30 Quotes from 30 People with Autism

By Merrick Egber

John Elder Robison – Author, ‘Look Me In The Eye: My Life with Asperger’s’

“I don’t want to be a genius or a freak or something on display. I wish for empathy and compassion from those around me, and I appreciate sincerity, clarity, and logicality in other people. I believe most people—autistic or not—share this wish. And now, with my newfound insight, I’m on the way to achieving that goal. I hope you’ll keep those thoughts in mind the next time you meet someone who looks or acts a little strange.”

Dr. Temple Grandin – Professor of Animal Husbandry, Colorado State University.

“I am different, not less”

Dan Akroyd – Famous Actor ‘Ghostbusters’ ‘Blues Brothers’

“I also have Asperger’s but I can manage it. It wasn’t diagnosed until the early Eighties when my wife persuaded me to see a doctor. One of my symptoms included my obsession with ghosts and law enforcement — I carry around a police badge with me, for example. I became obsessed by Hans Holzer, the greatest ghost hunter ever. That’s when the idea of my film Ghostbusters was born.”

Dr. Stephen Shore – Special Education Professor, Adelphi University, Advisory Board Member

“If you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism.”

Naoki Higashida – Author ‘The Reason I Jump’

“Everybody has a heart that can be touched by something.”

Dr. Kerry Magro – National Speaker, Advisory Board Member

“Autism can’t define me,  I define autism.”

Kayla Cromer – Actress, “Everything’s Gonna Be Okay”

“Being on the spectrum and having other learning differences, I am used to working harder and have a great drive to succeed. I interpret things differently, which helps with analyzing scripts, engulfing myself into roles, to achieve realism. [It] also drives me to make strong choices.”

Haley Moss – Attorney, Autism Spectrum Award Winner 2019, Advisory Board Member

I might hit developmental and societal milestones in a different order than my peers, but I am able to accomplish these small victories on my own time.

Ron Sandison – Professor of Theology at Destiny School of Ministry. Advisory Board Member. 

“Help people with autism to be included in social activities. By doing this people learn that individuals with autism are like everyone else and desire to have friendships.”

Paul Morris – Assistant, New York Medical College of Human Resources – Advisory Board Member

“I think that it is not only autistic people who need to learn. The people who don’t have autism must learn to understand us and be tolerant”

Andrew Blitman – Tutor and Mentor, Firewalls Centers – Advisory Board Member

“Streams of words

Flow as drops on paper

From the fountain pen,

Their source.

Communication is easy when written,

But when spoken it often feels forced.”

Sue Abramowski – Human Services Professional – Advisory Board Member

“At the end of the day, despite our differences, my [Neurotypical] brother and I complement each other. He serves as a sounding board for when I need to vent, and I do the same for him. He gives me financial pointers, and I give him advice on what to do next when he is contemplating options in a given situation.”

Rachel Barcellona – Pageant Professional – Autism Spectrum Award Winner 2017 – Advisory Board Member

“Everyone has a mountain to climb and autism has not been my mountain, it has been my opportunity for victory.”

Merrick Egber – Administrative Assistant, Els for Autism Foundation – Chair of the Advisory Board

“I used to think, when I was first diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome – a form of autism, about what I can’t do, rather than what I can do, which was a mistake in thinking”

Tony Hernandez Pumajero – Collaborator, Despierta Orlando – Univision TV, Advisory Board Member

“My focus is to continue to advocate on behalf of people with autism, especially adults, for better programs and services that will help them achieve a more independent and greater life. Regardless of the function level, every person with autism has an important role to play as the agents of change that the World truly needs”

Adam Jones – Barn Attendant at Madison Fields – Part of the Madison House Autism Foundation, Autism Spectrum Award Winner 2018 – Advisory Board Member

“When people pursue their interests, especially those that are on the autism spectrum, they have a better chance at succeeding in life.”

Mike DiMauro – UberEats Driver, Advisory Board Member

“We  need to have kindness in this world, we need to have peace in this world, and we need to have forgiveness in this world”

Jim Hogan – Principal Innovation Strategist – Google, Autism Spectrum Award Winner 2020 – Advisory Board Member

“my activism is not about ending Autism, it is about ending cruelty – with a focus on the horrendous cruelty of bullying”

Susan Boyle – Famous Singer – ‘I Dreamed a Dream’, ‘Wild Horses’ 

“There are enough people in the world who are going to write you off. You don’t need to do that to yourself.”

Dan Harmon – Famous Showrunner –  ‘Community’, ‘Rick & Morty’

“We float around and we run across each other and we learn about ourselves, and we make mistakes and we do great things. We hurt others, we hurt ourselves, we make others happy and we please ourselves. We can and should forgive ourselves and each other for that.”

