Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory

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I already has some suspicions, but every week when I watched that show, I'd spend half the time turning to my husband and saying "that's me, isn't it?".

I'm no physics gennius though!

I love that show! I've already bought season 1 on dvd...

yeah I noticed. Ii's pretty obvious lol. especially this part: [youtube]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=DF7MroTLDfU[/youtube]

oh it didn't work

I love this show. My husband says I'm a mix of Sheldon, Leonard and Sara Gilbert's character. Just not a savant. Or that great at higher math. BUT I do love string theory and it makes sense to me.

i just discovered this show (i don't watch tv) over a week ago and already i am completely obsessed with it. i've watched all of the first two seasons already (i downloaded both as soon as i saw a clip from the show on youtube sheldon is my favourite character he's so adorable i just want to put him in my pocket and take him home lol.....whoever mentioned emmy's for the actor who plays him, i second that he's got the mannerisms and the diction/monotonous voice solid!

Sheldon says a lot of interesting things. I tend to agree with him, but the laughter seems to imply that I shouldn't.

That's part of what I love about his character, he's almost if not always right.

It doesn't look like he has AS to me. Rather, he'd be of the "gifted syndrome" make; it can look like an ASD superficially, but it ain't.

His social reciprocation is fine (even if he is insensitive, he has the give and take of social interaction there like anyone else), and he doesn't have a single interest that takes up all of his time; he likes far too many things at the same time (I noted in a single conversation three different topics he brought up, and it was all in turn).

i disagree. i have AS and i do all the things you mention here that a person with AS supposedly shouldn't be able to do.....we all have different levels of ability when it comes to social reciprocity, and we can also learn from experience.....also it is possible to have more than one interest and have AS. for example, one of my special interests is internet research so i spend a lot of time reading up on other topics of interest online....it is one of my interests that happens to incorporate many others. when i'm not doing that i'm listening to music, or drawing....or both. i don't have one single interest taking up all of my time, rather all of my time must be divided between my many special interests (or i combine them when i can). this is why it's called a spectrum. we are all unique individuals under this umbrella of autism, and we all have different abilities and challenges depending on where we are on that spectrum.

His social interaction is far too good and "normal"; he's just a stereotypical smart geek, not a stereotypical person with Asperger's, which is the highest-functioning part of the spectrum, just FYI and all.

Compare him to Mr Bean, who is a perfect depiction of someone with Asperger's (Lorna Wing).

What makes him have AS? He interacts normally with people (he looks within the confines of "normal" in social interaction, not an outlier in impairment and behaviour), and his repetitive behaviours aren't disabling (I don't see that he has any). Yeah, your interest can change within the day, and you'll focus all of your attention on that, but that's still only one thing at a time. He doesn't give off the impression that everything he says is learnt by rote (see: learned behaviour).

It's worthy of note that the writer just made him as a stereotypical geek.

The show is HILARIOUS!! Gifted, ASD, Asperger's, PDD, Genius, Nerd, whatever, it's still FUNNY!

Z

(How ummm, interesting is it to try to diagnose a fictional TV character? Sheldon has to be able to have reciprocal communication for the comedy to work.)

Well, many websites mention that Sheldon has AS. And IMO he's the only character designed with it in the show. He may not be "perfect" AS because every single character is a caricature.

I was talking with my best friend last night and we were like "This show is the story of my life". I'm a mixed between Leonard and Sheldon in a way... And I'm not even a scientist (would be called a non brainiac by Sheldon actually : I'm French and I study literature -English literature- )

Anyway, they all seem to have some disorders... Except maybe Howard (I find him annoying by the way) who seems pretty normal. Rajesh doesn't seem AS to me, he has selective mutism. Leonard seem the anxious type and not self-confident. I don't know whether or not he may have AS. Penny obviously don't... I just think they caricatured her too much, she's a little dumb for a normal person.

Personality wise, I'm very close to Sheldon. I'm not as abrasive or rude, and definitely not as smart, but I definitely identify with him. At the house, I have "my spot" where I sit for example.

Well the physicists on the show act just like most of my math/physics friends born in the United States except for Raj. And Raj doesn't act like my geekie Indian friends either. I think we are mostly high functioning Aspies with a bit of genius. I tested my friends with a few of the Aspie exams and we were borderline Aspie and we often discuss Aspergers. I'm a mathematician and the poeple in my department all knew more about Asperger's than the psych professors. We'd all identified ourselves either because a relative was diagnosed or we just identified with the syndrome. There are two dxed Aspies in my department and they are more typical among mathematicians than a neurotypical person would be. Both were dxed as kids.

Our department also has a very low function Aspie tech admin who we get along with fine but who freaks out some of the students. He takes medications, and will only communicate about technical stats which is fine with me and I get along with him quite well. I do not think a liberal arts department would be able to deal with him.

Maybe us math physics types are not quite Aspies but I think we are close enough that an Aspie would feel more comfortable working with us than somewhere where people insist on touching your hand or making eye contact and where lunchtime conversation is about feelings and honesty is considered rude. I personally find using guides that help Aspies deal with neurotypicals useful for when I do need to interact with faculty from nontechnical departments.

So yes I do think the physicists on the Big Bang Theory are Aspies and if anyone is concerned that they do not have an obvious single interest, then that person needs to remember we are not seeing them at work. Their overriding interest, like mine, is their research. If the show was more realistic, they would be doing physics longer hours and coming home around 10pm at night like I did when I was a postdoc, and only occasionally running to the comic shop or playing paintball. But then the show wouldn't be as funny.

Jim Parsons +1 for the Emmy nod

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GTCAZ_Pwz4

skip to 3:30. It is amusing because, well, Jim Parsons is co-announcing the nominations.



also +1 for the Colbert Report