Autism, Aspergers Syndrome and Creativity

Author:
Professor Michael Fitzgerald - Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
Professor Michael Fitzgerald, of the Department of Psychiatry at Trinity College, Dublin, has a
special interest in autism/Aspergers syndrome and creativity. He has diagnosed over 1,200
people with autism and Aspergers syndrome since 1973
Abstract:
Autism, Aspergers Syndrome and Creativity
Professor Michael Fitzgerald
Department of Psychiatry
Trinity College
Dublin 2
Ireland
E-mail fitzi@iol.ie
www.professormichaelfitzgerald.eu
In a proportion of persons with autism or Aspergers syndromethere is enhanced brain
functioning. Genes have multiple impacts and it is hypothesized that the same genes that
produce Autism Spectrum Disorder are also responsible for the creativity (and sometimes great
original creativity in the case of Aspergers syndrome) that they show. This creativity is associated
with atypical cerebral asymmetry, poor long distance interconnections in the brain with increased
local connections and local processing, and abnormal minicolumns (Casanova
www.autism2005.org). Snyder et al. (2004) were able to produce enhanced local processing
through transcranial magnetic brain stimulation.
Full Paper:
Introduction:
From time immemorial human kind has searched for the roots of creativity. In antiquity those with
creative powers were usually revered and deified. The idea of genius being associated with
innate ability is of more recent origin. Clearly individual or innate differences are of critical
importance as everybody is not a genius and indeed Mark Twain stated individual differences are
what make horse races. Clearly acts of genius must be original, novel, and bring about change
in our understanding of a subject. Persons of genius disturb the world, change our understanding
of subjects and think outside the box. Jonathan Swift wrote about genius you may know him by
this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him. Most psychological phenomena
and creativity is one of these are due to a combination of nature and nurture. It is very clear that
in relation to true genius that nature plays the major role and nurture plays a minor role.
This goes against American cultural attitudes which suggest that everybody is born with an equal
chance and everybody can become President of the United States. This is not true.
In this article I have introduced the phrase Asperger savant to denote a person with high
intelligence and Aspergers syndrome who nevertheless is vastly creative beyond what one would
even expect from this high intelligence. This is in contrast to autistic savantism which is

described by Grossman (1977) as a person of low intelligence who possesses an usually high
skill in some mental task like mental arithmetic, remembering dates and numbers or in performing
other wrote tasks at a remarkably high level. Of course, this is not creativity in terms of changing
our understanding of paradigms etc.
The great pioneer in this area was Bernard Rimland, who revolutionised our understanding of
infantile autism with his book in 1964. His groundbreaking work remains highly relevant today.
Indeed autistic creativity was normally seen in Mathematics, Engineering, and the Sciences but
not the Arts. Clearly this is wrong as George Orwell, Andy Warhol, etc. had Aspergers syndrome
(Fitzgerald, 2005). Rimland pointed out all these years ago that in terms of creativity the
common element in creativity in both the arts and sciences is that the creative person is able to
see similarities and relationships that are both new and unique. This requires both intelligence
and the tendency to bind ideas into cohesive larger assemblies. Rimlands other massive
contribution was to correctly and bravely challenge the psychogenic view of autism in the early
1960s.
Autistic Intelligence:
Hans Asperger wrote about autistic intelligence and saw it as a sort of intelligence hardly
touched by tradition and culture unconventional, unorthodox, strangely pure and original, akin to
the intelligence of true creativity. Autistic intelligence is unconventional and unorthodox and
indeed Temple Grandin has stated that genius is an abnormality. However, Grandin (1995)
believes that autistic intelligence is necessary in order to add diversity and creativity in the world:
It is possible that persons with bits of these traits are more creative, are possibly even geniuses.
If science eliminated these genes, maybe the whole world would be taken over by accountants.
Autistic intelligences tend to be in the area of linguistic, spatial, musical, and abstraction as well
as logic. It is also interesting that many geniuses with Aspergers syndrome have performed only
modestly at school if indeed they have performed to that level. Charles Darwin at school was
mediocre and Albert Einstein was highly unpopular with teachers. When these people left school
and found what they were interested in they performed brilliantly.

