Autism and Creativity

1
Autism and Creativity

• Aspergers syndrome Conference (Autism Cymru),
• 6th June 2005.
• Millennium Stadium, Cardiff.
• Prof. Michael Fitzgerald.

2
Mark Twain

• Comments on innate individual differences are
  what make horses race.

3
Definition of Genius

• Bernard Berenson
• The capacity for productive reaction against
  ones training.

4
Act of Genius

• Original.
• Novel.
• Bring about a change in our understanding of a
  subject.

5
Asperger

• Ask questions a child would ask.
• Ask fundamental questions.
• Curiosity.
• Focussed.
• Workaholic.

• Narrow interest.
• Visual immagination.
• Reject received wisdom.
• Persistence.
• High energy / motivation.

6
Gregory

• Educational Performance
• The budding scientist of high renown seems
  typically to be a B student.
• Not interested.
• Blossom when they find their interest and their
  niche.

7
Genes and Genius

• Multiple genes of small effect.
• Genes effect
• 1. Traits of persistence.
• 2. Concentration.
• 3. Curiosity.
• 4. Certain types of stimulation (? Novelty).

8
Genes and Evolution

• Dehaene
• Evolution is slow and gradual.
• Genes are condemned to a slow and minute
  evolution! Where they are dependent on chance
  mutations.
• It takes thousands of aborted attempts before a
  favourable mutation, one worthy of being passed
  on to coming generations, emerges from the
  noise.
• Genius have exceptional neurobiological
  structure.

9
My View

• Its their creative activity that keeps them sane.
• Creative blocks lead to depression and
  suicidality.

10
Diagnostic Criteria for Aspergers syndrome by
Christopher Gillberg

• Severe impairment in reciprocal social
  interaction (At least two of the following)
• Inability to interact with peers.
• Lack of desire to interact with peers.
• Lack of appreciation of social cues.
• Socially and emotionally inappropriate behaviour.

11
Diagnostic Criteria for Aspergers syndrome by
Christopher Gillberg

• All-absorbing narrow interest (At least one of
  the following)
• Exclusion of other activities.
• Repetitive adherence.
• More rote than meaning.
• Imposition of routines and interests (At least
  one of the following)
• On self, in aspects of life.
• On others.

12
Digby Tantum

• Make up stories, imaginary words, or imaginary
  play companions.
• As actors on the stage have difficulty infusing a
  dramatic individual with a character other than
  their own.

13
The Following is False About Aspergers syndrome

• No relationships.
• No imagination.
• No empathy.

• No artistic creativity.
• No capacity to write a novel.
• No political skill.

14
Identity Diffusion in Autism. Fragmentary Sense
of Self in Autism

• Problems with narrative leads to problems with
  sense of self.
• Problems with capacity for self awareness and
  autobiographical memory lead to identity
  diffusion.
• Problems with personal memory leads to a
  deficient sense of self.

15
Asperger Savant

• Special talent at high I.Q.
• High creativity.

16
Autistic Intelligence

• Unconvertional.
• Unorthodox.
• Pure and original, akin to the intelligence of
  true creativity -
• Hans Asperger.
• Musical.
• Abstract and logical.

17
Sir Keith Joseph

• Founder of Modern Conservatism in Britain
  (Margaret Thatcher).
• Most influential politician in late 20th century.
• John Gray states responsible for Conservative
  partys abandonment of its traditional pragmatic
  attitutde to economic doctrine and for right-wing
  think tanks (Autistic phenomena).
• One of the Godfathers of the Blaire Government.
• Enigmatic.

18
Keith Joseph

• Family Background
• Father Sir Samuel Joseph, Mayor of London in
  1943.
• Difficult man, enormous energy. No detail was
  too small for him.
• Stickler for detail.

19
Keith Joseph

• Childhood
• Sensitive and contemplative boy (Denham and
  Garnett).
• Outsider.
• Bullied at school.
• Yearned for friendship but had difficulty forming
  relationships.
• Poor academic performance at school.
• Psychosomatic disorders.
• Unorthodox bowler at cricket.

20
Keith Joseph

• Speech and Language
• Specialised in modern languages.
• Didnt write autobiography (problem with
  autobiographical memory).
• Gift for oratory.
• Difficulty with humour.

