Albert Einstein’s Analysis of Autism

A great riddle to ponder is the question of whether Albert Einstein was autistic. He was never diagnosed with autism. The actual diagnosis was not developed until decades before his death, but Einstein exhibited many of the traits of autism. However, many believe that Einstein was simply an an eccentric genius and that his intelligence made it difficult for him to relate to others. If, as some researchers believe, Einstein suffered from autism, the question arises of whether his genius was so because of or in spite of his potential disability. The sciences have long attracted people with autistic traits, provoking the idea that he was drawn to science because the thought patterns required in scientific work are highly compatible with the autistic mentality. Autism affects everyone differently. As of 2012, 1 in 68 eight-year-old children have been diagnosed with autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC reports that ASD is about 4.5 times more common in males compared to females, with the typical percentage of the population affected being about 1% to 2% in Europe, Asia and North America.

The reasons for this disease are not known, but the CDC says that many scientists suspect some genetic risk factors. The CDC reports that there have been studies that have shown a higher likelihood of ASD in children born to older parents. Contrary to popular belief, however, CDC research shows that vaccines have no link to ASD. People with autism spectrum disorders tend to have more difficulty in social settings. Many people with autism struggle with understanding motives and social cues. It is difficult for people with autism to notice and explain body language. People with autism tend to struggle making friends and have difficulty communicating with other people. Some people with autism develop cognitive abilities more slowly. Autism tends to present itself in fixation. People with autism tend to grasp an object and explore it fully, often eagerly sharing their findings in a repetitive manner. They have difficulty perceiving humor, often viewing jokes as literal. Everyone with autism shares some of these traits, but not all and not in the same way. Einstein had some of these traits.

He did not talk until he was three and was not a fluent speaker until he was ten. Einstein went from not talking at all to talking in complete, often repetitive, sentences. This is an autistic way of learning: not demonstrating ability until a basic level of capability is established. Some people on the spectrum will refuse to acknowledge a skill, such as reading or speaking, until they feel that they can do it decently. There was a period of several years where Einstein would say his sentences softly to himself and then repeat them, louder, to whoever he was talking to. As a child, Einstein did not have friends. He was a loner who tended to ignore social conventions, like respecting teachers. He did not demonstrate care in his appearance, often dressing in an unkempt manner. He was intensely focused on prior scientific topics. Einstein displayed many of the subtler nuances of autism.

On the other hand, Einstein had a good sense of humor. He traveled around the world after receiving his Nobel Prize, engaging with his admirers. As an adult, he had friends, some of whom he took time out of his busy life as an assistant in a patent office to go to another country, Switzerland, to see them. He was witty and smart, and that, combined with narcissism, passion for his subject, and impatience with slower thinkers, could easily be the cause of his isolation. Einstein was never formally diagnosed, though, so there is no way to be sure. Regardless of his state of disability, Einstein did great things. He received sixty-two nominations for the Nobel Prize over the course of twelve years. He eventually won the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics, though it was delayed. Nobel Prizes can be awarded a year late if there is nothing worthy of the prize according to the guidelines set out by Alfred Nobel. Einstein won the 1921 prize in 1922 for that reason. He was a professor at several schools, such as Princeton and the University of Berlin. The Kaiser Wilhelm Physical Institute appointed him as Director in 1914.

After World War II, Einstein was offered the position of President of Israel, but he refused, although although he did assist in the founding of the award-winning Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Einstein is known for his his contributions to the theory of general relativity, radiation theory and the photon theory of light. After retirement, he continued his studies using geometrization, which was not a popular method at the time. at that time was not a popular technique. He is an emeritus doctor of many prominent European and American universities. Einstein was also awarded membership or fellowship in all the leading scientific academies of the time.

Einstein was an incredible thinker, but if it was because of autism or not is unclear. However, science is a logical career path for people living with autism, because the experiment results either prove the hypothesis or the result of the experiment either proves the hypothesis false or provokes further research. If the experiment is successful successful, autistic tendencies lead the person to want to broaden their evidence and test the hypothesis under other circumstances, or figure out why it worked. If it does not work, autistic people will usually want to find out why it failed. This may be why Einstein was drawn to science: autism is highly compatible with science. Autism usually generates black and white thinking. People on the autism spectrum tend to want everything to be either right or wrong, with little patience for ambiguity. If there is question, autistic people have a strong drive to prove their point of view. Even if Einstein did not have autism, he did possess many traits commonly found in people with autism, so he could still have been drawn to science because of his way of thinking. Assuming that he did have autism, the question remains: was Einstein so incredibly brilliant because he had autism or in spite of it? It is clear that he was successful, but there is no way to definitely tell if his success was generated by the wiring of his brain. It seems likely that he was able to see things