There are those who merely roll over and accept whatever hand fate deals them as the perfect excuse to settle for mediocrity.
Then, there are the other type of people:
The inspirational figures.
The highly successful leaders, innovators and creators.
The heroes who take what other people would see as a limitation and turn it into their superpower, using it to change the world, bring joy to the lives of others and inspire millions of people.
Nowhere will you find a more classic example of these superheroes than among those influential people diagnosed with (or at least showing classic symptoms of) autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Affecting an estimated 1.5 million people in the United States and around 700,000 in the UK, ASD is a term which covers a number of unique conditions, ranging from Aspergers Syndrome to Autistic Disorder or ‘classic autism’, the latter being the typical condition that most people think of when they hear the word ‘autism.’
In between, there are those with Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) or ‘atypical autism,’ which is the term typically used to describe individuals who show some signs of being on the autistic spectrum yet don’t meet the full criteria for a diagnosis of Aspergers or Autistic Disorder.
People with autism can face any number of different challenges in life, including, but by no means limited to:
- Difficulty in communicating with others
- Troubles maintaining friendships
- Obsessive interests
- Repetitive body movements such as hand flapping or rocking back and forth
- Delayed speech and language skills.
Still, whatever challenges ASD may have presented the individuals we’re going to meet today, these aren’t the kind of people to let those challenges get in the way of achieving their dreams.
Ready to be inspired?
Let’s dive in and meet the business leaders, intellectuals, artists and other highly successful people with autism who have inspired millions of people.
