Autism FAQ - Well-known Autistic People


Note: the accounts of some of these people are listed above under the section, Popular Attitudes/Entertainment".

Well-known people who have chosen to write or speak about their Autistic family members:

Autistic individuals who have become well-known through their writing and/or speaking on their experiences:

Occasionally there is speculation as to whether some particular well-known person is autistic, e.g. an author, scientist, or mathematician known to be unsocial and very focused. For example, there is an audiotape called Was Einstein Autistic? (see Bibliography Section)

However, despite such speculation, these people in general could socialize in ways far advanced of typical autistic behavior: eye contact, etc. A theory currently in vogue is that autism is a severe variant of a mild condition that causes people to lack social skills: the book Shadow Syndromes expands on this theme. It is probable that nearly all famous people occasionally cited as being possibly autistic fall more naturally under such a milder classification.

One of the most convincing cases I've heard of a famous person being truly autistic was in regards to Canadian pro golfer Moe Norman. There is a biography of him: The Feeling of Greatness, the Moe Norman Story by Tim O'Connor.