| Why I believe Albert Einstein was be autistic. - Albert Einstein didn't speak until he was four, and not fluently in his own language until he was eight or nine.
- He did poorly in school and was a day dreamer.
- He had tantrums as a child and couldn't express himself very well.
- When he was a child, he was considered retarded even by his own parents.
- Many people in the Einstein family are autistic.
- An autistic brain has a cerebrum larger than normal, and a cerebellum smaller than normal. An autopsy of Einstein's brain showed that Einstein's cerebrum was indeed larger than normal (like an autistic brain). Unfortunately howerver, they did not reveal the size of his cerebellum.
- Even as an adult, Albert Einstein couldn't take care of himself.
- He never learned how to drive a car.
- He was a visual thinker.
Claims made to challenge Albert Einstein being autistic.
- Claim: Albert Einstein had good social skills.
- My response: People claimed that Albert Einstein had good social skills. However, as I said above, he couldn't even take care of himself as an adult, which does not indicate good social skills. I myself may do well at some types of social interaction. It usually depends on who I interact with and what we are doing. If I'm in a group of people I know well, or the group is working on something I'm good at (like a project in math or computers) it would be easier to interact with them and appear "normal". It seems logical that Einstein probably handled certain social situations better than others. However, it's hard to say much about Einstein's supposed 'excellant social skills' since the people who claim Einstein had good social skills don't get into the specifics of what indicates good social skills; I've only heard generalizations.
- Claim: Albert Einstein had too much abstract thinking abilities
- My response: So? I can comprehend some abstract topics (such as abstract mathematics), and Einstein's abstract thoughts were in the area of abstract physics. My ability to think in pictures helps me comprehend abstract topics (and I know that Albert Einstein was a visual thinker). However, I have a lot of trouble communicating abstract topics. I beleive it is a myth that autistic people cannot comprehend abstract topics, and that it is only believed to be so because autistic people have more difficulty communicating knowledge of abstract topics.
- Claim: Didn't Albert Einstein learn to speak earlier?
- My response: The range of ages I've heard Einstein learned to speak at range from two to nine. However, four is the most common. It is none-the-less well known that he is a late speaker. I can't get anything certain, but I did find out that Einstein's sister said he spoke when he was 2 1/2, and Einstein himself said he wasn't certain when he learned to speak, but it definately wasn't before the age of 3 (which contradicts what is sister said). The reason different ages are given is probably because different sources most likely refer to the development of different language skills as the "age he learned to speak". For example, one source might list the age he learned to speak as the age he learned to form words. Another might list the age he spoke as the age learned to form sentences.
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| Reasons Bill Gates may be autistic/Asperger's - He has poor social skills and is shy.
- He uses a trampoline, rocks, and has other "stimming"
- It is alleged on the Internet Movie Database's trivia page for Bill Gates that he was diagnosed with Asperger's.
- As a child, he was eccentric and curious.
- He is left-handed
- Click here for more explanations.
Claims made to challenge Bill Gates being autistic/Asperger's. - Claim: To be that successful, you need to be pretty social
- My response: Asperger's/autism or not Bill Gates has poor social skills, so obviously good social skills are not required to successful. Although even if a person does have good social skills, it still doesn't mean they are not autistic/Asperger's. What some autistic people can do is learn social skills scientifically (by observing neurotypical behavior), what others can learn instinctively, and some can successfully emulate NT. I believe in rare situations, autism can enhance social skills.
- Claim: Don't people just say he is autistic to make fun of him?
- My response: Although people who like making fun of Bill Gates get a kick out of the allegations that Bill Gates might be autistic for some reason, claims from people knowledgeable about autism are serious.
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