Sir Anthony Hopkins – Famous Actor – ‘Silence of the Lambs’, ‘The Father’

“My philosophy is: It’s none of my business what people say of me and think of me. I am what I am, and I do what I do. I expect nothing and accept everything. And it makes life so much easier.”

Daryl Hannah – Famous Actress – ‘Splash’, ‘Bladerunner’

“Life is too short to stress the small things anymore.”

Stephen Wiltshire – Famous Landscape Sketch Artist

“Do the best you can and never stop”

Gloria Mendoza – SAP S/4HANA Technical Quality Manager – 2016 Els for Autism Spectrum Award Winner

“You should see some of the videos I had when I was a child, I was not very socially skilled with the other kids, not showing interests with other people, displaying some of the challenging behaviors that a child, on the autism spectrum, would have. ”

Joshua ‘Deersey’ Deer – Assistant Equipment Manager at Lone Star Brahmas/NA3HL Texas Brahmas – 2015 Els for Autism Spectrum Award Winner

“For every tournament, any PGA Tournament Jordan, Ernie and Ryan play in, I always look up bible verses related to golf, and I set them up as character goals,” Deer says, “to help them with their character, and to help them stay positive.”

Hannah Gadsby – Comedian ‘Nannette’ ‘Douglas’

“when I was diagnosed, it just gave me permission to be kinder to myself, to not always take responsibility for being a bit clumsy around other people, and allow me to start to tell people, “I’m clumsy, but I [don’t] mean to be.” And being more open about, “I need you to tell me what I did wrong, and then we can move on from there.”

Dani Bowman – Head of DaniMation Studios – an Animation Company

“Anything Is possible! If I can do it, so can you!”

Xavier DeGroat – Head, Xavier DeGroat Autism Foundation

“I got doubted when I was a kid. ‘You’re never going to meet the Dalai Lama [and] you’re never going to do this or that. That’s the exact kind of thing I don’t appreciate in people.”

Dr. Mary Doherty – consultant anaesthetist, Our Ladies’ Hospital.

“It was only when my son was diagnosed as autistic that everything finally made sense: my unconventional lifestyle and career path, my sequential interests which are unusual in their variety and intensity, my sensory preferences and my absolute need for solitude. Finally understanding that my experience of the world is different from that of non-autistic people allows me to understand my needs and ensure they are met, and at this point I love being autistic and no longer struggle with mental health issues.”

Inspiring and Powerful Aspergers Quotes and Sayings

FTC disclaimer. This post contains affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you purchase through one of my links.

Our Aspergers quotes collection reminds us that Aspergers is a way of being, not a disease.

Some quotes about Aspergers emphasize that their cognitive thinking is not retarded but works on a different plane, which is completely alright.

If you ask the doctors, they would say Aspergers is part of the broader category of Autism called the autism spectrum disorder. 

But look closely at people with Aspergers; they are entirely ordinary people but with different behavioral patterns when interacting with society.

All they need is to appreciate who they are, and we need to stop discriminating against them by calling it a mental disorder.

If you find any of the Aspergers quotes meaningful, spread the word and raise awareness surrounding Aspergers and Autism. 

Best and Famous Aspergers Quotes

Also Read: 30 Positive and Inspiring Autism quotes for Love and Support

From a scientific standpoint, Aspergers and autism are one syndrome. Aspergers is part of the autism spectrum, not a separate disorder.
– Temple Grandin

It seems that for success in science or art, a dash of autism is essential.
– Hans Asperger

What would happen if the autism gene was eliminated from the gene pool? You would have a bunch of people standing around in a cave, chatting and socializing and not getting anything done.
– Temple Grandin

A person with autism lives in his own world, while a person with Asperger’s lives in our world, in a way of his own choosing.
– Nicholas Sparks

Also Read: 20 Powerful and Inspirational Dyslexia Quotes and Sayings

Who do you think made the first stone spears? The Asperger guy. If you were to get rid of all the autism genetics, there would be no more Silicon Valley.
– Temple Grandin

Saying you have something implies that it’s temporary and undesirable. Asperger’s isn’t like that. You’ve been Aspergian as long as you can remember, and you’ll be that way all your life. It’s a way of being, not a disease.
– John Elder Robison

Asperger’s syndrome has probably been an important and valuable characteristic of our species throughout evolution.
– Tony Attwood

Children and adults with Asperger’s Syndrome have a different, not defective, way of thinking.
– Tony Attwood

There’s no black and white dividing line between a mild Aspergers, which is the mild autism, and computer engineer, for example.
– Temple Grandin

Also Read: 35 Inspiring ADHD Quotes and Sayings: ADHD Awareness Month

We hope going through our handpicked collection of Aspergers quotes gave you new insights.

