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The editors at Masters in Special Education Degrees decided to research the topic of:
The 'Special' in Special Ed
General Stats
(estimated) 26.2% of US adults suffer from a mental disorder
1 out of 4 adults
6% (1 out of 17) suffer from serious mental illness
1 in 500 people (0.2%) are affected by Asperger's Syndrome (according to recent survey by National Institute of Child Health and Mental Development)
Other estimates show between 0.36% and 0/71% are affected by Asperger's
male to female ratio is 4:1
Some people thought to have been affected by Asperger's include
Jane Austen, Ludwig van Beethoven, Albert Einstein, Vincent van Gogh
1 in 88 American children are affected by some form of Autism (according to the CDC)
10x the amount compared to 40 years ago
4.1% of US adults are affected by ADHD
5.2m children (age 3-17) have been diagnosed with ADHD
8.4% of the population
Amazing People with Mental Disabilities
Derek Paravicini
Born prematurely at 25 weeks in 1979
Necessary treatments at birth left Derek blind and Autistic
Derek has severe learning disabilities, but an astonishing musical talent
Taught himself to play the piano by age 4
Used chaotic methods due to no visual aid
Often used his elbows to reach notes when his hands were too small
First performance: The Barbican Halls in London - age 9
Gone on to perform
with the Royal Philharmonic Pops Orchestra
at numerous venues across England, Europe & the US
Ronnie Scott's jazz club - London
Mandalay Bay Arena - Las Vegas
He has appeared on TV many times
Featured on the series Extraordinary People and the Discovery Channel
Howard Hughes
Born 1905: affected by extreme OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder)
Well known businessman, movie producer and pilot
Howard's mother died when he was 16 and his father died two years later
Took over his father's multi-million dollar machinery business before age 20
1927: Hughes became a movie producer
Films include
Hell's Angels (1930)
Scarface (1932)
The Outlaw (1941)
1928: Hughes obtained a pilot's license
1932: he founded Hughes Aircraft Company in Glendale, CA
He also designed, built and flew record-breaking airplanes
Despite many accomplishments, Hughes is also remembered for his OCD
Lead him to a secluded life
Unnatural obsessions
Compulsions and severe anxiety
Hughes' OCD led to increased drug use and his death in 1976
Inspiration for the Oscar-winning film "The Aviator" in 2004
John Nash
Born in 1928 and affected by Schizophrenia
John's mother pushed him to learn to read by age 4, to learn latin and skip a grade in school
In grade 4, John's teacher told his mother that John didn't understand math
John was actually solving math problems in just a few steps (while his teachers took several steps for the same answer)
In high school, John become one of ten winners of the national George Westinghouse Award
provided him a full scholarship to Carnegie Institute of Technology
John Nash went on to become a world renowned mathematician
He won the Nobel Prize for economic sciences in 1994
Was the inspiration for the award-winning film "A Beautiful Mind" in 2001
Autistic Savant
Many people with autism display special abilities due to their condition
There are savants who do not have autism, but the number with autism is far greater
Autistic savants generally show extraordinary skill in one area such as
Mathematical
Artistic
Musical
Spatial
Mechanical
Savants with autism generally have exceptional memory
Their memory is often restricted to their specific skill
Ex. A person may be able to tell you what day of the week any calendar date fell on; the phase of the moon on that day and the weather.
The same person may not be able to make change for a dollar
Kim Peek: the real-life inspiration for the movie "Rainman"
Kim was able to with each eye separately and simultaneously
able to read pages of text in seconds and retain 98% of the information
He memorized world history
able to recall an encyclopedia of historical data from memory
Autistic Ability in the Workforce
An estimated 750k autistic adolescents are nearing adulthood
Most are underprepared for the
Semperical - company in San Jose, CA, plans to exclusively hire autistic software testers
They can work from home, avoiding the stress of commuting and office politics
Autistic adults are often uniquely talented
Adequate training can make them exceptional employees
Often better analytical tasks than average adults
They pay close attention to small details
Not usually interested in gossip or office politics
Can be incredibly productive with proper accommodation
SAP (global software company) plans to hire 650 autistic software testers
Freddie Mac has an data analysis internship for autistic adults
Goodwill plans to offer data entry and technical positions to people with autism
Companies are beginning to see and utilize the unique abilities of autistic employees
Many people with mental differences are far more able than disabled. Their contributions make our world a better place.
Citations
- http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/the-numbers-count-mental-disorders-in-america/index.shtml
- http://www.aane.org/about_asperger_syndrome/asperger_faqs.html
- http://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism/faq
- http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/adhd.htm
- http://www.sonustech.com/paravicini/about.html
- http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/nash/peopleevents/p_jnash.html
- http://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/mental-disorders/15-celebrities-with-mental-health-disorders.htm
- http://www.notablebiographies.com/Ho-Jo/Hughes-Howard.html#ixzz2h2dSDrFQ
- http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_24198031/new-ventures-train-high-functioning-autistic-adults-high
- http://www.sevencounties.org/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=8768