Genes and Genius:

Howard Gardner (1997) summarises this very well when he wrote that some traits that do not run
in families may still be genetically transmitted according to a principle called emergenesis by
which traits are passed on by a package of genes, but only if the entire package is transmitted.
Clearly here we are talking about multiple genes and gene: gene interactions. Mozart couldnt
have been a musical genius without some early training and indeed his sister had pretty much the
same training that he had but produced in her life nothing like he did. It appears that Mozart had
these package of genes and his sister did not. No amount of training will produce a child with the
output of a Mozart without this package of genes. It is hypothesised that both the genetic
background and the neurobiological structure and function and neurochemistry of the brain is
different in persons who produce genius work as compared to neurotypicals. Cesare Lombroso
(1891) was wrong to see genius or talent as associated with degeneration. While Lombroso was
wrong in terms of his physical description of genius, he was much more accurate in his clinical
description of the characteristics of persons with genius.
This article is focusing on primarily male contributions to great creativity. Nevertheless females
with Aspergers syndrome can also be highly creativity: for example, Simone Weil and Joy
Adamson (Fitzgerald, 2005; Lyons and Fitzgerald, 2006).

The Genetic Fallacy:

This is the philosopher's fallacy. It is the myth which underpins philosophy that is the idea that the
man and the work are seen as entirely different. This article goes against the philosopher's
fallacy. This articles suggests that the man and the work are inseparable.

Psychohistory and Biography:

People often criticise this work as 'diagnosing the dead'. Nevertheless, this approach has been
used by some of the most respected writers: for example, Uta Frith in her book with Houston
called Autism In History; Sula Wolff in Loners: The Life Path of Unusual Children, and
Christopher Gillberg and Mary Coleman commenting on historical figures in The Biological Basis
on Autism. Simon Baron-Cohen also makes similar comments in his book, The Essential
Difference.
To make a diagnosis of somebody who is no longer living, one needs an enormous amount of
contemporaneous documentary information. This information should have been collected as
indeed is always the case without the idea of autism or Aspergers syndrome. In the figures that I
have discussed, there is massive information which was written without the bias of looking for a
diagnosis of autism or Aspergers syndrome. I agree with Frith and Houston that it is possible to
come to a conclusion that a person has autism or not 'by examining . . . evidence with the
hindsight of current knowledge'.
In the References / Bibliography to this article, I have outlined many creative individuals from both
the Arts, Sciences, and Politics who have had Aspergers syndrome, including the philosopher
Ludwig Wittgenstein, the politician Sir Keith Joseph, the poet William Butler Yeats, the writer
Lewis Carroll, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Gregor Mendel, Kant, Spinoza, and Charles
Lindbergh (Fitzgerald, 2004; Fitzgerald, 2005; Lyons and Fitzgerald, 2005).
Stanley Kubrick an example of Aspergers syndrome and creativity. This is described in detail in
the book by Lyons and Fitzgerald (2005) Aspergers syndrome A Gift or a Curse. His films
include A Clockwork Orange, Dr Strangelove, and 2001: A Space Odyssey. He was a boy who
had great difficulties at school. He received a great deal of home tuition. He showed very poor
social skills at school. He also had clear features of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in
terms of being inattentive and disruptive in class, which often co-occurs with Aspergers
syndrome (Fitzgerald et al., 2006). In conclusion, in relation to school he showed poor school
progress. In terms of his narrow interests, this was focused on photography initially and later
moved to films. Early on, in terms of his special interest, he showed enormous persistence,
narrow focus and indeed massive energy in relation to them. He showed poor social know-how
and was a loner. He showed the piercing eyes so common in persons with Aspergers
syndrome. People found him eccentric and enigmatic and found it extremely difficult to get to
know him. He hated Hollywood parties, according to his widow Christiane. In terms of
friendships, these were on an intellectual level, a level of shared interests. He had major
empathy deficits. Alex in A Clockwork Orange would be a figure with Aspergers syndrome and
was a person engaging in criminal activities. Kubrick always remained somewhat child-like and
immature. He was an obsessive, meticulous filmmaker who, later on in his life, would make only
about two films every ten years. He showed massive attention to detail. He was extremely
controlling and a workaholic. It is often thought that persons with Aspergers syndrome have no
humour but he did have a cruel sense of humour (Lyons and Fitzgerald, 2004). He was also
rather suspicious and anxious individual. He was one of the greatest filmmakers in the world.
References and Bibliography:

