Autism Facts and Information | Autism and You |

Here's a few famous autistic people I found surfing through the internet, pretty interesting.

Hans Christian Andersen - author

Béla Bartók - 20th century Hungarian composer

Hugh Blair of Borgue - 18th century Scottish
landowner thought mentally incompetent, now studied as case history of autism.

Lewis Carroll - writer, logician

Henry Cavendish - 18th century British scientist. He was unusually reclusive, literal minded, had trouble relating to people, had trouble adapting to people, difficulties looking straight at people, drawn to patterns, etc.

Charles XII of Sweden - speculated to have had Asperger syndrome

Jeffrey Dahmer - serial killer

Charles Darwin - naturalist, associated with the theory of evolution by natural selection

Éamon de Valera - Irish revolutionary and politician

Paul Dirac - British mathematician and physicist. He was Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University, 1933-1963 and a Fellow of St John's College. Awarded the 1933 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on the mathematical foundations of Quantum Mechanics.

Albert Einstein - physicist

Glenn Gould - Canadian pianist and noted Bach interpreter. He liked routine to the point he used the same seat until it was worn through. He also disliked social functions to the point that in later life he relied on the telephone or letters for virtually all communication. He had an aversion to being touched, had a different sense of hot or cold than most, and would rock back and forth while playing music.

Adolf Hitler - German politician, dictator

Thomas Jefferson - US President

Keith Joseph - father of Thatcherism

James Joyce - author of Ulysses

Ted Kaczynski - Unabomber

Michelangelo - Italian Renaissance artist, based on his inability to form long-term attachments and certain other characteristics

Wolfgang Mozart - composer

Isaac Newton

Moe Norman - Canadian golfer

George Orwell - writer speculated to have had Asperger Syndrome. His troubled life went along with social interaction problems. Towards the end of his life he wrote bitter polemic on his preparatory boarding school Such, Such Were the Joys which displays many of the characteristics of Asperger's and interpersonal relationships. Orwell knew this intensely personal account was libellous and biographers have found it a challenge to explain its conflict with the truth, but Orwell still felt it important to publish this account eventually.

Enoch Powell - British politician

Srinivasa Ramanujan - mathematician

Charles Richter - seismologist, creator of the eponymous scale of earthquake magnitude

Erik Satie - composer

Jonathan Swift - author

Alan Turing - pioneer of computer sciences. He seemed to be a math savant and his lifestyle has many autism traits about it.

Michael Ventris - English architect who deciphered Linear B

Andy Warhol - American artist

Blind Tom Wiggins - autistic savant

Ludwig Wittgenstein - Austrian philosopher

W. B. Yeats - poet and dramatist

Here are 10 of the most effective strategies for teaching students with autism spectrum disorders; they can be implemented in a variety of educational settings:

1) Visual Schedules
Students with autism perform best when their daily routine is predictable, with clear expectations.

Establishing and following a visual schedule eliminates the unexpected and assists students in anticipating and preparing for transitions. Schedules must be visual and kept in the same location at all times. For pre-readers, an object schedule can be used. A tangible object that is related to the class or activity it represents is attached to an icon and the printed word. Other students are able to follow an icon schedule and strong readers can use a printed schedule.

A "check schedule" transition cue is then given to the student each time he is to transition to a new activity or class.

2) Environmental Considerations
Visual and auditory stimulation in the classroom must be taken into consideration.

Many students with autism are sensitive to auditory input and have a more difficult time processing auditory stimulation. Their work stations should be placed away from excessive auditory stimulation and away from unnecessary movement.

3) Visual Structure
The environment needs to be structured visually to help the student clearly see and understand what is expected of him. Work stations must be clearly defined. Some students will need three-sided work stations, while others will be able to work in more open areas. Taped outlines on the floor, chairs labeled with the student's name or using furniture to reduce visual and auditory stimulation are examples of environmental considerations. Work stations also need to be structured. Activities should be designed with strong visual cues so less auditory directions are needed. Each station also needs to clearly show what needs to be done, how much needs to be done, when the student will be finished, and what's next.

4) Alternatives to Verbal Communication
Many students with autism have impairments in communication, particularly expressive communication. For those who are non-verbal, an augmentative communication system must be in place. The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) has been very effective. Voice output communication devices may be very appropriate. For those students who do have verbal communication skills, many benefit from having some form of augmentative communication available as a back-up system for times when expressive communication may fail them. It is very common for students to be unable to access verbal communication when in a stressful emotional state. Having a back-up visual form of communication can assist with expression and reduce aggressive behaviors.

5) Direct Instruction of Social Skills
The majority of students with autism need direct instruction in social skills. Most do not learn interaction skills by simply being placed in social environments. They need to learn social interaction skills in the same way they learn other academic skills. Using strong visual structure, activities can be designed to teach about identifying emotions in self and others, situations that can cause certain emotions, and how to respond in certain social situations. Social stories have been found to be very useful. They are short stories written about specific social situations that briefly describe a social situation, how others may respond in this situation, and how the student should respond.

6) Literacy Instruction

Because many students with autism rely on some form of augmentative communication, even if it is only a backup, literacy instruction is very important. If a student is literate, s/he will be able to communicate at a much higher level than if the child is forced to depend on communications devices that are programmed with limited vocabulary. Literacy instruction should begin at a very early age and continue throughout all school years.

7) Sensory Opportunities
Most students with autism have some sensory needs. Many find deep pressure very relaxing. Others need frequent opportunities for movement. All students should have a sensory profile completed by an occupational therapist or other professional trained in sensory integration. Based on the profile, a sensory "diet" can be created and implemented throughout the day.

8) Consistency
All students do best when the daily program remains consistent with clear expectations. All staff working with students with autism need to be well-trained and must implement the daily program as consistently as possible.

9) Take advantage of student strengths and interests
Many students with autism have particular strengths and interests and these should be taken advantage of in the classroom. For example, if a student demonstrates an interest in trains, the student should have opportunities to read about trains, write about trains, do math problems about trains, etc.

10) Functional Curriculum
Students with autism have a great deal of potential to live and work independently as adults. The curriculum should place a strong emphasis on following a functional curriculum. Skills that emphasize daily living skills, community skills, recreation and leisure and employment need to be incorporated into the curriculum. Students in inclusive settings can follow the regular curriculum, but emphasis should be placed on those skills that are the most functional. Functional academics should always include literacy (reading and writing), basic math, time and money skills. Self-care skills, domestics, recreation and community experiences should also be emphasized. Older students should have formal employment opportunities beginning in middle school.

By Steve Mitchell
Special to MSNBC

Scientists could be on the verge of a new treatment for autism, if the results of animal research hold up in people. A study in mice suggests that several drugs, including one that is poised to enter trials in human patients as soon as next year, could improve brain function and reverse the symptoms of some autistic patients.

So far, the research indicates the drugs will only be effective for one form of autism that is caused by a mutation of a gene on the X chromosome, a condition known as fragile X syndrome. But the researchers think there's a possibility the medications could also work for other cases of autism where the cause is unknown.

"I really hope that we can go beyond fragile X and see significant improvement in children with other types of autism," said Mark Bear, a neuroscientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who led the mice research.

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