Michael Jackson had Asperger's?

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What about Mika then?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mika_(singer)

Michael Jackson was a one trick pony, despite all his talent, his gimmicks, daring stunts and what he did for pop music he was maybe also the biggest example of a one trick pony in modern music history. He never truly reinvented himself in any way, he just kept perfecting his little niche doing the same moves and spazzy tics over and over.

I don't think thats true. The style of music changed over the years, for example Thriller was R n B, Bad was more rock/pop and Dangerous had the new jack swing element to it, which was at the time popular.

Talk about someone reinventing themselves...Madonna will never stop will she? She's like the energizer bunny!

It is impossible to say exactly what caused MJ's unusual behaviour and as a result I feel I cannot comment on him specifically, however I have recently been told that having AS could have made me more sensitive to the emotional/physical abuse I suffered as a child, hence the reason I now have an (undiagnosed) personality disorder. Had I not had AS, I probably wouldn't have been quite so affected by it. This is not intended to represent ALL people with AS of course, we are all different. Considering what most people say about AS, I am quite charismatic, a good performer and quite good at dancing despite having quite severe coordination difficulties. On the other hand, I am also extremely anxious in social situations which require me to speak to a person I do not know. I am basically better when I have a large audience (less personal!). I rambled again didn't I...

I hope this is useful...

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I have HFA, ADHD, OCD & Tourette syndrome. I love animals, especially my bunnies and hamster. I skate in a roller derby team (but I'll try not to bite )

Frankly, it seems to me that michael jackson had an inferiority complex. He looked more black than most of his brothers, and was probably exposed to a lot of people that made him believe that he was inferior, etc... ALSO, he was the youngest, and apparently had some trouble earlier, and felt he had to live up to his brothers. He ended up being the lead singer, and he REALLY seemed to push the spotlight. Things went ok until he left the group, and he probably seemed pretty normal, all in all, but then he started doing things like getting nose jobs, etc.... WHO KNOWS what. He CLAIMED his skin got lighter due to some immunity malady, but that tends to happen in SPLOTCHES, so he didn't have that. Some claim it was an attempt to look less black.

After all the horrible things he did to himself, one can only imagine how he must have felt. Rumors spread, so he had some kids. He even hung one of the kids outside of a high window. That sounds like munchausen's. So I can see how the two persona were developed. AS doesn't enter into it.

Apparently MJ got diagnosed in 2003 (so I read). I also remember Katherine saying he would watch the same TV footage over and over and over and once had a total meltdown when he'd been watching the same James Brown video for 4 hours and was interrupted.

As for him being "not normal", you are automatically different when you work from the age of 7, especially in his job. And let's not forget, most of the stories are tabloid gossip and rumour (some coming from his camp in 1986 under the direction of the sadly missed Frank Dileo). MJ certainly found it difficult to lie as a child and even refused to go along with the Motown PR machine which said the Jackson 5 featured "sensational 8 year old Michael Jackson". He was almost 11 at the time and refused to be interviewed about this. He has never liked interviews. The press often act like it's not normal to not want to be interviewed. In fact, talking to the press is what's not normal.
Any later PR was more from people around him or people telling him not to give straight answers. You do find contradictions sometimes and it's due to training. The point being, it didn't come naturally to him at all and he'd rather blurt out the truth. In fact, couldn't help himself.

Add to this, abusive parents and a difficult job. Both of those things make it hard to negotiate the world around you, never mind with being on the autism spectrum. He often took things very literally as well. Lisa Marie told him to have children with someone else and then MJ couldn't understand why she was upset when he did. It looks to me like he thought it was what she wanted! And he was very possessive over his stuff. Lisa didn't even live at Neverland (he moved in with her) and yet she didn't like the mess and moved the living room around just to annoy him. He had a complete meltdown and that was the last big row they had over what's really to an NT, a very small thing.

One more thing - MJ suddenly became a very fussy eater as a child. By the age of 16, he started losing a hell of a lot of weight. A book was written in 1989 about him having anorexia nervosa. The lack of appetite or at least, being put off certain meals, could be part of being on the autism spectrum. The newspapers knew this but rarely discussed it until 1995 when he collapsed just before Christmas that year and of course during the trial when he went down to 6 stone. He only ate one meal a day most of the time or very small meals and didn't eat anything on Sundays.

As for his "shyness", it could be that he was just shy or it could be something more. I remember Pete Waterman complained he just "stood there for 45 minutes". Did it occur to Pete to try and talk to him first? Also, Ronan Keating once said he was having a meal with MJ at an awards ceremony and MJ just suddenly got up and left and didn't say "goodbye". All of these things put together could mean he was on the spectrum. It's not impossible.

1. Why are you reviving threads from last year?
2. He was diagnosed? Proof plz.
3. I think you're forgetting that he was severely abused as a child. Abuse can really f**k a person up. I think that's far more likely than Asperger's.

I don't think Michael had aspergers although he did show some characteristics just not really enough for a diagnosis.

He was just a gentle kind soul and humanitarian which was slandered by the press. Surrounded by greedy people. He was a gifted person who was robbed of his childhood. He was a truth seeker and really upset about injustices. Yes that sounds like aspergers. He was honest and others took advantage of that however he didn't always take things literally and often time others took him literally and confused what he was really saying.

Look at how lies damage someone. People even still insist he was a pedophile. People twisted his humanitarian efforts for children which stemmed from his lack of childhood so he had tons of empathy for children and turned it into a perverted witch hunt.

His son Blanket reminds me the most of him.

Blanket knows the media people that surround aren't friends or good people and he doesn't hide it. Some people have suggested Blanket is very shy, off in his own world, hard to figure out etc... I don't think it's aspergers though. He's highly sensitive and aware much like his father but his father was so gentle that people took advantage of him non-stop.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFTLdved_Ag[/youtube]

Very glad to see respect for him on here BTW! I am unsure if he was on the spectrum or not. Yes he shows many Asperger-like symptoms but he did have empathy and did love to hug (unless they were stims?). I've seen online where people speculated that he was on the spectrum but I've never seen/heard that he had an official diagnosis. I was tested and diagnosed last year in Spring with high functioning Autism (not Asperger's) along with ADHD/ADD, Depression, and learning problems. I was a clutz as a kid (still am) but my mom says I improved a lot when she put me in dance lessons. I'm not flexible at all and neither was MJ. I'm not skinny nor in shape as I was when I was a kid but when I was a kid I used to do the moonwalk, spin, toes, etc. that he did. I would watch him repeatedly much like he did with James Brown and his idols. I seem to relate to him. Some things I didn't understand about him but I excepted him as a person who made boo boos etc. I hope and pray that he's now in a better place where people won't make fun of him nor judge him anymore.

I believe he did yes!!

RIP

[Moved from General Autism Discussion to Art, Writing, and Music]