What do you think?
There was an earlier post asking if her dd's symptoms had become
subclinical was it fair/right to still keep the autism label.
This is along the same track - I saw a video this morning of Bill Gates
while he was being questioned in court by attornies about microsoft.
(also http://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=f15JexiQt4U last 30 seconds)
I think the questioning went for something like 12 hours and you can see
him come completely unglued with very heavy back and forth rocking. So
someone like Bill Gates who seems to have many of the symptoms that
would place him pretty squarely on the spectrum but whose life is
successful by any measure, would you consider that person autistic?
I guess what I am asking is ; Do you put the emphasis on the symptoms
themselves or on the impairment it causes?
Interresting video - I personally have thought for several years now that Bill Gates is an Aspie. Temple Grandin even remarked in either a book or an interview that she considers him autistic. I don't think success makes autism go away. In his case, he took his passion and made an extrodinarily successful business out of it. Temple Grandin advises parents to nuture their child's interrests because it could lead to a career later in life. You never know what could happen!
BTW - Did anyone see Bill Gates interviewed on the Daily Show by Jon Stewart earlier this year? At the end of the interview, he just got up and left! The cameras were still rolling. It was so incredibly odd, and of course Jon Stewart had fun with it!
In 2002 Bill Gates announced that he was diagnosed with Aspergers.Where? I have heard that he has denied it.cite? I'm guessing urban legend, autumn, but correct me if I'm wrong!
To answer the question, without impaiment, I think "symptoms" are mannerisms or personality traits. Rocking is a common reaction to stress, though most folks would catch themselves and stop doing it, so that part of it seems odd.
On his biography page at the microsoft website it says nothing about an Aspergers diagnosis. You would think that if he were diagnosed with it and then announced it that he would have approved it to be mentioned in his biography.
I sometimes rock when stressed...I have no diagnosis
Edited to add that I think the person who made the video sure did have some strong views on us parents. Did you catch the part where they talked about behavioral mods etc being abuse? Did I see that right?
Karrie
When my son was beign diagnosed in 2002, his team of physicians were all gabbing about it, it was summer of 2002, that is all I know. At that point I had no idea what Aspergers was, only that a team of professionals was talking about Bill Gates having it. So, it is 'heresay' from a group of higher ups in Denver!
I might add that a friend of mine, A Doc who is an autism specialist, is POSITIVE Gates has aspergers and said she knew years before his dx.
Very interesting video! It gets across that stimming is something everyone does, but for NTs it's miniaturized -- small hand movements rather than flapping.
I had also heard Bill Gates is an Aspie, but didn't see any "evidence" until this video. Here's a quote from an article by Temple Grandin: "It is also likely that Bill Gates has many Asperger's traits. An article in Time Magazine compared me to Mr. Gates. For example, we both rock. I have seen video tapes of Bill Gates rocking on television. Articles in business magazines describe his incredible memory as a young child." (source: http://www.autismtoday.com/articles/Genius_May_Be_Abnormalit y.htm )
I personally think that once an autistic, always an autistic, even if you learn to manage the outward symptoms. But whether you choose to tell the world about it is a personal choice.
I don't think that autistic traits are personality traits (I think any kind of personality is possible in autistic people), but they are something deeper than that. I do have a lot of trouble seeing them as symptoms though. That makes it sound like having a cold, sneezing, etc. Being autistic doesn't feel like having a cold, it feels like being a certain kind of person.
I keep asking, "Where do YOU draw the line between symptoms and personality traits?" of all Med professionals, and I think also here. Nobody has given me an answer ... there IS none.
I've been all over Google several times looking for evidence of Bill Gates announcing a diagnosis and so far I have only seen hearsay.