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Countdown genius has Aspergers

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Diamonddavej
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08 Sep 2007, 7:39 am

Puzzle of Countdown genius...

Quote:
He has been re-reading the Oxford dictionary all his life, studies bus timetables for fun and has taken Countdown by storm.

Jeffrey Hansford, 42, suffers from Asperger syndrome but is also a mathematical brainbox.

He stunned Countdown viewers last Wednesday after winning eight shows in a row to get a place in the TV quiz's quarter finals later this year.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories ... -19753157/



alex
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08 Sep 2007, 7:43 am

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"Yet his disability means he cannot hold down a job and was once accused of assaulting two librarians after trying to hug them while he was having a fit."


Is that realistic?


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Diamonddavej
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08 Sep 2007, 8:04 am

Yes, sadly it is possible that despite his intelligence that his poor social skills/anxiety and low self-esteem precluded him from finding employment.

A National Autistic Society survey in 2001 found a 6% rate of full-time employment in adults with Asperger in the UK, that's very low.



sinsboldly
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08 Sep 2007, 8:18 am

holding down a job is quite difficult for most Asperger's Syndrome people, Alex. The grueling social aspect is usually what becomes the deciding factor when companies decide to give you the axe.

Merle



alex
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08 Sep 2007, 8:24 am

sinsboldly wrote:
holding down a job is quite difficult for most Asperger's Syndrome people, Alex. The grueling social aspect is usually what becomes the deciding factor when companies decide to give you the axe.

Merle


I guess I've been lucky to have taken jobs with a lower requirement of social interaction. And I think I may not have as severe a case of Asperger's as others.


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9CatMom
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08 Sep 2007, 9:23 am

When I think of these statistics, I have fortunate that I have been able to work at the same job for five years. The nature of the work, which involves organization and a set routine, is ideal for me. I am probably on the borderline of AS and NT.



monty
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10 Sep 2007, 3:44 pm

9CatMom wrote:
When I think of these statistics, I have fortunate that I have been able to work at the same job for five years. The nature of the work, which involves organization and a set routine, is ideal for me. I am probably on the borderline of AS and NT.


Same here.

I wonder about that statistic - many (most)) people with AS are not diagnosed, especially the ones that have more NT traits. Maybe the number is higher with diagnosed cases, lower if undiagnosed and borderline cases are included.



fresco
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11 Sep 2007, 4:39 am

I thought he had AS, he is a whizz at the countdown conundrums, sees the word in a millisecond.