Successful Aspies... again.

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These have all had successfulness and fame in specific things:
Whatshisname [forgotten it] from the vines [aspie]
Stephen Wiltshire [autie]
George Barry [aspie] infamous more than famous.
Luke Jackson [aspie]
Tito Mukhopadhyay [autie]

Success and Fame are two very different things - especially for aspies.

Success is doing well in life.
Fame is being well known.

We have a few famous people here in Australia;
- Ivan Milat
- Leonard John Fraser
- Dante Wyndham Arthurs (a child killer who claims to be aspie)

There are a few more, but I've forgotten them.
Anyway - these are famous but not (IMHO) successful people.

I agree with Merle. It's very easy to say "girls get it easier" but our AS can be even more invisible than boys and fewer of us get a DX. Try finding any good studies on girls and women with AS (though Christchurch Uni is just kicking a study off this year).

I kept being told not to be so melodramatic and to 'just try a bit harder'. It's hard when people think you're making everything up for some twisted reason, so you stop talking about it for 30+ years. Then every time you have a breakdown you hide it from everyone. I describe it like being a swan. Looking serene on the surface, but paddling like mad underneath and hoping you'll stay afloat.

On the successful question - do you really mean famous aspies? Because few sensible aspies would choose the sort of career that brings fame these days (the Eye of Sauron I call it) and even if they knew would be unlikely to admit it, because of the skewed view of AS the media.

The only person I know who has mentioned Aspergers in interviews is Dan Akroyd, who I would happily have on my team any day. Chicks that in interviews I have read sound quite aspie to me are Daryl Hannah, Hilary Swank and Sharon Stone. And of course there is our model Aspie, Heather Kuzmich who has happily admitted her DX.

I've met quite a few comedians, dj's and artists that I'm sure have it. Once you're successful people are way more accommodating of quirky behaviour believe me. Some of the riders (refreshments lists) I have seen have had some very strange food requests on them. Anyway it's not for me or anyone to out aspies.

As Einstein said:

"The value of a man should be seen in what he gives and not in what he is able to receive. Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value. If you think of all the top people in the world, they would have added something of value to the world. You must give in order to take. When your purpose is contributing or adding value to the world, you will be elevated to a higher level of living."