Famous Autistic People
When my sister was growing up, people told us all the time that because she's autistic she'd never be able to do the things the neurotypical (not-autistic) children do. They said she'd never go to a mainstream school, never keep up with the other children, never read, never write an essay, never pass an Honors class, never pass an AP class, never get into college, never be able to live away from home. But she's actually done all of those things! Just because someone's autistic that doesn't mean you can say they won't be able to do things.
You that you cannot judge a person's abilities by their label, even if that label is autistic. Just like neurotypical people, all autistic people's abilities are different. To prove that to you, I'm going to introduce you to a whole bunch of people who are the famous - and also happen to be autistic. Don't believe me? Click on their names and read up on them. Every last one of these people is on the autism spectrum and succeeded despite, or, more likely, thanks to, their autism.
You that you cannot judge a person's abilities by their label, even if that label is autistic. Just like neurotypical people, all autistic people's abilities are different. To prove that to you, I'm going to introduce you to a whole bunch of people who are the famous - and also happen to be autistic. Don't believe me? Click on their names and read up on them. Every last one of these people is on the autism spectrum and succeeded despite, or, more likely, thanks to, their autism.
Now, is every autistic person going to grow up and do the things these famous people have? Of course not. Autistic people are just as human as you or I and just as most neurotypical people won't go on to become multi-millionaires, famous actors, or Nobel Prize winners, it's the same with people on the autism spectrum. My point here, however, is to say that people on the spectrum can be, as many are, incredibly successful in life in many different fields and you can't judge their abilities by their labels. The world needs all kinds of minds, and autistic minds are among those.
Actors
Dan Aykroyd
Field: Comedian, singer, actor, writer
Details: He played Ray Stantz in Ghostbusters, a film which he also helped write. Another successful autistic person in acting is Daryl Hannah, best known for acting in Splash, Blade Runner, Steel Magnolias, and Kill Bill. Here's a clip of her acting in the movie Splash - her character is a mermaid who turns into a human when she's out of the water.
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Musicians
Adam Young,
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Nobel Prize Winners
Albert Einstein
Perhaps the most famous Nobel Prize winner and scientist ever, Albert Einstein, was autistic and took longer than other children to learn how to speak.
Another famous autistic Nobel Prize winner is Vernon Smith, a professor who won the 2002 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences. Vernon has a type of autism called Asperger's Syndrome and says being on the autism spectrum gave him the concentration he needed to win the prize.
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Models
Heather Kuzmich
Field: Modeling
Details: Kuzmich was on the reality TV show, America's Next Top Model, and came in fourth place. The link will take you to an interview of her discussing her life and Asperger's (a type of autism). In a similar field, Alexis Wineman, Miss Montana, was a competitor for the Miss America beauty pageant.
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Athletes
Clay Marzo
Field: Surfing
Details: Clay Marzo is a professional surfer who won the National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA) Nationals competition at age 15. He now helps run a camp for teaching autistic kids how to surf. Check out the video for some background on him and to watch him surf! Another accomplished autistic athlete is Jessica Jane Applegate, who won gold at the 2012 Paralympics with a personal best swim of 2 minutes 12.63 seconds at age fifteen.
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Game Designers
Satoshi Tajiri
Field: Video Game Designer
Details: Taijiri was the creator of the hugely popular video game Pokémon, 'the second-most successful and lucrative video game-based media franchise in the world.' Like many successful autistic people, he took his special interest and used it to help him in his career. Satoshi's special interest was bug collecting, and Pokemon is inspired by that! |
Business people
Michael Burry
Field: Finance
Details: He's a hedge fun manager and former doctor who made over $100 million for himself and $700 million for his investors by successfully predicting the problems with housing that the United States had in 2008. He's been written in the newspaper The New York Times, and the book "The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine." He said that being an outsider actually helped him be able to make so much money, because it let him see things other people didn't. |
Advocates
Temple Grandin
Fields: Animal science and autism advocacy
Details: One of TIME's 2010 most influential people. Towards the goal of autism advocacy, which means she stands up for the rights of autistic people, she is both a successful speaker and author. Temple is so famous she even had a movie made about her, which won an Emmy! She is also an animal welfare advocate recognized as an award winning visionary by PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Here's a preview of the movie about her: |