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krankheiten, 1944 / 1991, Translated in U. Frith (Ed) Autism and Aspergers syndrome,
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
2. Baron-Cohen S. (2003). The Essential Difference. Alan Lane: Penguin Books: London.
3. Buxbaum J. D., Silverman J., Smith C., Kilifarski M., Reichert J., Hollander E., Lawlor B.,
Fitzgerald M., Greenberg D., Davis K. (2001). Evidence for a susceptibility gene for autism on
chromosome 2 and for genetic heterogeneity. American Journal of Human Genetics, 68: 1514
1520.
4. Buxbaum J., Silverman J., Smith C., Kilifarski M., Reichert J., Zong C., Zhou G., Lawlor B.,
Fitzgerald M., Galvin P., Whiting K., Greenberg D., Davis K. (1999). A genome-wide linkage
study in autism. Molecular Psychiatry, 4, 1, 13.
5. Conroy J., Meally E., Kearney G., Fitzgerald M., Gill M., Gallagher L. (2004). Serotonin
transporter gene and autism: A haplotype analysis in an Irish autistic population. Molecular
Psychiatry, 9, 6, 587 593.
6. Conroy J., Seguardo R., Meally E., Green A., Stallings R., Fitzgerald M., Gill M., Ennis S.,
Gallagher L. (2004). Evidence of association for a susceptibility region for autism and
chromosome 2q. American Journal of Medical Genetics, 130b, 1, 21.
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Developmental Disorders, 9, 4, 225.
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syndrome? Nord. J. Psychiatry, 53, 6, 465 466.
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Adolescent Psychiatry Journal, 8, 204.
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Autism Europe Link, 29, 21.
11. Fitzgerald M. (2000). Did Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery (Montgomery of Alamein) have
Aspergers syndrome? Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 42, 1, 73 76.
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Diagnosis, 31 36.
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Developmental Disorders, 30, 6, 621 622.

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London Jessica Kingsley.
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Hyperactivity Disorder. Wiley.
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Wittgenstein. Ed. by F. A. Flowers, Thoemmes Press, 1999.
28. Frith U., Houston R. (2000). Autism and History: Oxford: Blackwell.
29. Gallagher L., Becker K., Kearney G., Dunlop A., Stallings R., Green A., Fitzgerald M., Gill M.
(2003). A case of autism associated with del (2) (q32.1q32.2) or (q32.2q32.3). Journal of Autism
and Developmental Disorders, 33, 1, 105 108.
30. Gallagher L., Becker K., Kearney G., Dunlop A., Stallings R., Green A., Fitzgerald M., Gill M.
(2003). A case of autism associated with del (2) (q32.1q32.2) or (q32.2q32.3). Journal of Autism
and Developmental Disorders, 33, 1, 105 108.
31. Gallagher L., Ennis S., Conroy J., Seguardo R., Meally E., Kearney G., Fitzgerald M.,
Stallings R., Green A., Gill M. (2003). Identification of a susceptibility region for autism on
chromosome 2q. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 12, 2, Supplement 2, 69.
32. Gallagher L., Hawi Z., Kearney G., Fitzgerald M., Gill M. (2004). No association between
allelic variants of HOXA1/HOXB1 and autism. Neuropsychiatric Genetics, 124B, 64 7.
33. Gardner H. (1997). Extraordinary Minds. New York: Basic Books.
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syndrome and Adolescents. A Guide to Communication and Socialisation in Interaction Therapy.
London Jessica Kingsley.
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with autism. Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine, 16, 2, 59 60.
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syndrome. Dublin Liberties Press.
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