Famous People with Aspergers and Their Achievements
Having the diagnosis of Aspergers or High-Functioning Autism can be devastating for the parents of children who wonder what will happen to their child as he or she grows. In fact, there have been many known or speculated individuals with Aspergers that have made positive achievements in several areas of society.
Vernon L. Smith was a professor and researcher in Economics who had Aspergers. He eventually went on to collect the Nobel Prize in economics in 2002. He authored or co-authored several books related to economic theory.
Tajiri Satoshi is a Japanese game designer with Aspergers. He developed a passion for video games as a young person and eventually became the creator of the Pokeman characters and game despite his diagnosis.
Several authors in the world have known Aspergers. Sometimes writing becomes an outlet for those with Aspergers because verbal communication is more difficult for them. They tend to be more solitary and then learn to express themselves in the written word.
Music is another way some Aspergers individuals express themselves. Craig Nichols is a musician and front man for the garage band “The Vines”. Other Aspergers sufferers go on to become accomplished concert musicians or pianists.
It has been speculated that Sir Isaac Newton, Hans Christian Anderson and Thomas Jefferson all suffered from the syndrome. Each took their disability and found ways to shine through and express themselves in social and other situations that led to their success in several fields.
Having Aspergers doesn’t mean that a child is doomed to be “disabled.” Often, a bit of encouragement and playing to their strengths on the part of parents and teachers can give Aspergers children the self-esteem it takes to succeed in whatever area intrigues them.
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Comments
This doesn't seem like a disability but a profound ability.
It makes it seem like; "despite this terrible disease he still pulled through" rather than; "like all of us he has distinct skills and gaps in his skills. The gap might just be more profound."
Think of it this way; If society were to accept that everybody is different, if everybody in society said what they meant, If society was willing to structured, if clothes were not made with stupid tags in, if there wasn't nausiating wallpaper etc. we would all be fine. In fact if everbody had Aspergers how much better would the world be. Children are not disabled by there Aspergers, but by societys inability to accept and deviate from their societal structure and routine.
Grant
herpetologist to be with aspergers
phillip taylor cockrell
post script dear reader feel free to find me on facebook or in public i won't mind even if i've never seen you in my life im in minnesota wabasha my cell is on facebook and i have a blog it's public too thanks for reading
Sorry for my late response it has been a busy Christmas and is still busy now if Im honest. I was not entirely sure what you meant as I was unsure how to fill the gaps knowing so little about you. I will attempt to answer however the question I think was asked.
When you find the right person who you want to be with, dont 'try to act normal', because there is no such thing as normal. Be you and you can always drop it into convo later. If she likes you for who you are, chances are she won't care about a diagnosis.
How dare you speak of your son that way, pointing out his every flaw, making it sound like he's worthless. The reason why he probably doesn't stay in contact you and in Washington is probably because of two things:
1. He's sick and tired of you not supporting him and putting him down all the time.
2. He has his own life, just like you do. You can't expect to stay in contact with him every minute of the d*** day.
Parents like you make me absolutely livid, those whom think just because their child/adult has a diagnosed disability, you think you have the right to overprotect them, be all nice to them to their face, talk nasty about them behind their back, whom never supports them in anything they do, even though most claim they do, they don't,etc. And your son's a lost cause, HE'S NOT A LOST CAUSE! All he is doing is working his butt off at every job he can get just to make a living, But most importantly all he really wants to do is live his life and make his own mistakes and learn from them like everyone else with out living in the fear of being judged and without being critized for every decision he makes. I think the best thing for you to do is accept what is and start truly loving and supporting your son, not try to control him and make him feel like he's walking on eggshells! Reading your comment gave me the impression that if you were not controlling your every son's aspect in life, if he did not live his life according to you, you can care less about him. Maybe if you got off your soapbox and realize how crappy you treat your son, maybe you'll see why he wants limited contact with you! He may have Aspergers, a disability, but he's not worthless and a lost cause! Start loving your son, support him, praise every accomplishment he makes big and small, focus on the positive qualities about your son, not his flaws! It's parents like you who should not be parents to disabled kids and adults! LAY OFF YOUR SON, LET HIM LIVE HIS LIFE! Yeah, he's gonna struggle, but we all do due to the status of our economy!
I'm not sure you are seeing her point of view here, please hear me out.
