2020-04-01 Reader\'s Digest AUNZ

thoughts,understandingnon-literal
expressionsandthemeanings of
indirectremarksorsarcasm.
Empathyisa coreskillneededfor
socialinteractions;withoutit,people
mayhavetroublemakingfriendsor
dating.Streetisgladtohavemethis
wifeof 50 yearsthrougha friend.
“Datingwasanabsolutenightmare
forme,”Street says. “I hadn’t a clue
aboutit.”

DIAGNOSIS

Someadults,likeBervoets,arediag-
nosedafterseeingamental-health
professional.Othersseekdiagnoses
becausetheyrecogniseautisticquali-
tiesinthemselvesafterlearningabout
thecondition.“Theycandiscoverthat
theyareontheautism spectrum when

theirownchildrenarebeingdiag-

nosed,”Barangersays.

Thenewscomesasa reliefformany

adults,whosuddenlyunderstandwhy

they’vealwaysfeltdifferentlythan

others.“Forsomepeople,”Baranger

says,“italleviatesthesenseofguilt

thattheyhaveexperiencedthrough-

outtheirlife,notablybecausethey

havebeenblamedfortheirbehav-

iourssincechildhood.”

Bervoets’diagnosishelpedhim

realisethathe’dratherstudyphilos-

ophy,a lifelongpassion,thancontin-

ueworkingasanengineer.He’snow

workingtowardshisPhD.

Diagnosesmayhelppeoplere-

definepreviousexperiences.“They

finallymanageto explainwhy...

they have often messed up their job

CHARLESDARWINwas

obsessedwithhis

interests,rarelyswayed

fromhisdailyroutine,

andreportedlyhada

lackofempathy.

THOMASJEFFERSONwas

sociallyawkward,lacked

empathy,hadstrict

routines,andobsessively

focused on his interests.

ISAACNEWTONcouldn’t

interactwithhispeers,

washyperfocusedonhis

workandcouldn’t

understandfacial

expressionsorbody

language.

GREGORMENDEL

followed strictdaily

routines,wasutterly

obsessed with his work

inthescienceof

geneticsandwas

sociallyawkward.

Theirenduring

achievementsstand

asatestamenttotheir

abilitytoaccomplish

greatthingsdespite–

or perhapsbecause

of – their condition.

Longbeforeautismwasrecognised,notablehistoricfigureswerebusy

contributingtomaths,science,philosophy,artandliteraturewhile

exhibitingautistictraits.MichaelFitzgerald,adjunctprofessorofpsychiatry

atTrinityCollegeDublin,hasstudiedthelivesofprominent historic figures

and suggested that several may have had autism.

Were these famous people on the spectrum?

48 April 2020

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