Asperger Syndrome

What is Asperger Syndrome?- Wikipedia classifies it as an autism spectrum disorder. Asperger Syndrome is a condition first discovered and named after the Austrian pediatrician Hans Asperger (1906–1980). He called these children his "little professors" for the similarity in characteristics they shared. And he found they could be quite verbose about areas of focused knowledge and information. Here we have a bio about Hans and his work as given by a father with an autistic child.

Now, they look back in the past and they are finding that a number of people who contributed much in their fields, whether it was in music, writing, or theoretical science had symptoms of Asperger Syndrome. Some of the most noted are listed with a link below.

You'll find they had a variety of idiosyncrasies that caused them difficulty in some seemingly easy areas of life and one area in particular was relationships. Simple everyday relationships were always to be an area of weakness due to blind spots in perception.

Some will end up without ever marrying like Lewis Carroll. Others will end up with an arranged facade as it may appear Einstein had with his wife. Others will end up like Tesla, without a person there to grieve as the FBI confiscated every piece of paper in his apartment, every idea he ever had and wanted to give to the world. (Because what would the world come to if we all had free electricity like Tesla dreamed of and almost gave til his backer found out and withdrew his money and support as well as blackballed him to ensure the device never got made.) And as for music, instead of using Mozart or Beethoven, I use Michael Jackson for an example because after reading up on him after his death I found many similarities, like the relationship problem, between him and those with Asperger Syndrome. I also came across a letter from Karla which gives a great perspective from a woman with Asperger Syndrome as it is found more commonly in men.

The Tesla video mentions him seeing "tongues of living flame" in the air. I recall when I was younger thinking that everyone saw these dancing, swirling dots of energy. It's too bad, they are very pretty to watch and if I gaze long enough I can see it in almost any single colored area. It's best on the sunny days while the cloudy ones they slow down in pulse and frequency.

The Einstein video probably paraphrased it best when he said, "I am truly a lone traveler, and have never belonged to my country, my home, my friends, or even my immediate family with my whole heart. In the face of all these ties I have never lost a sense of distance....". This may be a reason for the alien identity I have always felt to those around me and why the movie "Starman" was so mesmerizing at a young age.

Another area of weakness may be the condition of Prosopagnosia, otherwise known as face blindness, where a person has problems recognizing others. A very interesting account is one from Bill Choisser as he shares his trials and tribulations with the condition. A funny side note is the reference to liking/having long hair. If you look at my home page I'm the guy with the long hair.

I know that my son has had similar problems as the "Theory of Mind" test, a test most children pass by age 4-5, proved that by age 9-10 he still could not quite grasp this ability. This is not only used to recognize the mental state of others but to communicate with and manipulate others as well as to allow one to reflect on their own mental state as well. This may be one of the reasons manipulation has very little effect on those with Asperger Syndrome.

We both also have a problems with eye contact and with tactile sensitivity. And we deal with issues of emotional understanding, as I see myself in my son and have tried role playing/issue playing with Alec to help him learn this hurdle quicker.

My knack for creativity has so many different facets and from different times of focused thought. From reverse engineering the motion lamp and creating one in the shape of a head to creating Calvin Pool, Bazooka Golf, and the Computeter. I began playing with poetry in my late 20's after a small valentine poem I recited to the flower girl brought tears to her eyes and another received numerous responses when it came out in a local magazine. Upon taking up sculpting a year or two ago I entered them in the state fair and won two first prizes and best of show and there is an interest in replication/copies. Just recently I've found that my poetry also translates well into music as I've been singing short songs and sharing them on the internet. And even though they are free, I'm just happy that people are liking them enough to download.

I've found I can burn a whole thru something after focusing like a magnifying glass but I find that if I come back months later I have lost quite a bit as they have found this with my son as well during his school breaks for summer.

It was with a list of characteristics by Roger Myer that I began to put the different puzzle pieces together into a coherent view of the blind areas I had and why they accounted for seemingly random, unconnected problems. And it also was why I felt a need to share my own instances. After learning from the experiences of others. Something that most can only try to understand but when you find another going through similar views/problems you find it to be a tremendous relief seeing you are not alone.

It is in this vein that I share my experiences with you,

Leo Atreides

A personal account