She wasn't putting him down. She was stating the truth. She wanted him to stand on his own two feet and couldn't support him anymore. He is 28, not 5. She stated to you he had trouble with school. She stated to you how he is living his life. She stated to you that he has cut off contact from his family, and in order to save her sanity and her pain, she has accepted that he is doing so. She didn't showcase his faults. She stated what his life is like.
I can relate to this completely. My brother is Aspi and a couple of other things aside. Our life was extremely difficult growing up. We loved him. We supported him. We recognized his limitations and honored and encouraged his strenghts. We built our family around him and we did our best. But in addition to that: he was a brat. An old fashioned, typical youngest child who knew how to run our family. And that he did.
Did you ever think that maybe she really did try her best as a parent the whole way and now is just heartbroken that her child is gone despite her efforts? Or that Aspi's aside, this son might just be a selfish man who cut himself off from his family? More importantly, aren't the point of these support forums and informational sites the place where we can come together and VENT and share stories? Does she not have a rite as a human being to accept things as they are and try to move on with their life the best way they know how?
As for the remark about her being an aspi and not her husband: what you are saying then, is that she is horrible for being harsh about her Aspi son, but calling her an aspi for saying it? So the son can do whatever he wants because he is Aspi, and but she can't?
I don't mean to undermine anyone's opinions, negate anyone's frustrations, or argue anyone's point here. I'm just feeling a bit sad for this woman because she thought this was a safe place to post her true feelings and obviously, it wasn't. I came to this page for some insight. I've got it now.
I wish all of you nothing but strength, compassion, and support with your families and your future. Be well. -April
I'm not sure you are seeing her point of view here, please hear me out.
She wasn't putting him down. She was stating the truth. She wanted him to stand on his own two feet and couldn't support him anymore. He is 28, not 5. She stated to you he had trouble with school. She stated to you how he is living his life. She stated to you that he has cut off contact from his family, and in order to save her sanity and her pain, she has accepted that he is doing so. She didn't showcase his faults. She stated what his life is like.
I can relate to this completely. My brother is Aspi and a couple of other things aside. Our life was extremely difficult growing up. We loved him. We supported him. We recognized his limitations and honored and encouraged his strenghts. We built our family around him and we did our best. But in addition to that: he was a brat. An old fashioned, typical youngest child who knew how to run our family. And that he did.
Did you ever think that maybe she really did try her best as a parent the whole way and now is just heartbroken that her child is gone despite her efforts? Or that Aspi's aside, this son might just be a selfish man who cut himself off from his family? More importantly, aren't the point of these support forums and informational sites the place where we can come together and VENT and share stories? Does she not have a rite as a human being to accept things as they are and try to move on with their life the best way they know how?
As for the remark about her being an aspi and not her husband: what you are saying then, is that she is horrible for being harsh about her Aspi son, but calling her an aspi for saying it? So the son can do whatever he wants because he is Aspi, and but she can't?
I don't mean to undermine anyone's opinions, negate anyone's frustrations, or argue anyone's point here. I'm just feeling a bit sad for this woman because she thought this was a safe place to post her true feelings and obviously, it wasn't. I came to this page for some insight. I've got it now.
I wish all of you nothing but strength, compassion, and support with your families and your future. Be well. -April
To the mom of the 28 year old, what sounds like anger and judgment to others came through very clearly to me as pain. You structured your life and your family around your son's unique needs and abilities, as good parents do. You did the most difficult thing any parent ever has to do...throwing him out of the nest to learn to fly on his own, as good parents do. Now, the center of your world is gone, and he probably has no idea whatsoever that you're worried about him, wondering if you did the right thing & still fighting your maternal instinct to protect him. It is beyond hard not to take that emotional disconnect personally after the sacrifices made, and now to top it all off, you face a terminal illness wondering if you'll get the chance to make peace with all of it. That is a lot to bear. Stay strong & know that a stranger in Minnesota will have you in her prayers.
To those who lashed out...shame on you. As you preach that she judges her son, you do nothing but judge her because she didn't know how to express her pain in a way that doesn't offend or can be readily understood. I love my daughter more than anything. She has taught me so much and made me a better person. She has a beautiful heart and mind, but it is still very hard. I worry constantly about whether she will be accepted, whether she will accept and love herself, or whether she will someday be wishing she could trade in her amazing gifts to be "normal". To have gone through all of that & then lose her and never hear from her would be an unbearable pain. And you know what, I would have every right to feel that way just like mom of the 28 year old does. When my daughter has a meltdown and hits me, I know in my head that she doesn't do it to hurt me, but it does still hurt people.
