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I don't think Attwood really meant that Ted Nelson had autism he was just trying to describe him in a way that people who don't know him might be able to unders
by nkassis 17y ago
I don't think Attwood really meant that Ted Nelson had autism he was just trying to describe him in a way that people who don't know him might be able to understand what he is like.
Maybe I don't get what the author is trying to say. I know there a lot of people talking about how Asperger's could explain geekish behavior but I think it's a very small minority of geeks so it doesn't make sense. But saying someone displays autistic behavior doesn't say he's autistic.
- kscaldef 17y agoI think the author is trying to say that "not good with people" is rather different than "autistic". Yes, as a consequence of their disability, autistic people often do have trouble interacting with other people, but there's a specific pattern to their difficulties which is not shared by your typical "not good with people" geek. > But saying someone displays autistic behavior doesn't say he's autistic. Actually, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autism#Diagnosis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autism#Diagnosis "Diagnosis is based on behavior, not cause or mechanism". I.e., autism is defined by exhibiting autistic behavior. (Although, I grant that in this case the person labeling the behavior as autistic is not a doctor and not qualified to make just a diagnosis.)