Saturday, the 18th of February, 2006, marks the 100th anniversary of
the birth of Dr. Hans
Asperger -- discoverer of a social disorder known as
Asperger's Syndrome.
It is a condition that affects, on average, one in every 100 or so people,
and is characterised by difficulties with social interaction, coupled with
(in many cases) obsessive interests in a particular field.
It falls on the Autism
spectrum, up towards the high functioning end.
Many of the inventions we take for granted today, were the work of bright minds are diagnosed of having Autism or Asperger's Syndrome. A partial list of some more well-known individuals can be found here. Many more people in history, noted for many inventions, also had autistic traits leading to speculation regarding their condition, even though it was never confirmed. To quote one well-known Autistic adult...
“If it wasn't for people like us, the rest of you would still be in caves talking
to each other.”
-- Temple
Grandin
I myself have the condition (and it's not hard to see what my particular interest is ... or one of them at least). I don't view it as a disability, but simply a difference in culture. If there were a cure for the condition, I'd refuse it -- as much as the social interactions can be a hassle, the benefits far outweigh the odd couple of disadvantages. It is better that we look at changing the negative perception that people have, then to try and cure people of something they don't wish to loose.
