Limitations of Aspergers can be overcome!

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Hi everybody. Just wanted to give everyone a piece of information that I recently discovered. I apologise if this has already been mentioned before, or if it's common knowledge.

Before I finally accepted that I was an Aspie, I was constantly trying to improve social skills, forcing myself to talk to women, etc. When I finally said to myself, 'I have Aspergers', suddenly all that progress just went out the window, and I seemed to regress back to square one. I stopped talking to people and just stayed on my computer 24/7.

But there is an Aspie that has reminded me that we can make it in this world, even thrive. Sure the path might be long and rugged, and luck would be needed, but it can be done. Being a filmmaker like this personality, perhaps I feel a bit more about this than others, but this guy is Mr Steven Spielberg. He is an Aspie!

His obsession was movies and it has fuelled his creative drive. This man has people begging to work for him (not to mention people who idolise him all over the world). His communication seems very strong, at least when talking about movies and he doesn't seem shy. Some people don't like how he sugarcoats some scenes (I think The Terminal suffered from that, but I digress), but he is almost unamisously praised for his ability to create tension and find beautiful shots.

He has not survived in this world, he has it in hand (so far he's made $1.5 billion from Raiders of the Lost Ark). In a way, I think the world is surviving him... Granted, he is in a profitable industry, but before you get to the stage of profit, it's an industry of contacts. If he can get known in such a difficult industry, so can others, in my opinion. As said before, he seems to have gotten around communication problems associated with Aspergers. He is able to concentrate his obsession into his work that has given him success. What I want to know is how he directs actors...

I'm posting this because finding this out has refuelled my desire to accept who I am, but also to make it in this world; that I can achieve what Spielberg has. Hopefully, some others here might see that same inspiration.

Cheers!

Are there any other places where his diagnosis is mentioned, outside of his IMDB bio/trivia profile?

Type 'Spielberg Aspergers' into Google, without quotes of course, and you get a lot of results. There seem to be a few trace sources (and admittedly a couple that just copy-paste from the others). Either it's actually true or it's one well spread rumour that Spielberg hasn't denied (which given its seeming popularity online, is unlikely).

Thanks for posting this, MovieMogul. It's good to know of a shining example of the idea that we don't have to accept a life of exile.

I had read that he has AS too. When I watch his interviews, I do not always notice lack of communication skills, yet his interest being movies, maybe this is why he is at ease.

But sometimes, he does look like he has AS.

I'm a bit annoyed by the title of this thread, maybe I'm just pendatic, but what 'limitations' are being spoken about that are so attributed to Aspergers?

First they(no 'they' in particular) say that Autism gives such and such limitations and when these assertions are proven wrong, they cover their embaressment by saying that these limitations 'can be overcome', not that their earlier claim that the limitations existed has been found false.

When ever you point out to such people that Spielberg has a diagnosis(confirmed, he is Autistic) or any other successful Autistic person, you can be sure their answer will be to explain how with so much effort the 'effects' of Autism can be 'overcome', 'beaten' and success is possible 'in spite of Autism'. It isn't possible for them to accept that Autism is a contributing factor, even though Hans Asperger spoke highly of the uber-competence of his patients.

The source of much difficulty comes from the myths propagated about Autism and Aspergers. If you are told Autistic conditions cause this, this and this, then you are told you are Autistic, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. I think one unrecognised characteristic of Autism is that the Autistic person has a degree of self-control that they are unaware of. In The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, the fictional Aspie character believes that because of his condition he is incapable of lying, thus he is literally incapable of it even though plenty of other Aspies can lie. When these discrepencies are noted, they are dismissed by the 'cover-all cop-out' of "Every person with Autism is different" and "It's a spectrum stupid". The fact that the originator of the spectrum model and seperate Asperger label(Lorna Wing) has since disowned it never dawns on them.

Just me being pendatic.

Well do any of us have trouble talking about our 'interests'?

Actually most of his biographers believe that Spielburg does not have AS. Check his wikipedia entry for more on this.

spielberg aside, i agree with the above. now i have to remember that i CAN do all those things, but give myself the comfort that, if i get it wrong (and i do), then it's not cos i'm an idiot or a failure, but because i'm wired differently. working in the world does require effort, whether you have AS or not - it's a bit more difficult for us, but that's the way it is, until the majority of people know what AS is all about.

That is a good point. It's not to be used as a reason to build walls and hide, but as a reason to explain why you are different than other people.

That is very true. What a good piece of advice, MovieMogul! Steven Spielberg is a very accomplished man, and he has shown that people like us can make it in this world. This comes from a loyal friend and true of Wrongplanet, and ironically, this is my 400th post! How very, very fitting!

I saw a bio on Spielberg in one of my comm classes last fall. The video was full of people giving recolections of what he was like as kid. What I saw and heard screamed aspergers.

The only thing I saw that didn't seem to fit was the fact that he had enormous ears as a kid which might say fragile X instead of AS.

BTW Tom, I couldn't find any refrence to AS in his wiki entry.

Sorry , maybe it's not in Wiki. I did read someone convincingly arguing against it on a wiki-type site. What I read basically said that he no problems with social skills, no problem communicating, made friends easiliy etc. I guess he could have it though.

I can tell you that I have no problems with social skills or communicating, I know this because I was strictly schooled in those things in an institute that believes asking someone their name is akin to grevious bodily harm in terms of manners.

Most of these myths started in the offices of one Bruno Bettlehiem(the refridgerator mother theory promoter) and were based on observations of Autistic children who had been severely mistreated by the charlatan. When the refridgerator mother monster was disproved, those who did it were selective in what they discredited to suit their own agenda. You can say anyone has problems with communication and social skills and it will stick if they are children/foreign/disabled or just don't grasp the enormity of what is going on around them(most people in fact). It is a value-laden assertion.

if Steven Spielberg has aspergers then that means I can do anything...I never knew aspergers had anyone so cool with it.

Yes, actually. I feel the most nervous when talking about something I'm enthusaistic about.