Famous people or suspected with Aspergers!

[Kucinich Feingold]

Bill Gates - this socially awkward man could definitely think "outside the box". His obsession or fascination or single-minded focus has made him a Billionairre several times over.

Albert Einstein - It seems the ADD and the Asperger's groups are fighting over which of us gets to claim Albert Einstein as being in our camp. I vote for Aspergers. After watching his biography and seeing some of the nuiances I recognize in my son, I believe this famous person had Aspergers before it was classified as a disorder.

Isaac Newton - This scientist certainly had a single-minded focus on his work.

Paul Allen - Another Microsoft "geek", the owner of the Seattle Seahawks & Portland Trailblazers, and the second richest man in the world, Mr. Allen is, according to some, Asperger-ish in nature.

Temple Grandin - She is a designer of humane food animal handling systems, and has been one of the pioneers in Autism and Asperger Awareness.

Satoshi Tajiri, the creator of Pokémon - His obsession was insects. In fact, his peers used to call him "Dr. Bug."

Al Gore - This Vice President of the United States is considered by some to be another famous person with Asperger's Syndrome. Decide for yourself. He's got the social awkwardness, the inability to relate and speak with others on their level, and definitely the intelligence. Mr. Gore, give us a yell to let us know. :) We'd love to have you join us.

Craig Nicholls - Frontman of the band The Vines.

Some other celebrities who may have Aspergers.

Woody Allen, Isaac Asimov, Ludwig van Beethoven, Alexander Graham Bell, Anton Bruckner, Henry Cavendish, John Denver, Bob Dylan, Thomas Edison, Bobby Fischer, Henry Ford, Jim Henson, Alfred Hitchcock, Thomas Jefferson, Carl Jung, Andy Kaufman, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Michael Palin, Charles Schulz, Steven Spielberg, James Taylor, Andy Warhol, Thom Yorke


... Well, most of the names mention are suspected such as Bill Gates and Al Gore. Some such as that Vines guy actually have Aspergers. It's though to say someone like Issac Newton is a aspie since he's not alive anymore. And how cool would it be if someone like Thomas Jefferson was a aspie. There a good chance "who should of been a former president if it weren't for Florida and *" Al Gore could just be a aspie.

[virgogal]

1. They are "suspected" of having Aspergers's yet you say in your

header that they have it.

Very strange post IMHO.

[Kucinich Feingold]

2. Sorry if I were confusing you

This is the site, I posted that list from.

http://www.aspergerresources.com/famous_people_with_aspergers.html

[virgogal]

5. Even that link says it's speculation.

[elleng]

6. Its almost always speculation, imo.

[hlthe2b]

12. I agree... This is not only highlly unscientific--based on casual

observation, but extremely strange. I'm all for giving those with Asperger's the respect they deserve, but this is a strange way to go about it.

Having seen Al Gore interact one-on-one and with friends who know him well, I can say the casual observations don't mesh very well.
Anyone who has seen video of Einstein interacting with the pueblo tribes during his time in Los Alamos would similarly question how "awkward" he truly was and this suggestion of Asperger's.

:shrug:

[pnwmom]

15. I agree about both of them.

Gore just seems like a very smart introvert to me, at least more of an introvert than the typical politician (such as Clinton or W.)

And I never heard any stories about Einstein that made him sound like someone with Asperger's -- and, living in geek country, I've known a number of them, both adults and children. If he had to have a label, ADD might have fit his absent-minded professor image. People with ADD often have an ability to hyperfocus when the material is engaging -- while having more of a difficulty organizing regular day-to-day tasks. (Someone with Asperger's, OTOH, might cling tight to a known schedule; I never heard that kind of story about Einstein.)

[Odin2005]

21. Many Aspies have aspects of ADHD, too. I am one of them.

An interesting thing about Einstein was that his brain was autopsied after his death and it has several significant differences from a normal brain, differences that are similar to those found in many autistics and may be behind the "thinking in pictures" thing, which Einstein had if his descriptions of his though processes are ant indication.

