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Disclaimer: Autism is not weird. But autistic traits my seem weird to those who are not familar and/or uneducated with autism.
Thomas Jefferson
There is speculation that Thomas Jefferson, the third president and writer of the Declaration of Independence may have been autistic or have Asperger’s syndrome. Norm Ledgin, author of Diagnosing Jefferson, indicates that Jefferson was shy, had an inability to relate to others, had difficulties in public speaking and was sensitive to loud noises. Also, similarly to Einstein, Jefferson had a difficulty with his finances. Although he kept an accurate record of all of his transactions, he died in debt. He also had an obsession for remodeling his home and was very eccentric. Jefferson had some “abnormal” tendencies including wearing slippers to important meetings and always having a mocking bird that sat on his shoulder to keep. This mock bird may have been an effort to keep him calm during social interactions. Unfortunately, due to a fire, there are no records of Jefferson’s childhood. Therefore, it is difficult to determine whether he may have had delayed speech or display any earlier signs of autism.
Zack 