List of persons with autism spectrum disorders

  • Richard Borcherds, mathematician specializing in group theory and Lie algebras (Asperger's syndrome)
  • Bram Cohen, programmer, inventor of BitTorrent (Asperger's syndrome)
  • Michelle Dawson (autism researcher and autism rights activist who has made ethical challenges to ABA)
  • Bhumi Jensen, Thai prince, killed in the 2004 tsunami (high-functioning)
  • Temple Grandin (one of the first to describe being autistic, designer of humane food animal handling systens (high-functioning)
  • Darius McCollum, New York City railfan who has compulsively masqueraded as a transit worker despite multiple arrests (Asperger's syndrome)
  • Gary Numan (pseudonym, real name Gary Webb), singer, songwriter (Asperger's syndrome)
  • Craig Nicholls Frontman of band The Vines (Asperger's syndrome)
  • Jasmine O'Neill (author of Through the Eyes of Aliens)
  • Kim Peek (person on whom the Raymond Babbitt "Rain Man" character was based)
  • Dawn Prince-Hughes, PhD Primate anthropologist; (author of Songs for the Gorilla Nation)
  • Stephen Shore (Asperger's syndrome)
  • Vernon Smith Nobel Laureate in Economics (Asperger's syndrome)
  • Jim Sinclair (autism rights activist; high-functioning)
  • Judy Singer
  • Steven Spielberg (diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome)
  • Donna Williams, (author of Nobody Nowhere and Somebody Somewhere)
  • Stephen Wiltshire (high-functioning)

Notable historical figures who exhibited behaviors consistent with autism spectrum disorders

  • Hugh Blair of Borgue, 18th century Scottish landowner thought mentally incompetent, now studied as case history of autism
  • Henry Cavendish, 18th century British scientist
  • Brother Juniper, disciple of Saint Francis of Assisi, of whom stories are recorded of reactions to common events typical of autistics
  • Bill Gates Founder of Microsoft
  • Glenn Gould, Canadian pianist and noted Bach interpreter
  • Michelangelo, Italian Renaissance artist
  • Henri Poincaré, late 19th- early 20th century French mathematician and philosopher of science
  • Srinivasa Aiyangar Ramanujan, late 19th- early 20th century Indian mathematician and child prodigy
  • Walter Pitts, Mathematical logician and Cognitive scientist
  • William James Sidis, early 20th century US child prodigy who wrote on the fourth dimension, Native American history, cosmology, psychology and streetcar systems

See also

  • List of fictional characters on the autistic spectrum
  • Autistic savant
  • Autism
  • Asperger's Syndrome
  • Simon Baron-Cohen (who suspected Richard Borcherds is on the autistic spectrum)
  • Michael Fitzgerald (who suspected Ludwig Wittgenstein the philosopher was on the autistic spectrum)
  • Christopher Gillberg (who also suspected Wittgenstein was on the autistic spectrum)
  • Norm Ledgin (who suspected Thomas Jefferson the US President was on the autistic spectrum)

References

  • Robert Durst. Defence psychiatrist Dr. Milton Altschule.
  • Baron-Cohen, S., 1999. A mathematician, a physicist, and a computer scientist with Asperger Syndrome: performance on folk psychology and folk physics test." Neurocase 5: 475-483
  • Arshad, M, Fitzgerald, M. Did Michelangelo (1475-1564) have high-functioning autism? J Med Biogr. 2004 May;12(2):115-20.
  • O'Connell, H, Fitzgerald, M. Laurence Stephen Lowry and Asperger's syndrome. Ir J Med Sci. 2003 Jul-Sep;172(3):147-8.
  • Fitzgerald, M. Asperger's disorder and mathematicians of genius. J Autism Dev Disord. 2002 Feb;32(1):59-60
  • Fitzgerald, M. Did Ramanujan have Asperger's disorder or Asperger's syndrome? J Med Biogr. 2002 Aug;10(3):167-9.
  • Fitzgerald, M. Did President Eamon De Valera have a developmental disorder? J Med Biogr. 2001 Nov;9(4):231-5.
  • Fitzgerald, M. Ludwig Wittgenstein: autism and philosophy. J Autism Dev Disord. 2000 Dec;30(6):621-2.
  • Fitzgerald, M. Einstein: brain and behavior. J Autism Dev Disord. 2000 Dec;30(6):620-1. No abstract available.
  • Autism and creativity. Is there a link between autism and exceptional ability By Michael Fitzgerald. Published by Brunner-Routledge, New York, USA, 2004, ISBN 1583912134. Includes Louis Carroll, Wittgenstein, De Velara, W. B. Yeats and Ramanujan.
  • Uta Frith, 2003 Autism: Explaining the Enigma. Blackwell Publishers; 2nd Rev edition. ISBN 0631229019. Includes, Brother Juniper.
  • R. A. Houston, Uta Frith. 2000. Autism in History: The Case of Hugh Blair of Borgue. Blackwell Publishers, ISBN 0631220895.
  • Ledgin, N. 2000. Diagnosing Jefferson. ISBN 1885477600. Future Horizons. Thomas Jefferson
  • Darius McCollum. Defence psychiatrist Dr. Pomeroy, 2004.
  • Sacks, O. Henry Cavendish: an early case of Asperger's syndrome? Neurology. 2001 Oct 9;57(7):1347.