An obsessive condition that fits in well with computing

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An obsessive condition that fits in well with computing
Dr Mark Porter Commentary - From The Times - January 13, 2009

Asperger’s syndrome was first described during the Second World War by Hans Asperger, an Austrian paediatrician, when he published a paper on four children who had problems communicating and interacting with their parents and peers. At about the same time, Leo Kanner, an American psychiatrist, used the term autism to describe another group of children with similar but more severe difficulties.

It would be another 50 years before it became accepted that they were talking about varying degrees of the same condition, now collected together under the umbrella of autistic spectrum disorder.

The half million or so people in the UK with Asperger’s syndrome lie at the milder end of the autistic spectrum, closest to, and often overlapping, “normality”. Indeed, it is common for the condition to be missed completely, as appears to be the case with Gary McKinnon – though less so these days.

It can run in families and is more common in boys and men. Typical characteristics include higher than average intelligence, an obsession with routine, a fanatical interest or hobby and difficulty in social settings. People with Asperger’s are not good at reading nonverbal signals such as facial expressions and body language, and often miss jokes. This social awkwardness makes it difficult for them to mix with others, meaning that they are often outsiders happy to pursue their interests alone: interests that often include computing.

Silicon Valley in California has one of the highest rates of Asperger’s, with some experts believing that this is because, at least in part, of the rapid expansion of an industry where it is not just OK to be a bit “geeky”, but positively encouraged. It’s even been suggested that Alan Turing, the father of modern computing, probably had the condition.

And even if computers aren’t largely built and designed by people with Asperger’s, they make a perfect hobby for those who do have the syndrome. You don’t need to understand body language to get the best out of a computer – they communicate only in binary so there are no subtle nuances to miss – meaning that someone with Asperger’s is likely to understand his computer better than he does the people around him, and spend hours on it as a result.

There is no cure or specific treatment for Asperger’s, but there are educational, behavioural and even dietary interventions (such as cutting out gluten) that can help children and adults with the condition to attain the best quality of life and maximise their potential.

I have heard that Bill Gates is an aspie but I'm not sure how valid of a statement that is. Still, it is a stereotype that aspies and auties make good research scientists and engineers.

If you live long enough to be an Old Aspie you might learn also to adapt to the NT world. I did. It took over 40 years but I have so much practice at it I do it from habit. Like riding a bike. I do not read body language intuitively but I have learned it and worked at a set of rules so I can interpret body language almost as well as an NT. Ditto for social nuances. It took a long time to learn to "read between the line" but I have mastered it so some degree. There are times when my literal mindedness gets in the way of things, but I have learned to figure out hints and nuances empirically.

I am married to an NT (52 years) and most of my children and grandchildren are NT. Some of them not.

Since Aspies are not mentally ret*d there is no reason why they cannot work out NT rules empirically. It takes some work, but it is doable.

ruveyn

First I did not write the news item just added for discussion

It took me over 40 years to find the aspie in me, I have had too much practice at pretending to be an NT, should be an actor really so good at it... but even when I did not know I was an aspie, you can play the part doesn't mean it feels right, still use to as in the Beatles song "Eleanor Rigby" "she wears a face she keeps in a jar by the door'....." - I feel like that a lot of the time.

I can say I have adapted quite seamlessly in the social world. I know which people to pick to hang out with, I can however hang out with people I normally wouldn't pick and still get along more then OK.

The thing that intrigues me is that, last year in high school, I felt absolutely comfortable in my social environment. I could do what I want, I knew everyone in 'the circle' and I started going away more and more from the computer.

Now, I'm in college, and while I have some friends, hang out with everybody a bit, I don't have a -REAL- friend, like one you tell about your problems. (Well I do tell and hear about problems but more platonic.) And now, I'm pulled more and more to the computer again. Now, I'd rather have a whole evening and night of some webbrowsing, chatting, gaming, modding, and so on then going to a local bar. This in contrary to last year where I spent almost every night doing some social activity. (In the week this would be going out for a smoke and some talking with friends then.)

The things I see here are
1) A vicious circle: I don't have a real friend so I rather stay home where I make no real friends.
2) This situation doesn't bother me at all: I have a girlfriend to whom I can tell everything I want and I still have a few of my old friends.
3) I might get bothered by this some day, as I'd maybe like friends in the same situation I'm in, but then it'll be too late.
4) I'm going back to the geeky world, I'm more interested again in pure techstuff and the reason I'm posting here again (after a -long- time) is part of that reason.

(If I hijacked this thread or this isn't appropriate, PM me, I'll remove it.)

Not at all good post, the original news item was to just open discussion, I guess we all have to do what works for us and not worry about the stereo type norn! To me we are just differently neurologically minded with different strengths and weaknesses and are as diverse and different as those not on the autism spectrum. I know bad incorrect stereo typing plays a big part in this how many feel we are, especially in the media. But the one thing many of us do seem to have in common is a computer connection, and at least in cyber space we can find like minded people to understand us and help build confidence to be who were born to be, otherwise the average norn will try and turn us into a stereo type of ourselves


As an aspie parent with a aspie teenager who is more at home on the computer, I have often been judged as a parent I feel wrongly because of there lack of understanding of our differences and of course what works for us often does not for them, but for some reason they feel its there place to change us to be like them, NO THANK YOU I can easily fit in myself if have to, have had to over the years but somehow its always been false, not the real me and until we can accept self and who we are we will never truly be happy... now I am ranting hijacked my own thread

Computing: 100% mathematics on a high skill level.
That's really what boys who lag 5 years behind boys the same age would choose.

There are a bunch of youtube videos of the Microsoft anti-trust deposition in '98. He seems to behave fairly autistically to me when he's answering questions. This one in particular shows him rocking in a manner that seems to be stimming due to the stress of the deposition.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qNVe024 ... re=related

His IMDB Profile says he was diagnosed, although I don't consider that definitive either: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0309540/bio

I read once that he founded an organization devoted to helping people with Asperger Syndrome as well, but can't find any reference to it now. But that could also have been a result of a diagnosis of a friend or family member.

Generally speaking though, it seems likely.

I believe he's simply a guy that has skimmed off the talents of others. He's a businessman, he has, as far as I know, never constructed any of the software or products they sell himself.

Gates did something that most engineers and scientists have not done. He has made billions and billions of dollars in business. Very few people have done that.

ruveyn