher=Future Horizons|year=2000|isbn=1885477600}}</ref> Tony Attwood,<ref name=AttwoodStrat/> and Ioan James<ref name=JamesAS/>
==Einstein and Newton==
[[Image:GodfreyKneller-IsaacNewton-1689.jpg|thumb|right|180px|It has been speculated that [[Isaac Newton]] had what is now considered [[Asperger syndrome]].]]


*[[Keith Joseph]] (1918–1994) – father of [[Thatcherism]] - according to Michael Fitzgerald<ref name=FitzGenesis/><ref name=LauranceJoseph/>

*[[Enoch Powell]] (1912–1998) – British politician - according to Michael Fitzgerald<ref name=FitzGenesis/><ref name=LauranceJoseph/>

===Philosophers===
*[[Ludwig Wittgenstein]] (1889–1951) – Austrian philosopher - according to Michael Fitzgerald<ref>{{cite journal |author=Fitzgerald M |title=Did Ludwig Wittgenstein have Asperger's syndrome? |journal=Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry |volume=9 |issue=1 |pages=61–5 |year=2000 |pmid=10795857 |doi= 10.1007/s007870050117|url=http://link.springer.de/link/service/journals/00787/bibs/0009001/00090061.htm}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Fitzgerald M |title=Ludwig Wittgenstein: autism and philosophy |journal=J Autism Dev Disord |volume=30 |issue=6 |pages=621–2 |year=2000 |pmid=11261476 |doi= 10.1023/A:1005655930819|url=http://www.kluweronline.com/art.pdf?issn=0162-3257&volume=30&page=621|format=PDF}}</ref> [[Tony Attwood]],<ref name=AttwoodStrat/> and Ioan James;<ref name=JamesAS/> Oliver Sacks says the evidence seems "very thin at best".<ref name=SacksCavendish/>{{Why?|date=November 2010}}

===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,<ref name=GoodeNYT>{{cite news|title=CASES; A Disorder Far Beyond Eccentricity|author=Goode, Erica
|date=October 9, 2001|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/health/article-page.html?res=9E0CE6DB103CF93AA35753C1A9679C8B63&n=Top%2fNews%2fHealth%2fDiseases%2c%20Conditions%2c%20and%20Health%20Topics%2fAutism|work=New York Times|accessdate=2007-11-26}}</ref><ref name=SacksCavendish>{{cite journal |author= [[Oliver Sacks|Sacks O]] |title= Henry Cavendish: an early case of Asperger's syndrome? |journal=Neurology |volume=57 |issue=7 |pages=1347 |year=2001 |pmid=11591871 |url=http://www.neurological.org.nz/html/article.php?documentCode=26 |accessdate=2007-06-28 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070901095011/http://www.neurological.org.nz/html/article.php?documentCode=26 <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 2007-09-01}}</ref> and Ione James;<ref name=JamesSingular/>{{Why?|date=November 2010}}

*[[Charles Darwin]] (1809–1882) – naturalist, associated with the theory of [[evolution]] by [[natural selection]] - according to Michael Fitzgerald<ref name="Brilliant minds linked to autism"/>

*[[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<ref name=JamesSingular/> and Graham Farmelo<ref name=Farmelo>{{Cite book
| publisher = Faber and Faber
| isbn = 0571222781
| last = Farmelo
| first = Graham
| title = The Strangest Man: The Hidden Life of Paul Dirac, Quantum Genius
| date = 2009-01-22
}}</ref>

*[[Albert Einstein]] (1879–1955) – physicist - ''See below''

*[[Isaac Newton]] (1643–1727) - physicist - ''See below''

*[[Srinivasa Ramanujan]] (1887–1920) – mathematician - according to Ioan James<ref name=JamesAS/> and Michael Fitzgerald<ref>{{cite journal |author=Fitzgerald M |title=Did Ramanujan have Asperger's disorder or Asperger's syndrome? |journal=J Med Biogr |volume=10 |issue=3 |pages=167–9 |year=2002 |pmid=12114951 |doi=}}</ref>

