Was Einstein Autistic?

It is not yet proven that was Einstein autistic? Researchers are speculating about Einstein may have autism, but the truth is never really known. Trying to diagnose someone with autism based on biographical information is not trustworthy, and it is possible that his behavior could indicate as autistic due to different causes.

Some researchers think that just the simple fact that Einstein was so intelligent shaped his personality or he may have just been an eccentric genius. it is believed that he had an IQ somewhere between 160 and 190 – far above the average of 100. Maybe he was so fascinated with the problems and was working on them that he had little time or desire to think of anything else.

Many people with Asperger syndrome (high-functioning autism) are often seen as eccentric – they may have difficulty in social situations, have obsessions around specific topics, and can have problems communicating.

According to some autism experts, he might have shown many signs of Asperger syndrome, a form of condition that does not cause learning difficulties. But the standard criteria do not indicate much doubt that Albert Einstein was autistic.

Why do people think that Albert Einstein was autistic?

It is impossible to make a definite diagnosis for someone who is no longer living. Autism is heritable, and there are clues that the genes for autism are linked to those that confer a talent for grasping complex systems like computer programs to musical techniques.

Here are some signs that indicate he might have autism as experts think about these traits Einstein demonstrated.

1. Einstein did not speak until the age of 3 :

Was Einstein Autistic?
Einstein’s childhood Image

Nobody has much details about Einstein’s childhood. and most of what is written is the stuff of myth instead of solid facts.

But it is well known that Einstein’s speech development was slower than the average child’s, and we have some sources that confirm he didn’t start speaking until he was 3 or 4. And until the age of seven, he also used to repeat sentences obsessively

2. Obsessive Interests (Was Einstein Autistic?:

Was Einstien Autistic?
Einstein in Teenage

Einstein wasn’t interested in playing energetic games and activities with other kids instead he preferred to read books, work on puzzles, play the violin, make crazy constructions from building blocks, figure out tricky math problems, and build elaborate houses out of cards.

And he was actually an average student in the class but always excelled in math and science.

3. Difficulty in social relationships (Was Einstein Autistic?):

Was Einstein Autistic?
Albert Einstein

Young Einstein found that making friends was hard, even later as an adult he spent much of his time alone in his study.

Einstein was shy and preferred to be alone, he was not interested in romanticism, or close relationships with friends (including Charlie Chaplin).

4. Problems in communicating and language issues (Was Einstein Autistic?):

Was Einstein Autistic?
Einstein

As he explained himself, “I very rarely think in words at all. A thought comes, and I may try to express it in words afterward.”

Possibly, he never felt comfortable while delivering speeches, mingling with people, and making small talk with people. What most people with AS find difficult is casual chatting – they can’t do small talk.

5. Einstein was consumed by complex topics (Was Einstein Autistic?):

Einstein as an older man
Albert Einstein

It is found that people with autism tend to understand complex systems – from computers to music, to science.

While Einstein was working to solve a physics problem, he’d became so fixated on it, and completely block himself from the world. He focused on an extreme level that consume his life for a long time.

Conclusion:

There is only speculation that Einstein was autistic and as we have already told above people are spreading myths instead of facts. And It is impossible to make an exact diagnosis for someone who is not available in the world.

References:

  1.  http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/24/science/a-century-ago-einsteins-theory-of-relativity-changed-everything.html?_r=0 A Century Ago, Einstein’s Theory of Relativity Changed Everything
  2.  https://books.google.com/books?id=SgtyKzBes6QC&pg=PA218 The Oxford Companion to United States History
  3.  Paul Arthur Schilpp 1951 Albert Einstein: Philosopher-Scientist Volume II Pages 730–746
  4.  http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/05/science/huge-trove-of-albert-einstein-documents-becomes-available-online.html Thousands of Einstein Documents Are Now a Click Away
  5.  http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=Einstein Result of WordNet Search for Einstein
  6.  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2988647.stm
  7.  https://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/entry/abert-einstein-facts_n_3987801?ri18n=true
  8.  https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn3676-einstein-and-newton-showed-signs-of-autism/
  9.  https://www.appliedbehavioranalysisedu.org/was-albert-einstein-autistic/
  10.  http://autismmythbusters.com/general-public/famous-autistic-people/
  11.  https://www.hwns.com.au/about-us/blog/did-einstein-have-autism/
  12.  https://medium.com/publishous/einstein-rarely-changed-his-clothes-82611052c41c
  13.  https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/ockhamsrazor/einstein-socks-nature-scientific-inquiry/7395862
  14.  https://web.archive.org/web/20151126214740/https://www.thehealthsite.com/diseases-conditions/6-historical-geniuses-with-autism/
  15. James I. Remarkable Physicists. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003
  16. Sacks O. Uncle Tungsten. London: Picador Books, 2001
  17. Asperger H. Die ‘autischen Psychopathen’ im Kindesalter. Arch Psychiatrie Nervenkrankheiten 1944;17: 76-136 [Google Scholar]
  18. Baron-Cohen S, Wheelwright S, Skinner R, Martin J, Clubley L. The autism-spectrum quotient (AQ): evidence for Asperger syndrome/high-functioning autism, males and females, scientists and mathematicians. J Autism Devel Disord 2001;31: 5-17


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