2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010Year

Autism1 in 150

1 in 68

+244%

1 in 88

1 in 110

1 in 125

1 in 166

Dwight Sheldon

Why this topic?

Anxiety

Sensory issues

Particular topic obsession

Extreme reactions

Righteousness

Generally quite literal

Extreme rigidity/routine

Cheesecake

Factory

Oatmeal &

Thai food

New comic

book day

MONDAY TUESDAY THURSDAYWEDNESDAY

Repetitive behaviors/habits

Socially challenged

Sometimes appear shy or withdrawn, but generally willing to speak when spoken to and is at least somewhat outgoing

Often shows negative reaction when being criticized or patronized

Has no difficulty in accepting compliments

Has no difficulty in starting projects

- abnormal preoccupation with lists, rules, and minor details

- excessive devotion to work, to the detriment of social and family activities

- perfectionism interfering with task completion, idea that performance is never good enough

- refusal to throw anything away (pack-rat mentality)

- rigid and inflexible attitude towards morals or ethical code - unwilling to let others perform tasks, fearing the loss of responsibility

- upset and off-balance when rules or established routines are disrupted

Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD)

Difficulty in correcting others without seeming insensitive/harsh

Difficulty working as a “team”

Interrupting in the middle of a conversation

Lacking ability to show compassion/sympathy/sincere happiness

1. Find X

6

8

x

Language is an ABSTRACT concept… pictures and text can be memorized.

Just because you “know” something doesn’t mean you necessarily “understand” it.

If you look at any minority group, initial depictions in popular culture tend to be stereotypical

Expelled from school on his first day for being too disruptive…but completed the high school curriculum by age 14

Could remember 98% of what he read… but had difficulty with abstractions (idioms, satire, irony, etc.)

He read over 12,000 books… but could not dress himself, shave, brush his teeth, or cook without assistance

He taught himself to read at 16 months old…but could not walk until age 4

The five universities that studied him considered him a genius in at least 15 subjects… yet he only had an IQ score of 87, which is below average