*[[Charles Richter]] (1900–1985) – [[seismologist]], creator of the [[Richter scale]] of [[earthquake]] magnitude - according to [[Susan Hough]] in her biography of Richter<ref>{{cite web|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1134/is_1_116/ai_n17216514|title=Richter's Scale: Measure of an Earthquake, Measure of a Man|work=Natural History|publisher=FindArticles.com|month=February | year=2007|author=Marschall, Laurence A|accessdate=2007-11-26}}</ref>

*[[Nikola Tesla]] (1856–1943) - [[Serbs|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,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1010570|publisher=NPR|title=Strange scientists|accessdate=2009-01-11}}</ref> Harvey Blume<ref>{{cite web|url=http://web.mit.edu/comm-forum/papers/blume.html|title="Autism & The Internet" or "It's The Wiring, Stupid"|publisher=MIT Communications forum|author=Blume, Harvey|accessdate=2009-01-11}}</ref>

*[[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]]<ref name=AttwoodStrat/> and Ioan James<ref name=JamesAS/>

*[[Michael Ventris]] (1922–1956) – English architect who deciphered [[Linear B]] - according to [[Simon Baron-Cohen]]<ref>{{cite book|title=The essential difference: the truth about the male and female brain|last=Baron-Cohen|first=Simon|location=New York, N.Y.|publisher=Basic Books|date= c2003|isbn=0738208442 }}</ref>

===Visual artists===
*[[Stanley Kubrick]] (1928–1999) - filmmaker - according to Michael Fitzgerald<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=eMunoqn0iU8C&pg=PA185&q=Stanley%20Kubrick&f=false#v=snippet&q=Stanley%20Kubrick&f=false]</ref>

*[[Michelangelo]] (1475–1564) – [[Italian Renaissance]] artist, based on his inability to form long-term attachments and certain other characteristics - according to Arshad and Fitzgerald;<ref name=FitzGenesis/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/3765509.stm|title=Michelangelo 'linked' with autism|publisher=BBC News|date=June 1, 2004|accessdate=2007-11-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Arshad M, Fitzgerald M |title=Did Michelangelo (1475-1564) have high-functioning autism? |journal=J Med Biogr |volume=12 |issue=2 |pages=115–20 |year=2004 |pmid=15079170 |doi=}}</ref> Ioan James also discussed Michelangelo's autistic traits.<ref name=JamesAS/>

*[[Andy Warhol]] (1928–1987) – American artist - according to Michael Fitzgerald<ref name=FitzGenesis/><ref>{{cite web|title=Were Socrates, Darwin, Andy Warhol and Eisntein (sic) autistic?|publisher=Medical News Today|date=11 January 2004|url=http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=5274|accessdate=2007-11-26}}</ref> and Ioan James<ref name=JamesAS/>

===Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton===
[[Image:Albert Einstein 1947.jpg|thumb|right|180px|[[Albert Einstein]]'s [[Einstein syndrome|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]],<ref name=JamesSingular/> Michael Fitzgerald,<ref name=LauranceJoseph/><ref name="pmid11261475">{{cite journal |author=Fitzgerald M |title=Einstein: brain and behavior |journal=J Autism Dev Disord |volume=30 |issue=6 |pages=620–1 |year=2000 |pmid=11261475 |doi= 10.1023/A:1005603913981|url=http://www.kluweronline.com/art.pdf?issn=0162-3257&volume=30&page=620 |format=PDF|accessdate=2007-11-26}}</ref> and [[Simon Baron-Cohen]]<ref name=newsci>{{cite web|url=http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn3676|title=Einstein and Newton showed signs of autism|date=April 30, 2003|publisher=New Scientist|author=Hazel Muir|accessdate=2009-09-03}}</ref> 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.<ref name=AttwoodStrat/>
[[Albert Einstein]] (1879–1955) and [[Isaac Newton]] (1643–1727) both died before [[Asperger syndrome]] became known, but psychologists such as [[Ioan James]],<ref name=JamesSingular/> Michael Fitzgerald,<ref name=LauranceJoseph/><ref name="pmid11261475">{{cite journal |author=Fitzgerald M |title=Einstein: brain and behavior |journal=J Autism Dev Disord |volume=30 |issue=6 |pages=620–1 |year=2000 |pmid=11261475 |doi= 10.1023/A:1005603913981|url=http://www.kluweronline.com/art.pdf?issn=0162-3257&volume=30&page=620 |format=PDF|accessdate=2007-11-26}}</ref> and [[Simon Baron-Cohen]]<ref name=newsci>{{cite web|url=http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn3676|title=Einstein and Newton showed signs of autism|date=April 30, 2003|publisher=New Scientist|author=Hazel Muir|accessdate=2009-09-03}}</ref> 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.<ref name=AttwoodStrat/>