Share it with your loved ones and social circle and let them know that ‘Aspergers isn’t a disease. They are born different, and all they need is our respect for their self-identity.’

Sharing is Caring!

Asperger’s Syndrome Patients Are Ideal Software Testers / Sudo Null IT News
alizar

Feb 25, 2011 at 10:28 pm

Time to read
2 min

Views 4.9K

Cyberpunk

Chicago-based nonprofit startup Aspiritech specializes in software development and testing and is going to beat the competition with an unusual biological trump card. They only hire people with Asperger’s Syndrome (also called “Geek Syndrome”). This is one of the forms of high-functioning autism, the sufferers of which are often distinguished by a highly developed intellect and an obsessive (obsessive) level of focus on objects of interest.

The Aspiritech executive believes these are ideal qualities for programmers and software testers. She says these findings are supported by recent research from the Harvard Business School, as well as experience from other firms.

“Their ability to focus, good memory, high intelligence, advanced technical ability, ability to notice details and also maintain concentration for long periods of time really makes them ideal candidates for software testers. People with Asperger’s Syndrome can be perfect testers,” says Brenda Weitzberg, founder of startup Aspiritech.

By the way, the name Aspiritech seems to come from the words Asperger + inspire + technology (tech).

However, this is nothing particularly new. There has long been talk of people with Asperger’s Syndrome becoming good (better) programmers. Even with the naked eye, almost every good programmer can detect characteristic signs – difficulty in eye contact, underdeveloped communication skills, high intelligence, good memory, attention to detail, etc. This is covered in the aforementioned Wired article titled The Geek Syndrome.

For example, the autism website lists a list of occupations most suitable for people with Asperger’s Syndrome. Programming comes first. The list includes other professions that require concentration and encourage an obsessive focus on objects of interest: web design, computer game development, computer animation, etc. to any IT company. The disease is probably congenital and is caused by genetic markers. Perhaps in the future, caring parents will deliberately make appropriate changes to the genome of the fetus to make it easier for him to find a well-paid job.

Tags:

• Asperger Syndrome
• Geek Syndrome
• Aspiritech

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Anatoly Alizar
@alizar

author, freelancer

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There are two polar views on Asperger’s syndrome. Parents of autistic people consider Asperger’s syndrome to be a painful condition, and they make attempts at psychological correction and drug treatment of their children. This is the path of stigmatization, social exo-crutches, castrating pedagogy, and the destruction of identity.

Adult aspies who have managed to overcome the greatest difficulties, socialize and become successful enough to get the right to speak, consider the perception and response of people with Asperger’s syndrome as one of the normal options, speak out for tolerance to neurodiversity, against repressive corrective methods, speak about that the aforementioned difficulties are artificially created by society and call for the creation of conditions under which all people, regardless of how much their abilities and characteristics deviate from some average mental norm, will be included in the life of society.

The very notion that there can be a “healthy” majority for whom the world fits perfectly, and an “unhealthy” minority that must be treated, corrected, isolated or eliminated because it does not fit into the framework – the notion ignorant. There is no norm, but there is the probability of a normal distribution and the theory of three sigma, from which we can understand that zero ideality, in principle, does not suit anyone. All people deviate from the norm to some extent, which means that everyone needs special, individual conditions for self-realization.

Temple Grandin. The world needs different ways of thinking

An important note: if something “does not fit” social groups with peculiarities of functioning – those who deviate by 2σ or 3σ – this something “does not fit” the whole society as a whole. If the stairs are impassable for a person in a wheelchair, then the inaccessibility of the upper floor is not only a problem for wheelchair users. This means that an elderly person, a person in a cast, a mother with a stroller, a man with a heavy bag, a small child will also not go up the stairs.

And these orphans and miserable comrades listed above are not public garbage, they are precisely those for the sake of which we are building our ladder, our society. These are our families: children, mothers, fathers, grandparents and our friends. If a citizen is stoned for publicly expressing feelings for the “wrong” person, the problem is not misdirected feeling. Because social rules are written for the person, and not to get rid of the person. Fortunately, the stigmatization of non-traditional sexuality is a thing of the past. It’s time to move neurostigmatization in the same direction. The fact that society cannot find a common language with autistic people, receive and use the genius of people with other systems of thinking for the good, is not a problem for autistic people, but there is a problem for society.

