What Asperger's syndrome has done for us ...

[Guest guest]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3766697.stm

By Megan Lane

BBC News Online Magazine

 

Michelangelo might have had it. So, too, may Einstein, Socrates and Jane Austen.

All are claimed to have had Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism. What is it

about this developmental disorder that can lead to genius?

 

We will never know for sure if the genius of past greats may have been a symptom

of a form of autism.

 

Informed speculation that Michelangelo might have had Asperger's syndrome is

just that - the Renaissance artist was never diagnosed in his lifetime. Indeed,

Asperger's was only identified as a separate condition in 1944, and not until

the mid-90s that it was a clinical diagnosis.

 

Instead, two medical experts have drawn this conclusion from studying

contemporary accounts of the artist's behaviour - his single-minded work

routine, few friends and obsessional nature - and comparing it with traits

displayed by adults who have been diagnosed today.

 

It's a theory which has been rubbished by art historians, but which has piqued

the interest of Hopkins, of the National Autistic Society. The artist's

meticulously observed figures and high work rate resonate with such a diagnosis.

 

WHAT IS AUTISM?

A complex, lifelong developmental disability

It involves a biological or organic defect in brain function

Autism (including Asperger's) is said to affect about 500,000 people in

the UK today

" This reflects the positive side of this gene, that people with it can

contribute in many ways. Being single-minded, it gives them the chance to focus

on something which interests them. Their talents are not diluted by the everyday

interactions that take up so much time for the rest of us. "

 

The same posthumous diagnosis has been made of other historical figures, among

them the scientists Charles Darwin, Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein and Marie

Curie, the politician Eamon de Valera, the poet WB Yeats and Pop Art giant Andy

Warhol.

 

Attention to detail

 

What is the link between this condition and creativity, be it in the arts or

sciences?

 

Professor Michael Fitzgerald, of Dublin's Trinity College, one of the experts

who posed the Michelangelo theory, says it makes people more creative.

 

" People with it are generally hyper-focused, very persistent workaholics who

tend to see things from detail to global rather than looking at the bigger

picture first and then working backwards, as most people do. "

 

 

Einstein is credited with developing the theory of relativity

But Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, of Cambridge University, says it is more

accurate to describe this creativity as " systemising " - a strong drive to

analyse detail.

 

" This might be in mathematics, machines, natural phenomena or anatomy, to

identify rules that govern a system and any variations in that system. "

 

While those whose strength lies in rational analysis are by no means exclusively

male, it is described as a male brain trait compared with the so-called female

ability to empathise - a characteristic weak spot for those with Asperger's.

 

" The condition does tend to affect men more than women, especially among those

who are high-functioning. Males outnumber females nine to one in this

diagnosis, " he says.

 

DEFINING TRAITS INCLUDE:

Find social situations confusing

Hard to make small talk

Good at picking up details and facts

Hard to work out what others think and feel

Can focus for very long periods

Source: Cambridge Lifespan Asperger Syndrome Service

Thus it is thought possible that some maths and physics experts, far from being

bright but anti-social misfits, may actually have had Asperger's. One whom Mr

Baron-Cohen has helped diagnose is the British mathematician Richard Borcherds,

the 1998 winner of the Field's Medal - the Nobel Prize of the maths world.

 

The naturalist and TV presenter David Bellamy mentions in his autobiography that

although undiagnosed, he believes he has a form of autism. And Microsoft boss

Bill Gates' personality quirks have been compared to those of an autistic.

 

" This goes to show that people who get by without a diagnosis have found a niche

where they can use their skills to make a contribution. This need not be

dramatic - perhaps they are a very methodical worker, who understands the rules

of their chosen profession, " says Mr Baron-Cohen.

 

 

Characters with autistic traits

On a lighter note, fictional characters said to display characteristics of those

with Asperger's include Mr Spock, Lisa Simpson, Mr Bean and Cliff from Cheers.

And one of the school boys in Grange Hill, Martin Miller, has the condition and

so has found himself in difficulty after taking a mate's advice on girls

literally.

 

" Mr Spock is an extreme example of someone driven by logic and systemising, but

who has no interest in the feelings of others, " says Mr Baron-Cohen. " But he is

very much a caricature. "