No babbling or pointing by age 1 No single words by 16 months or two-word phrases by age 2
No response to name
Loss of language or social skills
Poor eye contact
Excessive lining up of toys or objects
No smiling impaired ability to make friends with peers
Absence or impairment of imaginative and social play
Stereotyped, repetitive, or unusual use of language
Restricted patterns of interest that are abnormal in intensity or focus
Preoccupation with certain objects or subjects Inflexible adherence to specific routines or rituals or social responsiveness
Hans Asperger published a definition of "Autisitic Psychopathy" (AP) in 1944 that was nearly identical with the definition that a Russian neurologist Grunya Sukhareva (Груня Ефимовна Сухарева) had published already in 1926
Speculated to have Asperger's Syndrome:
Abraham Lincoln,1809-1865, US Politician
Alan Turing, 1912-1954, English mathematician, computer scientist and cryptographer
Albert Einstein, 1879-1955, German/American theoretical physicist
Alexander Graham Bell, 1847-1922, Scottish/Canadian/American inventor of the telephone
Anton Bruckner , 1824-1896, Austrian composer
Bela Bartok, 1881-1945, Hungarian composer
Benjamin Franklin,1706-1790, US polictician/writer
Bertrand Russell, 1872-1970, British logician
Bobby Fischer, 1943-2008, World Chess Champion
Carl Jung, 1875-1961, Swiss psychoanalyst
Charles Rennie Mackintosh, 1868-1928, Scottish architect and designer
Emily Dickinson, 1830-1886, US poet
Erik Satie, 1866-1925 - Composer
Franz Kafka, 1883-1924, Czech writer
Friedrich Nietzsche, 1844-1900, German philosopher
George Bernard Shaw, 1856-1950, Irish playwright, writer of Pygmalion, critic and Socialist
George Washington, 1732-1799, US Politician
Gustav Mahler, 1860-1911, Czech/Austrian composer
Marilyn Monroe, 1926-1962, US actress
H P Lovecraft, 1890-1937, US writer
Henry Cavendish, 1731-1810, English/French scientist, discovered the composition of air and water
Henry Ford, 1863-1947, US industrialist
Henry Thoreau, 1817-1862, US writer
Isaac Newton, 1642-1727, English mathematician and physicist
Jane Austen, 1775-1817, English novelist, author of Pride and Prejudice
Kaspar Hauser, c1812-1833, German foundling, portrayed in a film by Werner Herzog
Ludwig II, 1845-1886, King of Bavaria
Ludwig Wittgenstein, 1889-1951, Viennese/English logician and philosopher
Ludwig van Beethoven, 1770-1827, German/Viennese composer
Mark Twain, 1835-1910, US humorist
Michelangelo, 1475 1564 - Italian Renissance artist
Nikola Tesla, 1856-1943, Serbian/American scientist, engineer, inventor of electric motors
Oliver Heaviside, 1850-1925, English physicist
Richard Strauss, 1864-1949, German composer
Seth Engstrom, 1987-Present, Magician and World Champion
Thomas Edison, 1847-1931, US inventor
Thomas Jefferson, 1743-1826, US politician
Vincent Van Gogh, 1853-1890, Dutch painter
Virginia Woolf, 1882-1941, English Writer
Wasily Kandinsky, 1866-1944, Russian/French painter
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, 1756-1791, Austrian composer
Alfred Hitchcock, 1899-1980, English/American film director
Andy Kaufman, 1949-1984, US comedian, subject of the film Man on the Moon
Andy Warhol, 1928-1987, US artist.
Charles Schulz, 1922-2000, US cartoonist and creator of Peanuts and Charlie Brown
Glenn Gould, 1932-1982, Canadian pianist
Hans Asperger, 1906-1980, Austrian paediatric doctor after whom Asperger's Syndrom is named
Howard Hughes, 1905-1976, US billionaire
Isaac Asimov, 1920-1992, Russian/US writer on science and of science fiction, author of Bicentennial Man Jim Henson, 1936-1990, creator of the Muppets, US puppeteer, writer, producer, director, composer
John Denver, 1943-1997, US musician
L S Lowry, 1887-1976, English painter of "matchstick men"
Al Gore, 1948-, former US Vice President and presidential candidate
Bill Gates, 1955-, Entrepreneur and philanthropist. A key player in the personal computer revolution.
