by Matt Barr

I don't know if Lawrence Summers has Asperger Syndrome

Now that Lawrence Summers is back in the news, here come all the Google researchers trying to figure out whether he has Asperger Syndrome. They're finding this post, which chides an opportunistic biographer for speculating so and James Taranto for chiding that biographer for smearing Summers with the stigma of a disability (which Asperger's, in the main, isn't).

Searches wondering if Keith Olbermann is an Aspie have picked up in the last couple months, too. None so far about Fiona Apple.

You're not trying to sensationalize something to sell books, nor do you think Asperger Syndrome is a stigma, right? So, then. How might you recognize whether somebody you know may be an Aspie? Here's a non-exhaustive list of traits from my experience. People with Asperger Syndrome:

are blunt

tend to be pedantic and literal (this is easier to overcome than some of these other traits)

are uncomfortable with most, and all unsolicited, physical contact (like that one)

are keenly aware of their "space" and violations of it

are obstinate but not demanding, i.e., will not stomp their feet to demand their own way but will say "f*ck it" and quit, and so tend to be "high maintenance" because others have to be aware of how far they can push (n.b.: Especially when doing homework, at least the 11-year-olds among us)

are expressive, artistic...

...though the last thing they want is attention. In fact, they are often embarrassed, put off or even repelled by compliments or other attention to what they've created.

avoid busywork, needless effort; will accomplish what they need to with as little work as possible

absorb reading material hungrily, but have trouble remembering it -- or even that they've read it! -- later. As a corollary on reading attention span, whoever the world record holder is for most books started but not finished, I'll bet that person has Asperger Syndrome

focus on details like a laser while often missing the big picture

are terrible with faces/names (and facts etc. about other people in general)... there's an AS joke about the cat owner who knows all 18 of her cats by sight but can't remember the vet's name or what what he looks like

generally have very good vocabularies and seem unusually intelligent (partly, at least, because of the vocabulary)

when they "draw a blank," it's blank, and God himself can't help

are very, very routine-oriented, and/or, wary of disruptions to "normal"

hate being conspicuous

overreact to acts of kindness

easily succumb to sensory overload -- too much noise, random movements and sounds, etc. and they will often mentally, and even physically, leave the room if they can

often thrive on situations where they command the attention of a room or audience of people, since they're in control, as opposed to mingling at a party, which inspires longing for a couch and the fetal position

Using this as a checklist to figure out if someone you know or a public figure has Asperger Syndrome is certainly not reliable, and I can't imagine your friend or the public figure being happy you're doing it, so bear those things in mind.

Browse books from Amazon.com:
Asperger+Syndrome Asperger's