Stephen Hawking, wheelchair user with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Probably, there is no person now who would not know what a wheelchair user with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or a modest color-blind programmer can give to the world. But the benefit from each of us – from each person – is not measured by brilliant discoveries or projects. There are intangible values ​​with which people enrich life. Especially not those who are lucky enough to realize themselves. Although there is a huge demand for highly socialized autistics, examples from the past still create a reputation for the syndrome. For many, an aspie is someone who is good at adding ten-digit numbers, speaks 50 languages, memorizes books in libraries, or collects nonsense. Moreover, the appearance that is usually represented with the word “asperger” is necessarily strange. But a different operating system installed in the head of Aspergers may not affect their appearance at all, especially the appearance of those who are “lucky”. On the other hand, it is encouraging to see young aspies who write in their diaries “I don’t want to fit in with you” and express their identity in appearance as well. However, they do not look like aliens or neglected patients in a psychiatric hospital. You will never guess about the syndrome if you are not told confidentially from it.

Mark Zuckerberg, colorblind programmer

You will be surprised, but you are surrounded by people with autism spectrum disorders, those same +3σ and above. Of course, there are very few open successful aspies today. But this does not mean that the best results of repressive pedagogy, which are much more popularized, are a model for describing aspies. The development of the Internet and applications for people with other systems of thinking allows us to hope that there will be more open, highly socialized autists.

All people with Asperger’s syndrome are very different from each other. But there are common features that distinguish them from the so-called extended spectrum autism group. And these special features are exactly what society should accept and assimilate, this is a gift from Aspergers, that very intangible value and spiritual contribution, the main story of this text.

What I will write next is not a classic and far from exhaustive description of people with Asperger’s, and, of course, I deliberately do not draw your attention to a lot of other (“unpleasant”) traits that lead aspies to social decompensation. But all the “negative” traits follow from the ones I have cited.

So what do Aspergers teach us?

Start with empathy, or the capacity for compassion. It is often said that aspies lack the capacity for compassion. I believe that this impression is produced by the acquired mask of Aspergers, and in fact, many Aspergers have the highest, off-scale empathy. This empathy is so great that generally accepted emotional colors cannot fully express it, and after many unsuccessful attempts, aspergers choose a mask of insensitivity and seek strength to protect the “neurotypical” from their cosmic sensations, because they do not feel the need to communicate at a low empathic level. The emotional exhaustion of aspergers, in my opinion, is due to the fact that all the reactions of a hyper-empathic person from the very beginning of life seem to be directed into the void. Society remains indifferent to reactions and appeals, and the aspie builds momentum, turns into a preacher and can die from severe decompensation due to lack of feedback.

It’s scary that the “majority” considers lies, theft, competition to be the norm. Be a Little Aspie – Tell the Truth

There are some fairly compensated or retrained Aspies who come into contact with the community through TV shows or writing books, and they talk about their strong feelings, their intense spiritual life. I do not call for developing a dangerous level of hyper-empathy in yourself, but maybe you should try to learn to compassion a little more than you know how? If before you were only interested in your family, maybe include your neighbors in the zone of empathy? If a neighbor has already enjoyed your exclusive location, maybe you can make the people living in your house, district or city the object of your responsibility? If your biological compassion worked towards people of your nationality, maybe try to sympathize with others? If your solidarity was only male or only female, isn’t it time to shift the frame to universal? If you cringe when someone else was bled from a finger, maybe you should think about how a cow feels at the slaughterhouse? This is Asperger’s empathy, but take a small part for yourself – it will brighten your life and tell you more about your own abilities.

Try to be honest like an aspie. Saying something destructive to a relationship seems counterintuitive to us. But is it really so? We spend years building personal bonds that really shouldn’t exist at all. We use lies as a cementing mixture for the family. We manipulate private interests for the sake of the overall effectiveness of the group, and all this leads to disastrous consequences. We build houses of cards on shaky ground instead of learning to say, “I don’t like your clothes. I don’t like your voice. I just hate your habits.” Yes, the person will leave. Yes, you will lose the resources associated with it. But you can not build resource relationships. This high decency of Aspergers seems like angular bad manners, but try to notice something delightful in this grotesque. A person who cannot stand even small lies does not play bigger games either – Aspergers are inert, they cannot be moved by political manipulation. Imagine a world of people who don’t steal, lie, or try to beat others in a competitive race. No, this is not a pathology. It is terrible that the “majority” considers lies, theft, competition to be the norm. Be a little aspie – speak the truth.

Another funny character trait that Aspergers exhibit is their amazing attentiveness, whether to key or non-essential things. Asperger’s can endlessly explore a tiny field of science and achieve amazing, unexpected results. On the other hand, aspergers can be superficial, ignoring minor details and discovering the laws that govern phenomena, completely new systemic things. This is meticulousness, punctuality, this is a retreat from the world into the desert, which comes from the awareness of one’s own place and the ability to give an adequate assessment of both someone else’s and one’s own activities.

