Yes, that’s the Nobel Laureate at George Mason. Here is a short interview, including testimony by Vernon’s lovely wife Candace, via Craig Newmark. Vernon is way smarter than the specialist doctor who is interviewed.
Vernon Smith on Asperger’s syndrome
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Why would you bother saying the specialist doctor isn’t as smart as Vernon? Maybe not about economics, but he likely knows more autistic and Asperger’s syndrome people than Vernon does. If he says the majority of Asperger’s syndrome people need help to get the most out of life, it’s likely true. Just because Vernon managed to succeed without much help, that doesn’t mean that we can expect the same from every austisc/Asperger’s person. If anything, it should make us more impressed with what Vernon has accomplished.
Yes Tyler, that was a curious comment. Dr. Klin is only on for like 15 seconds, a short space of time in which to make a judgment, or do you know something we don’t?
Dr. Ami Klin is an extremely respected researcher at Yale, specializing
autism spectrum disorders. He is comppletely correct that most individuals
with autism or Asperger’s syndrome do not have the rare talents of Vernon
Smith, and struggle mightily to get through life. There is a romantic image
of neurodiverse individuals as tortured geniuses. This is true of
the most gifted individuals, but most are best viewed as having a
disability, plain and simple, and needing help and understanding.
(My son has high-functioning austism, but no special gifts beyond a normal
intelligence.)
I agree with Tyler. I know highly successful people with Aspergers. Most of them are in quantitative fields and I agree that Aspergers seems to have selective advantages which make them successful such careers.
However, Dr. Klin may not have been talking about career success. He may have been talking about success in personal relationships, which is part of overall success and which requires interpresonal skills. This is also an area in which people with Asperger’s Syndrome are severely lacking and may need additional help – especially in the absence of a spouse as sympathetic to emotional distance as Candace.
My friend Bram Cohen is a famous aspie, too. People like him and Vernon Smith are a great inspiration to others because even though their Asperger’s might not be as severe as others, they show that its possible to have a functional social life with Asperger’s. It just requires handling things a bit different. Bram comments on this in some level of detail on his blog, I believe.
http://bramcohen.livejournal.com/
I agree with Dr Klin that people with Asperger’s need help. I think all people need help in their lives,
at least early on. Obviously children can’t survive without it. I think neurotypical children and
children with Asperger’s might need different kinds of help to be happy and Dr Klin probably knows a great
deal about what kind of help is the most help.
(Notice how I’m terribly literal in my interpretations and use of language? I do that a lot.)
Tyler’s odd comment:
Vernon is way smarter than the specialist doctor who is interviewed.
Ironically, seems to indicate that Tyler might have Asperger’s….
LOL.
“Albert Einstein, Andy Warhol and Emily Dickinson have all been found to have had Aspbergers”. Oh, please. The term wasn’t around when they were alive, it’s not like you could test their remains for DNA proof of Aspbergers, nothing was “found” at all.
I think it’s awesome that Vernon rocks the mullet even while accepting the Nobel prize.
You all may or may not know that Vernon is what is called “self-diagnosed.” Whether doctors in the area would agree with his assessment is an open question, to say the least. (I also interpret the Yale doctor as, politely, distancing himself from Vernon’s self-interpretation.) I know Vernon and side with his wisdom.
Tyler has picked up on a sublety in Dr Klin’s communication. This suggests that he does not have Asperger’s.
I want to trust them enough to statistically maximise my pleasure and minimise my pain over time.
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