Psychologists and neuropsychologists have reached an agreement that autism is not precise. But rather a broad spectrum of behavior disorder.
Some of the characteristics of autism are; late speech development, minimal eye contact, rare engagement with social interactions, and at times a very high intelligence quotient, known as Aspergers.
Some of the very well-known impactful and successful people have a diagnosis of autism.
Let’s discuss some of these people and how they worked out their way to success.
- Passion Supports Success
Autistic individuals have a narrow range of interests. They have restrictive and obsessive personalities. This way, they put all effort into figuring out the interest and flow with it. No wonder most of the very successful individuals lie under the autism spectrum.
Good examples would be Albert Einstein, the greatest scientist and mathematician, and Clay Marzo, whose obsession with water has made him a star surfer.
- Dan Aykroyd
Dan Aykroyd, a singer, actor, and screenwriter, was first diagnosed with Tourette’s syndrome at the age of 12 and later diagnosed with autism.
This diagnosis now explains much about his obsession with ghosts. In interviews Dan has mentioned Hans Holzer. Parapsychologist who has written books about supernatural and occult characters. This obsession led him to write the comedy film Ghostbusters.
Following his higher studies on criminology, he starred in a musical sketch film. The Blue Brothers cited bits and parts of the rime.
- Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen is known for authoring The Ugly Duckling and the Little Mermaid. These books were in an attempt to show that Hans was and felt different. In the ugly duckling, the other ducks make fun and tase the ugly duck. He explained that the duckling was a metaphor representing how different he was.
Only those who were autistic and interacted with him noticed that he had the disorder.
- Darryl Hannah
Darryl Hannah is a phenomenal woman who starred in movies such as The Splash. According to Hannah, doctors suggested that she should be under medication and institutionalized.
Genetics explains that boys are more likely to be autistic than girls. But, as the girls grow, they express more autistic behaviors.
The shyness that comes with her condition affected her career. She couldn’t even attend her premieres. She later retreated to a quieter space.
- Susan Boyle
Susan Boyle is an award-winning singer in Britain’s Got Talent. At England’s The Observer interview, she disclosed that she is autistic.
She remarks that earlier on in her childhood, she was diagnosed to have brain damage. She retreated by being more reserved than usual and was much bullied in school.
After her diagnosis, she attracted much more understanding and empathy. Currently, Susan has opted for a quieter life.
- Dan Harmon
Dan is a showrunner that performs and sets his characters in a unique way that almost seems like a ritual. He plots the character arcs in eight cycles that he refers to as “embryos.”
With the aim of studying Abed’s character, a behavior characterized by being straightforward, Dan found the information hitting closer home. It was then he concluded he had autism and consulted with a doctor. He found out he has Asperger’s.
- Jerry Seinfeld
Jerry Seinfeld is a known comedian. As much as he stands in front of a crowd, he claims to be uncomfortable with social interactions. In an NBC interview, he claims to be on the autism spectrum.
It’s during this interview that he explains that autistic individuals can be gurus in technicals.
- Robin Williams
Robin Williams is a famous rock and pop musician. Robin expressed having high levels of anxiety and depression. This might be the reason why he got into alcohol addiction and committed suicide in 2014. To find out the difference in him, he did extensive research on autism and mental illness.
- Lewis Carroll
Lewis Carroll is a university lecturer and an English writer majoring in kids fiction, such as Alice In The Wonderland. He related with children and seemed to live in a different time. He was a stammerer.
Summing Up
From the discussion, it’s clear that autism shouldn’t define the person. But rather, the person should define it. Thank you for reading, we hope, our article inspired you for new beginnings.