Incredible and incomprehensible persistence, incomprehensible to others until the very end of the work, the ability to be the best in one’s place – this is a very important and worthy quality that should be perceived as one’s own. Like Gorbanevskaya: “I have a place, maybe it’s so small, but it’s mine…”

Awareness of one’s role, respect for one’s chosen activity helps Aspergers respect the activities of other people, other specialists. The “thirsty and hungry for truth” have a broken vanity meter, they are inert to criticism, insults, compliments or flattery, they are not interested in material or historical rewards. Moreover, aspergers are the inventors of the cure for vanity, envy and boasting. They sincerely rejoice in the success of other people, because they approach the perception of achievements in a systematic way: “It was not a genius who discovered it, it was we, humanity, who made a breakthrough.” Which, in fact, is an objective assessment of what happened, because not a single person develops independently, but we are all a social product, and our achievements are based on the victories of our ancestors and serve as the basis for the achievements of our descendants. Hello, copyright advocates! Be a little aspie, share your successes and celebrate the achievements of others!

Alix Generous. My Inner Life with Aspergers

The best in love and friendship, from the outside, Aspergers are like elephants in a china shop. Social rules and boundaries fall off the shelves like meaningless cheap china. Asperger will be the first to break all existing rules, but not out of a desire to be evil. He will not be afraid that he looks funny or eccentric, he will not refuse to give a hand to the untouchable. The internal compass – everything I wrote about above, all the arrows: empathy, consistency, honesty, passion – will show the direction of movement, and the boundaries will be destroyed. This is how Aspergers destroy their social contacts, and this is how they make their brilliant scientific discoveries.

Sometimes it seems to me that Aspergers have hearts the size of the universe, and instead of eyes, complex optical magnifying systems that are able to detect meaning and meaning in all manifestations of life and in all the colors of the surrounding world. Aspies can spend years delightedly studying a bug or bacterium. Water, wind, fire, the sound of trees, the lapping of waves, the movement of cool air, the rustle of leaves, the growth of grass, the life of insects – all this enchants Aspergers, makes their hearts vibrate. “A speck of dust from distant lands” launches a chain of endless reflection, exhausting the vivid living of every moment. Whispers and clicks become tickets to the braingasm festival and entry into the realm of the Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response.

Meltdown, or an aspie’s emotional breakdown, is just a manifestation of the overload of the aforementioned beauty. Too much taste, color, sound, feeling, empathy, hugging. Meltdown is very different from other emotional disorders. In the movies, we often see scenes during which a crying person is hit in the face – and he calms down. I doubt that such a “support” is generally effective, but now I give such an example because I want to point out that hitting an aspie in meltdown or yelling at him at that moment means causing an incredible shock that the aspie will not be able to cope with on his own. On the other hand, literally any dog ​​can stop meltdown remarkably well, just by showing increased empathy: it does not require verbal answers, it reminds that it is nearby, shows positive emotions, asserts the stability of the world, gives warmth, switches attention to its soft coat and shows an example of calmness and friendliness.

The episode of meltdown as the highest degree of susceptibility, before the breakdown is the idea that it might be fun to increase the brightness of our life monitor a little. If someone literally blows their minds from a violin concerto or a noisy children’s party, maybe we should try to listen and look at the environment a little more – not to the cracking of glasses, but at least to the appearance of flageolets? Maybe add a pinch of vanilla sugar to our sour life jam?

And the last amazing ability of Aspergers is the ability to fulfill themselves, no matter what. I think that the social sacrifice that aspies make is not a natural need. This is the result of the intolerance of society, which, like a mothballed bureaucrat with a questionnaire, asks: “Do you have this piece of paper? No? Can you do this? No? Get out!” Not all the skills we are taught are vital. Most of the mossy social norms that once, in prehistoric times, ensured the survival of man as a species, are no more useful than the masks that shamans used to scare away evil spirits. Many norms hinder social progress and crush the happiness of entire generations. Each of us should have time to enjoy life, for an inappropriate smile, for an averted look, for naive honesty, for quick decision making and for considering each step.

Brodsky said: “If what distinguishes us from other representatives of the animal kingdom is speech, then literature, and in particular poetry, being the highest form of literature, is, roughly speaking, our species goal.” Yes, poetry is a species goal. But this is not the only specific purpose. The new Brodsky, who someday writes the next instructive Nobel speech for us, will add other generic goals, such as solidarity, for example.