Asperger's Syndrome

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Climate Activist: Asperger's Is a Superpower

'Many ignorant people still see it as ... something negative'

(Newser) - A teenage climate activist nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and named among the world's best leaders credits some of her success to her "superpower": Asperger's syndrome. The condition on the autism spectrum "sometimes makes me a bit different from the norm," tweets 16-year-old Greta...

Autism Pioneer Said He Kept Kids Safe From Nazis. He Didn't

Hans Asperger 'publicly legitimized race hygiene policies,' says historian

(Newser) - Before his death in 1980, Dr. Hans Asperger said he kept his adolescent patients safe from the Nazis, a claim repeated years later by autism experts. The pediatrician—for whom Asperger's Syndrome was named in 1981—even went so far as to say he'd become a target of...

50 Cent Slammed After Mocking Autistic Janitor

He called the 19-year-old 'high' and 'the walking dead'

(Newser) - 50 Cent is facing outrage and possible legal action after—for some reason—filming himself making fun of an autistic janitor at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, TMZ reports. A video posted to 50 Cent's Instagram account Sunday (and later removed) shows the rapper approaching 19-year-old Andrew Farrell, who...

Police Open Fire on Transgender YouTube Star

Kayden Clarke is killed in his Mesa, Ariz., home

(Newser) - A 24-year-old transgender YouTube star with Asperger's Syndrome apparently threatened suicide last week and ended up dead—when he was shot by police. Officers in Mesa, Ariz., arrived at Kayden Clarke's home on Thursday morning after friends said he'd sent text messages and emails threatening to kill...

Oregon Shooter's Mom Boasted About Guns

She spoke about open-carry laws, Asperger's on social media

(Newser) - Laurel Harper boasted online about having guns for protection, but it was her son who turned out to be the most dangerous person in the community. In social media postings, mostly on Yahoo Answers, Christopher Harper-Mercer's mother, a nurse, doled out medical advice, as well as spoke about guns...

Pentagon Study's Theory: Putin Has Asperger's

Report: His movements 'so clearly reveal ... a neurological abnormality'

(Newser) - Thanks to a Freedom of Information Act request from USA Today , we have this tidbit: a Pentagon think tank suspects Vladimir Putin may have Asperger's syndrome. In a 2008 report obtained by the paper, a contractor for the Office of Net Assessment doesn't mince words: A review of...

Mom Suing Target for Son's Suicide
Mom Suing Target
for Son's Suicide

Mom Suing Target for Son's Suicide

Store's 'walk of shame' made Graham Gentles suicidal: lawsuit

(Newser) - A Target employee leapt to his death last summer after being taken on an alleged "walk of shame" through the store—and his mom is suing the company, NBC Los Angeles reports. The suit claims that Graham Gentles, 22, was stopped by security and police when he showed up...

Cops: Killer Heir Pees on Candy in Drug Store

Millionaire Robert Durst, 71, charged in Houston incident

(Newser) - Here’s something you don’t see every day—a multimillionaire peeing on a candy display in a CVS. That’s what Robert Durst is accused of doing Sunday in the upscale Texas shopping district Rice Village, KHOU reports. "He got his prescription, paid for it, exposed himself, urinated...

Susan Boyle: I Have Asperger's

Singer told she suffered brain damage, but 'my IQ was above average'

(Newser) - After a lifetime of being told she suffered brain damage, reclusive Scottish singing sensation Susan Boyle finally sought out a specialist and came away with an entirely different diagnosis: Asperger's syndrome. "It was the wrong diagnosis when I was a kid," she tells the Observer . "I...

Adam Lanza's Mom Made 'Fatal Errors': In-Depth Probe

Nancy Lanza was juggling counselors and big life changes

(Newser) - Adam Lanza's mother struggled to raise her hypersensitive, Asperger's-diagnosed child and seems to have made a couple of fatal mistakes along the way, reports the Hartford Courant . In a joint investigation with PBS—which plans a week of shows on Newtown—the Courant draws a portrait of a...