Bob Dylan, 1941-, US singer-songwriter
Charles Dickinson, 1951, US Writer
Crispin Glover, 1964-, US actor
David Helfgott, 1947-, Australian pianist, subject of the film Shine
Garrison Keillor, 1942-, US writer, humorist and host of Prairie Home Companion
Genie, 1957-?, US "wild child" (see also L'Enfant Sauvage, Victor, )
James Taylor, 1948-, US singer/songwriter
Jamie Hyneman, 1956-, Co-host of Mythbusters
Jeff Greenfield, 1943-, US political analyst/speechwriter, a political wonk
John Motson, 1945-, English sports commentator
John Nash, 1928-, US mathematician (portrayed by Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind, USA 2001)
Joseph Erber, 1985-, young English composer/musician
Originally posted by CINY8
I definitely believe there is a link between electronics and autism disorders. I have a close family member that is a therapist and works with pre-schoolers on a daily basis who are autistic. I also have young kids myself that have been diagnosed with sensory issues and developmental delays, I am so thankful that it isn't any worse than that as autism and other similar disorders are becoming way too prevalent.
There have been studies done on electromagnetic fields and how they may contribute to autism, which would explain why autism has increased along with our electronic usage.
Here are some sites with more information, the second one has a video from a man who has an extensive technical background who claims EMF exposure harms the limbic system (which controls sensory responses):
Autism and EMF
Electromagnetic Field Exposure...Autism
I personally believe that there are many contributing factors in today's society of increased toxic foods, lack of nutrition, vaccines and electronics. It really makes it hard to escape any of these things and figure out a way to cure this growing problem.
DNAase (an enzyme that destroys DNA) leaking through the membranes of lysosomes (small bodies in living cells packed with digestive enzymes) explains the fragmentation of DNA seen in cells exposed to mobile phone signals. When this occurs in the germ line (the cells that give rise to eggs and sperm), it reduces fertility and predicts genetic damage in future generations.
3. Leakage of calcium ions into the cytosol (the main part of the cell) acts as a metabolic stimulant, which accounts for reported accelerations of growth and healing, but it also promotes the growth of tumours.
4. Leakage of calcium ions into neurones (brain cells) generates spurious action potentials (nerve impulses) accounting for pain and other neurological symptoms in electro‐sensitive individuals. It also degrades the signal to noise ratio of the brain making it less likely to respond adequately to weak stimuli. This may be partially responsible the increased accident rate of drivers using mobile phones.
5. A more detailed examination of the molecular mechanisms explains many of the seemingly weird characteristics of electromagnetic exposure, e.g. why weak fields are more effective than strong ones, why some frequencies such as 16Hz are especially potent and why pulsed fields do more damage. Leaks in the membranes surrounding lysosomes (tiny particles in living cells that recycle waste) can release digestive enzymes, including DNAase (an enzyme that destroys DNA). This explains the serious damage done to the DNA in cells by mobile phone signals.
Panagopoulos et al. (2007) showed that exposing adult Drosophila The overall conclusion is that the genetic damage from exposure to electromagnetic radiation can have an almost immediate effect on fertility, but damage to the offspring may take several generations to show up. If we do nothing to limit our exposure to electromagnetic radiation, we can anticipate a slow decline in the viability of the human genome for many generations to come.
It is ironic that having only just discovered the human genome, we have already set about systematically destroying it.
In my very ignorant opinion, autism is a reaction to the world getting colder and less personal and perhaps it has something to do with the brain handling certain types of trauma. Computers and television sets are raising children instead of their parents raising them. That's very healthy.