My last thought is this...I don't know what it it's like to be an Aspi, but as someone who may fall into the "normal" category, I feel very safe saying it is very much over rated. It would be a mistake to believe that people would understand you if you just didn't have Asperger's. As you can see from people's cruel reactions to Mom of a 28 year old, "normal" people don't understand other "normal" people any better than they understand you. So, I hope you would change your minds and keep those amazing gifts. The world is a better place that way, and we "normal" people need you in it.
I can relate to this completely. For quite awhile, I didn't like my son at all. I am scarred up and down my arm from him scratching me. He would often punch me in the back for no reason. He has major tantrums and has broken many household items. I used to say, "I love him, but I don't like him." It broke my heart to admit this truth. This was before learning how desperately he needs deep pressure to keep himself in control.
Now, when my son is melting down, I restrain him physically. I use by body to hug around him so he can't hit or kick me or throw everything in sight. It's the opposite of what I want to do, because my instinct is to move away from him, but I do it anyway. It calms him down much more quickly. He often ends up sweaty and "spent." And he typically hugs me and needs me to keep holding him for awhile afterward. Perhaps this will work for you, too.
I recently read a quote that said, "Love me when I least deserve it, because it is then that I need it the most."
Best of luck to you.
When my son was 6 and having temper tantrums we worked with a behavioral psychologist for help. One strategy was telling him he had a time limit on his tantrum, that I expected him to recover and rejoin us after several minutes (originally 15 and worked our way down to three). I was surprised when this worked!
Also, not sure how old your child is, but, it helps to keep a record and pay attention to what sets off tantrums, so you can head off tantrums before they begin. For instance, his father wrestling with him, always set him off about ten minutes later.
As to the other poster: screaming matches? are both of you screaming? That is not the answer. You sound angry and in need of some more 'tools in your tool kit.' This site is a great place to get some help. Hang in there-- it does get easier as they get older and learn to self advocate.
I'm pretty in tune with my boy, so I usually do know what is going to set him off .. but often this is unavoidable. Changes in our schedule are going to happen. We are sometimes going to have to go someplace new to him. I try to ward off tantrums when I am able, and deal with them the best I can when I am not.
I'm so happy to have this forum. I read everything I can. I appreciate the support.
…at 5 ½ I began to massage her spine every day in an upward direction as I read somewhere with COLD PRESSED PEANUT OIL, and placed a compress over her abdomen drenched with CASTOR OIL and heated with a heating pad (for 1 ½ hour – for 3 days, then a tablespoon of olive oil, but u can skip this or put it in food), or just rub CASTOR OIL all over the abdomen at bedtime). I also took her to my chiropractor for spinal adjustments when she finally let him after seeing me for years (today the best would be a CHIROPRACTOR NEUROLOGIST look it up – or one with HOLISTIC modalities like “CHIROPRACTOR with APPLIED Kinesiology”). Conventional medicine does not believe in this, but let’s just say that actions speak louder than words….you’ll see what I mean… so don’t let a doctor tell you it is quackery. Adjusting the spine is not just about moving bones, its about how adjusting them relieves impinges on the nerves that in turn are associated with the connecting nerve pathways to specific organs and functions AND the brain. So these are being stimulated to function, That’s a very short explanation.
With just these things (for my daughter’s unique set of problems – everyone is unique chemically and structurally) there was a change every 3 months: first was eye contact, then more calmness, then a sleeping pattern, then more sleep, then listening!, then following instructions, then almost no compulsions, etc. etc., she even began to ask for it!! I massaged every day, twice if I could, until she was 15, and the CASTOR OIL once every 2 weeks for 6 months (I should have done more). At 7 I could say that she was most manageable and almost “normal” so to speak. She still had difficulties but they were more sublime, but life was better for both of us, and she was socializing with other children. I’d say from a 50 (because they were so chaotic) she went down to a 20, where she could manage them much more comfortably. Today at 18, she could be an honors student, but she chose not to take those classes to feel less stress, and she is an artist who plans on doing 2d animation for gaming art. No one could tell she has aspergers. And she loves to hug, she comforts me when she sees me struggle (as a result of the extreme constant stress, more with her father, I have my illnesses to overcome now), and she is becoming a social butterfly....con't