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.<ref name=EinsteinNewton>{{cite web |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2988647.stm |title= Einstein and Newton 'had autism' |publisher= BBC |date= 30 April 2003 |accessdate= 2007-11-07}}</ref> When he was 50, Newton suffered a nervous breakdown involving [[clinical depression|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.<ref>[http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/biography/Newton.html Newton, Isaac.] Scienceworld.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-09.</ref>
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.<ref name=EinsteinNewton>{{cite web |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2988647.stm |title= Einstein and Newton 'had autism' |publisher= BBC |date= 30 April 2003 |accessdate= 2007-11-07}}</ref> When he was 50, Newton suffered a nervous breakdown involving [[clinical depression|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.<ref>[http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/biography/Newton.html Newton, Isaac.] Scienceworld.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-09.</ref>

[[Image:Albert Einstein 1947.jpg|thumb|left|180px|It has been speculated that [[Albert Einstein]] was on what is now considered the [[autism spectrum]].]]


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".<ref>{{cite news|last=Katz|first=Illana|date=May 26, 2005|work=[[The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles]]|title=Does Autism Offer Special Gifts?|accessdate=2008-11-29|url=http://www.jewishjournal.com/education/article/does_autism_offer_special_gifts_20050527/}}</ref> As an adult his lectures were confusing.<ref name=newsci/><ref name=EinsteinNewton/>
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".<ref>{{cite news|last=Katz|first=Illana|date=May 26, 2005|work=[[The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles]]|title=Does Autism Offer Special Gifts?|accessdate=2008-11-29|url=http://www.jewishjournal.com/education/article/does_autism_offer_special_gifts_20050527/}}</ref> As an adult his lectures were confusing.<ref name=newsci/><ref name=EinsteinNewton/>


Oliver Sacks has said that claims that Einstein or Newton had autism "seem very thin at best".<ref name=SacksCavendish/>{{Why?|date=October 2010}}{{vague|date=November 2010}} 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."<ref name=newsci>{{cite web|url=http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn3676|title=Einstein and Newton showed signs of autism|date=April 30, 2003|publisher=[[New Scientist]] |author=Hazel Muir|accessdate=2007-09-09}}</ref>
====Arguments against====
Oliver Sacks says that claims that Einstein or Newton had autism "seem very thin at best".<ref name=SacksCavendish/>{{Why?|date=October 2010}} 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 that is virtually unknown in people with severe Asperger syndrome."<ref name=newsci>{{cite web|url=http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn3676|title=Einstein and Newton showed signs of autism|date=April 30, 2003|publisher=[[New Scientist]] |author=Hazel Muir|accessdate=2007-09-09}}</ref>


{{Clear}}
{{Clear}}

==See also==
*[[List of people on the autistic spectrum]]


==References==
==References==
Line 178: Line 134:
* 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, 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.
* Fitzgerald M (1999). "Did Isaac Newton have Asperger's Syndrome". ''European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Journal'' '''8''':244.