21
Keith Joseph

• Social Impairment
• Excessively private and introverted young man.
• Shy, intense and guarded.
• Preference to discuss ideas.
• Tremendous honesty and openness.
• Five extra shillings for the barber for not
  talking to him.
• Prim and humourless.

22
Keith Joseph

• Social Impairment
• No desire to interact with peers at Oxford.
• Not changed by war.
• Immature autistic personality.
• No one remembered him having a girlfriend at
  Oxford (Denham and Garnett).
• He embarrassed people with his frankness and took
  everything too seriously (John Brocklehurst).
• The only boring Jew I have met (Harold
  MacMillan).

23
Keith Joseph

• Social Impairment
• Other-worldly innocence.
• A sense of detachment from reality.
• Identity diffusion.
• A loner, a mystery figure (Sunday Express).
• An unusual degree of detachment from political
  reality.
• Alarming naivety.

24
Keith Joseph

• Social Impairment
• As Secretary of State Department of Education he
  would quiz school children about the abilities of
  their teachers.
• He asked 13 year olds about integrated
  humanities in the middle years.
• Talking to you is like trying to teach Chinese to
  a deaf mute (Len Murray).
• Maladroit and absent minded (The Spectator).

25
Keith Joseph

• Social Impairment
• He gave the impression of searching for eternal
  truths who would prefer not to be diverted by the
  day-to-day problems.
• Deeply impractical man.
• No political judgement.
• Lacked administrative skills.
• Introverted thinker.
• Leo Abse stated that he was searching for
  intellectual solutions for what are properly
  emotional problems.

26
Keith Joseph

• Social Impairment
• Professor Ted Wragg of Exeter University likened
  Josephs approach to education to that of a
  Martian arriving in the middle of a rugby match.
  
• He said if he became the leader of the
  Conservative Party it would have been a disaster
  for the party, country, and me.
• He refused to engage in general Cabinet dialogue.
• He would not allow television in his own house.

27
Keith Joseph

• All Absorbing Interests
• Workaholic and obsessional outlook.
• He was perturbed by things which I do not
  control.
• Remarkable self discipline.
• He was obsessive about note taking and was rarely
  seen without a notebook and pencil.
• He had a tremendous memory.
• He read books incessently.

28
Keith Joseph

• All Absorbing Interests
• He was a linguist.
• Denham and Garnett claim that in Josephs eyes
  statistical information was the only reliable
  guide to the existence of a problem.
• All opportunities were fact finding
  opportunities.
• He answered all correspondence even time wasters.
• He liked music.

29
Keith Joseph

• Eccentric Behaviour
• He was an enigma.
• He was as he described himself a convenient
  madman or I was a joke, a useful joke.
• Once when he was talking to children and parents
  at a camping exhibition he gave a kind of state
  of the nation address and also said it was more
  difficult for the Russians to move about their
  country than it was for us . . Are we sure we
  shall not eventually be subject to movement
  permits if socialism advances here? Dont be too
  sure. What the children made of this is unclear.

30
Keith Joseph

• Eccentric Behaviour
• He also stated one reason for the reluctance of
  such people to take advantage of family planning
  services was that they were ashamed to go out in
  dirty underclothes. This was a reference to
  children of underprivileged lone parents.
• At other times he could be seen banging his head
  against a wall.
• Private Eye described him as the unbalanced wild
  man of the right.

31
Keith Joseph

• Non-verbal Behaviour
• In conversation the British Ambassador Sir
  Nicholas Henderson described how he flung his
  hands in the air but revealed little. He would
  chew his handkerchief. Henderson also noted his
  explosive laughter that seemed at odds with his
  buttoned up character and his facial expressions
  clashed with his apparent thoughts like an
  unsynchronised sound track in a film (brilliant
  description of non-verbal autistic behaviour).
• Hendersen also said that he could do different
  expressions on his face simultaneously.
• Private Eye described him as his Insanity.

32
Keith Joseph

• Identity Diffusion
• His life was a search for personal settled
  identity.
• He had a harsh superego and was according to Tony
  Benn a tortured soul.
• He was moralistic.
• Patrick Cosgrave described him as the man who
  told the truth.
• He regarded that to waste time was a sin.

33
Keith Joseph

• Motor Skills
• He was incompetent at bricklaying and hopelessly
  inept at skiing.

34
Conclusion

• He tried to understand society using a
  mathematical approach. He
• was preoccupied with details and perfectionistic.