[pnwmom]

3. Al Gore? That's a huge stretch.

Plenty of people aren't relaxed in front of cameras or are socially awkward. That doesn't mean they have Aspergers. Being shy and having Aspergers are two different things, although certainly there can be some overlap.

[DURHAM D]

4. Mark Zuckerberg???

[Kucinich Feingold]

9. This was done before he became a household name

I think there a great chance of him being a Aspie.

[elleng]

7. Temple Grandin has autism, VERY high achieving.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

8. I have met Al Gore --

and interacted with him in a social setting, at a benefit for Al Franken.

Uh, sorry, but the man had terrific ease with both the crowd and on a personal level, riffed with Dana Carvey and Franken, and generally was the life of the event. I have the video to prove it.

[Kucinich Feingold]

10. I read this on Wrong Planet

"I actually met Al Gore a number of years ago while working one of his political events here in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Very brilliant man, but he came across (to me anyways), to not do well with the general public. You could see that it was hard for him to shake hands and greet people, plus he was very bad with eye contact. A staffer had to point out to him that people wanted to shake his hand.

On the other hand, he has done some fine work in the political and environmental arenas. It has been a discussion in our house, and in some of the political events that I have been in about the possibility of Al Gore having autism/AS".

[pnwmom]

14. All that person is describing is an introvert -- someone who does

better in small groups than in large. Most (all?) people with Asperger's are smart introverts, but most smart introverts do not have Asperger's. A key difference: people with autism have trouble with empathy, with being able to put themselves in someone else's shoes. Social conventions and interpreting facial expressions doesn't come naturally. This isn't true for the vast majority of introverts.

(By the way, I've noticed that MOST politicians aren't so great with eye contact -- while they're shaking your hand, they're busy looking at the next person in line!)

[Odin2005]

22. I know an extroverted Aspie.

He's very sociable but often needs help with social niceties, he does not understand at all that many when many people are upset about something they are looking for emotional support, not practical help. He also is not as mentally high-functioning as many Aspies and so has less capability of consciously learning social graces.

Oh, and I don't have a problem with empathy, I have a problem with understanding non-verbal communication, which is a very different thing. I think the whole "lacking theory of mind" notion is cherry-picked junk science.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

17. I had a very differant experience with Mr. Gore.

Perhaps the Wrong Planet person was looking for something they wanted to see. Or perhaps what was observed was a result of a different, more harried campaign event. In any case, he was a delight when I saw him and it a true pleasure.

[saras]

11. Aspergers' isn't a binary on/off phenomenon

It's a relatively arbitrary line drawn where the difference from the 'average' distribution of brain functions is sufficient to be noticeable. And 'noticeable by whom' is an IMPORTANT part of the distinction.

There's good reason most people in the field currently talk about the 'spectrum' rather than whether one does or not 'have' Aspergers'.

[pnwmom]

13. True, but there are a lot more people who are simply smart introverts

than have Asperger's. People with Asperger's are smart and introverted -- but people who are smart and introverted usually don't have Asperger's.

[Kucinich Feingold]

16. Now...

all we need is Aspies such as Odin, AlienGirl, and wives of aspie sons and husbands, such as liberal historian and bleddingheart to speak out!

[KamaAina]

18. I'll see your Craig Nicholls and raise you a David Byrne

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Byrne#Biography

From a young age, Byrne had a strong interest in music. His parents say that he would constantly play his phonograph from age three and he learned how to play the harmonica at age five. In his journals he says, "I was a peculiar young man — borderline Asperger's, I would guess."

[Kucinich Feingold]

19. He seems to have aspie traits

I've seen videos of him and the guy has strange dances that don't seem like a neurotypical would do and doesn't have great eye looking in interviews.

[Odin2005]

20. James Taylor? REALLY? I was named after him!

I think Henry Cavendish was almost certainly an Aspie. I suspect Ludwig Wittgenstein was one, too.