UK based well-known people with ASD

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Did Lewis Carroll have Asperger's syndrome? Historians aren't exactly sure. Professor Michael Fitzgerald, of Dublin's Trinity College compared the behavior of his patients with Asperger's syndrome with that described in the biographies of several famous men and determined that they would have been diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome. Lewis was on his list.

Susan Boyle: my relief at discovering that I have Asperger's

Singer reveals she was diagnosed a year ago and now feels 'relieved and a bit more relaxed about myself'

Susan Boyle hopes her diagnosis that she has Asperger’s syndrome will lead to people showing greater empathy and understanding towards her and her condition.

Throughout her life, Scottish singing sensation Susan Boyle has carried the label "brain damaged". Now, in an exclusive interview with the Observer, the 52-year-old has revealed that she was misdiagnosed after complications at birth and has actually had Asperger's, a high-functioning form of autism.

Boyle, who shot to fame on Britain's Got Talent in 2009 to become one of the bestselling British female artists, received the diagnosis a year ago but has kept it secret. "It was the wrong diagnosis when I was a kid," she says. "I was told I had brain damage. I always knew it was an unfair label. Now I have a clearer understanding of what's wrong and I feel relieved and a bit more relaxed about myself."

Boyle's success has recently led to a cameo role in the festive film, The Christmas Candle, while Fox Searchlight is interested in making a film of her life story with Oscar-winner Meryl Streep in the lead role. But her achievements have sometimes been marred by reports of volatile behaviour and emotional outbursts.

Asperger's affects social interaction and communication skills, and sometimes hinders the ability to form relationships and gauge appropriate behaviour in different social contexts. Boyle, who was called "Susie Simple" while growing up in her home town of Blackburn, West Lothian, was bullied as a child because she was "different" from her classmates. Now she can give that difference a name.

"I went to seek a diagnosis from a Scottish specialist," she says. "Nobody told me to. I thought I had a more serious illness and couldn't function properly." Asperger's often creates anxiety in sufferers because of their inability to deal with situations which others take in their stride, and Boyle admits to being nervous about the consultation. But she coped well with a series of simple tests that showed her intelligence levels were not connected to her condition:"I was told my IQ was above average."

The singer has also suffered from depression and mood swings and acknowledges her own vulnerability and need for support. "I am not strong on my own," she admits. "When I have the support of people around me I am fine. I have a great team."

Despite building what she calls "the posh house" with her newfound wealth, she moved back to her late mother Bridget's terraced council house in Blackburn to "stay grounded". She was particularly close to Bridget, who died just before Boyle's rise to fame, and says she had to get social services in to help her cope after bereavement. She attributes her success to her mother: "I made a promise to my mum that I would do something with my life. Spiritually, she's with me all the time. She has had a word with someone upstairs because I wouldn't have had this otherwise."

Boyle says that her struggles growing up made her more determined to succeed but also left their mark on her. "You don't fight without some resentment."

She insists the new Asperger's diagnosis neither defines nor confines her. "It will not make any difference to my life. It's just a condition that I have to live with and work through." She hopes, though, that it will lead to people showing greater empathy and understanding towards her and her condition.

"I think people will treat me better because they will have a much greater understanding of who I am and why I do the things I do."

Autistic artist Peter Howson appoints legal guardians to look after his financial affairs

ACCLAIMED artist Peter Howson yesterday admitted he cannot handle his own affairs because of his autism.

Howson is going to court to have legal guardians appointed to protect his financial and other interests, his solicitor said.

The guardians have already been chosen but a court order is needed to make their appointment permanent.

Solicitor Adrian Ward said the artist, who has a form of autism known as Asperger syndrome, wanted legal guardians "to deal with matters in which his own capacity is adversely affected by Asperger syndrome".

The decision comes three months after it emerged Howson's former manager, drug-dealing gangster William O'Neil, had been busted by the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency.

O'Neil, 43, and ex-model partner Denise McNeil, 39, face a proceeds of crime action after police seized a £1million haul of Howson art from their £1.5million mansion in the village of Bardowie, Dunbartonshire.

Last year, Howson admitted, "I should be financially secure but I am not" as he was forced to auction off more than 200 paintings from his personal collection.

An application to make the appointment of the guardians permanent has been lodged at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court under the Adults with Incapacity Act 2000.

Ward added the appointment of guardians would free Howson, 51, of the "stress and distress of trying to grapple with business and other matters in which his capacity is impaired by his Asperger syndrome".

He said the artist hoped his acknowledgement of the effects of his condition would help others with Asperger syndrome and reduce any stigma associated with it.

The guardian chosen to handle Glasgow-based Howson's property and financial affairs is John McDermott, 46, a solicitor who specialises in selling paintings.

Michael McCreadie, 44, a National Autistic Society depute principal based at Daldorch House School in Catrine, Ayrshire, will handle his "personal welfare".

One of Britain's most successful artists , Howson was recently commissioned to paint the martyrdom of St John Ogilvie at the renovated St Andrew's Cathedral in Glasgow.

His work sells for huge sums, with his Three Faces of Eve fetching a record £300,500 at auction in May 2008.

His celebrity fans include David Bowie, Jack Nicholson and Madonna.

When he sold his own paintings last year, he admitted: "I have also given away a huge amount of work and a lot of money. I have been over-generous.

"The financial problems are due to bad business decisions and not being very good with money."

Ward said Howson ended up in hospital last year because of the "extreme distress" caused by trying to handle his own business affairs.

Doctors treating him recommended that he should be helped with such matters in future.

Ward said he then "explained the options" to Howson.

Ward added: "He instructed this application. The professional assessments and reports required for such proceedings were sought. They all supported his application."