==External links==
* [http://www.professormichaelfitzgerald.eu/ Professor Michael Fitzgerald website]


{{pervasive developmental disorders}}
{{pervasive developmental disorders}}

Revision as of 04:00, 17 November 2010

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

Retrospective diagnosis of autism is the practice of attempting to diagnose autism spectrum disorders, including Asperger syndrome and high-functioning classic autism, in historical figures using modern knowledge and methods. Most often this is done with people who died before the 1940s, when autism became formally recognized.[original research?][1][2]

Because the historical record is incomplete and a true diagnosis can only be performed in person, there is some disagreement among experts as to which historical figures were autistic and which were not.[original research?] Some experts, such as Fred Volkmar of the Yale Study Child Center, question the validity of such retrospective diagnosis entirely.[3][why?][vague]

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[4][9]
  • W. B. Yeats (1865–1939) – poet and dramatist - according to Michael Fitzgerald[4][9]

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,[4] Ioan James,[2] Tony Attwood,[11] and NPR[12]
  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) – composer - according to Tony Attwood[11] and Michael Fitzgerald;[4] others[who?] disagree that there is sufficient evidence to indicate any diagnoses for Mozart.[13]
  • Erik Satie (1866–1925) – composer - according to Ioan James[2] and Michael Fitzgerald[4]

Political figures

  • Charles XII of Sweden (1682–1718) – speculated to have had Asperger syndrome - according to Swedish researchers, Gillberg[15] and Lagerkvist[16]
  • Anne d'Arpajon, comtesse de Noailles (1729–1794) – French governess, lady of honor, tutor - according to Society for French Historical Studies, New York Times[5]
  • Adolf Hitler (1889–1945) – Austrian born, Nazi German politician, chancellor and dictator - according to Michael Fitzgerald[5] and Andreas Fries[17]

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,[3][10] 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[21]
  • 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,[24] Harvey Blume[25]
  • 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[11] 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;[4][28][29] 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,[9][31] and Simon Baron-Cohen[32] 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.[11]

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.[33] 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.[34]

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".[35] As an adult his lectures were confusing.[32][33]

Oliver Sacks has said that claims that Einstein or Newton had autism "seem very thin at best".[10][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."[32]

See also

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. ^ a b 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 Fitzgerald, Michael (2005). The genesis of artistic creativity: Asperger's syndrome and the arts. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. ISBN 1843103346.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ a b "Brilliant minds linked to autism". BBC News. 8 January 2004. Retrieved 2007-11-25.
  7. ^ 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)
  8. ^ Whelan PJ (2009). "James Joyce and Asperger syndrome". Br J Psychiatry. 195 (6): 555–6. doi:10.1192/bjp.195.6.555a. PMID 19949213.
  9. ^ 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]
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ "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.
  13. ^ 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)
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ Gillberg C (2002). "[Charles XII seems to have fulfilled all the criteria of Asperger syndrome]". Lakartidningen (in Swedish). 99 (48): 4837–8. PMID 12523067.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ Ledgin, Norm (2000). Diagnosing Jefferson. Future Horizons. ISBN 1885477600.
  19. ^ Fitzgerald M (2000). "Did Ludwig Wittgenstein have Asperger's syndrome?". Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 9 (1): 61–5. doi:10.1007/s007870050117. PMID 10795857.
  20. ^ Fitzgerald M (2000). "Ludwig Wittgenstein: autism and philosophy" (PDF). J Autism Dev Disord. 30 (6): 621–2. doi:10.1023/A:1005655930819. PMID 11261476.
  21. ^ Farmelo, Graham (2009-01-22). The Strangest Man: The Hidden Life of Paul Dirac, Quantum Genius. Faber and Faber. ISBN 0571222781.
  22. ^ Fitzgerald M (2002). "Did Ramanujan have Asperger's disorder or Asperger's syndrome?". J Med Biogr. 10 (3): 167–9. PMID 12114951.
  23. ^ 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)
  24. ^ "Strange scientists". NPR. Retrieved 2009-01-11.
  25. ^ Blume, Harvey. ""Autism & The Internet" or "It's The Wiring, Stupid"". MIT Communications forum. Retrieved 2009-01-11.
  26. ^ 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)
  27. ^ [1]
  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. ^ "Were Socrates, Darwin, Andy Warhol and Eisntein (sic) autistic?". Medical News Today. 11 January 2004. Retrieved 2007-11-26.
  31. ^ 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.
  32. ^ 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).
  33. ^ a b "Einstein and Newton 'had autism'". BBC. 30 April 2003. Retrieved 2007-11-07.
  34. ^ Newton, Isaac. Scienceworld.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-09.
  35. ^ 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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