Folic Acid May Cut Autism Spectrum Risk

 Folic Acid May Cut 
 Autism Spectrum Risk 
study says

Folic Acid May Cut Autism Spectrum Risk

Norway researchers review 85K children

(Newser) - Taking folic acid around the time of conception could significantly reduce the number of babies with an autism spectrum disorder, a study suggests. In a review of 85,000 children born in Norway between 1999 and 2009, researchers found that moms who didn't take a folic acid supplement were...

Conn. Seeks Genetic Clue to Lanza's Rampage

Asperger's 'not on the menu,' medical examiner says

(Newser) - Investigators have brought in a geneticist in an effort to piece together a reason behind the Newtown school massacre, reports the Hartford Courant . Connecticut's chief medical examiner says he is still waiting for toxicology results on Adam Lanza and that he hopes the gunman's biology may offer some...

How the New DSM Took My Syndrome Away
How the New DSM Took My Syndrome Away
OPINION

How the New DSM Took My Syndrome Away

Man mourns demise of Asperger's to 'autism spectrum disorder'

(Newser) - Joshua Muggleton isn't just at peace with his Asperger's syndrome, it's become a part of his identity, a source of pride. "When I meet a fellow Aspie, I feel a sense of fraternity," he writes in the Guardian . "This person, unlike the other 99%...

Bow Killer Blamed Dad for Asperger's Syndrome

Krumm said he should be 'castrated'

(Newser) - Just a few weeks before killing his father with a bow and arrow and a knife, Christopher Krumm revealed that he blamed his dad for giving him Asperger's syndrome, and believed he should be "castrated" to prevent him from having more children, one of Krumm's Connecticut neighbors...

British Hacker Won't Be Sent to US for Trial

Gary McKinnon accused of 'biggest military computer hack of all time'

(Newser) - After fighting extradition for seven years, the British man accused of the "biggest military computer hack of all time" will not be sent to the US to stand trial, Reuters reports. Britain's interior minister, Theresa May, withdrew the extradition order after finding that Gary McKinnon , who suffers from...

Smoking While Pregnant May Raise Autism Risk

Study sees link with some forms of the disorder

(Newser) - If any expectant mom needed yet more evidence that smoking is a bad idea, here it is: Doing so during pregnancy raises the risk of having a child with Asperger's or another kind of autism, a new study suggests. Researchers analyzed data from about 630,000 kids born in...

Asperger Syndrome? Nope, Just a Nerdy Teenager
Asperger Syndrome? Nope,
Just a Nerdy Teenager
OPINION

Asperger Syndrome? Nope, Just a Nerdy Teenager

Because of current definition, Benjamin Nugent got a bogus diagnosis

(Newser) - Psychologists may soon narrow the definition of autism , which could reduce the number of people diagnosed with the disorder and related ones such as Asperger Syndrome. The move is controversial, but if you're looking for a compelling reason in favor, see Benjamin Nugent's essay in the New York ...

No More Epidemic? Autism Definition May Change

Proposed revisions would exclude many now considered autistic: NYT

(Newser) - The New York Times has what sounds like a bombshell story on autism: The American Psychiatric Association is poised to narrow the definition of the disorder so far fewer people would be considered autistic. The kicker quote from the Yale author of an analysis on the subject: "The proposed...

South Korea Town has Highest Autism Rate Ever

Researchers say nearly 3% of kids in Seoul suburb have disease

(Newser) - Researchers have discovered the highest rate of autism ever found in a general population within a suburb of Seoul, South Korea. About 2.6% of the children in Ilsan have some form of the disease, reports the Los Angeles Times . That contrasts with the 1% figure found in the US...

Oxytocin Improves Autistics' Social Skills

'Love hormone' offers hope of treatment

(Newser) - The hormone oxytocin may improve the social skills of people with high-functioning autism. In a new study, patients who received doses of it in a nasal spray were better able to recognize faces and interact with others in a game. In short, the so-called "love chemical" seems to help...

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