Was Michael Jackson Autistic?

BugzMoney · 12-05-2009, 03:32 PM

You think this is accurate?

Quote:

Was Michael Jackson Autistic?

Doctor Claims Autism Explains Jackson’s Genius & Poor Social Skills

Jul 15, 2009 Kimberly Ward

Michael Jackson's undisputed talent is discussed alongside reports of his limited social interaction. Could Autism be the reason behind both?

Following his unexpected death on June 25th 2009 at age 50, the world has marvelled at the genius of Michael Jackson and wondered at his lonely personal life. One doctor believes his unusual expertise and hindering social difficulties was due to Autism.
The doctor, who wished to remain anonymous, was called to Jackson’s Las Vegas hotel in 2003 for an unrelated query, but whilst there noticed “the singer displayed classic signs of autism, the brain development disorder of which symptoms include poor social interaction and communication, abnormal intensity or focus, severe insomnia and unusual eating habits.”
Various reports about Jackson’s life seem to corroborate the fact that he might have either being mildly autistic or an Autistic Savant: a person with developmental disorders but achieving one area of brilliance or expertise.
Poor Social Interaction and Communication

Sufferers of Autism are said to be “high functioning individuals who may have active but distinctly odd social approaches.” It’s common knowledge that Jackson seemed uncomfortable interacting with others. He rarely did any interviews and except when reading from a script, rarely said more than a few words when accepting awards.
“[Jackson had] two personalities” said Motown Records founder Berry Gordy speaking at his former artists’ memorial. “Offstage he was shy, soft spoken and childlike, but when he took the stage in front of his screaming fans, he turned into another person; a master, a take-no-prisoner showman.”

Throughout his adulthood, Jackson preferred to be in the company of children. From his arrival at the 1984 Grammy’s carrying 12 year old Emmanuel Lewis as his guest, to his friendships with Macaulay Culkin, Jackson was regularly seen with children and invited them for sleepovers in his house where they watched Disney movies and played computer games.
There’s a misconception that those with autism prefer to be alone; they don’t, but they find forming friendships difficult. This is true with Jackson, who once told a friend “Even at home, I'm lonely. I sit in my room and sometimes cry. It is so hard to make friends, and there are some things you can't talk to your parents or family about. I sometimes walk around the neighborhood at night, just hoping to find someone to talk to." (“Michael Jackson’s Alleged Addictions: Experts Weigh In”, MTV News, July 2, 2009)
Jackson’s unusual friendships and odd social decisions (like covering his children’s faces in public) could be a symptom of autism.
Abnormal Intensity and Focus

Another sign of Autism is the sufferer’s high levels of intense focus: “Pursuit of specific and narrow areas of interest is one of the most striking features” Again, this is consistent with early reports of Jackson as a child studying musician James Brown for hours and then copying his moves.
Vincent Paterson, who directed some of his music famous videos recalls watching Jackson “rehearse a dance sequence for four hours in front of a mirror until it felt like second nature. That’s how he developed the moonwalk, working on it for days if not weeks until it was organic. He took an idea that he had seen some street kids do and perfected it.” (“Pop Icon, Michael Jackson is Dead”, New York Times, June 26, 2009)
Jackson’s ability to hone into a single dance routine or musical idea and focus on it for long periods enabled him to become the best, but it could also have been a symptom of a high-performing type of autism.
Sufferers also tend to have high levels of imagination and an obsessive single interest. Bill Gates, who was passionate about computers from an early age was said to be autistic, as was the great painter Michelangelo whose intense focus enabled him to paint the Sistine Chapel.
Steven Wiltshire from England can look at any city from above once then draw panoramically accurate aerial pictures of what he’s seen, and Daniel Tammet can recite Pi from memory to 22,514 digits. Both are Autistic Savants, so could Jackson have been a savant too, able to mask any social disabilities behind his musical genius?
Unusual Eating Habits and Severe Insomnia

According to experts, those with autism sometimes have unusual eating habits and will only eat certain foods. Jackson was a vegan, and his brother Tito confirmed that he mostly ate vegetables, and that he once became addicted to carrots and ate so many his hands turned a little orange.
Autistic people also suffer from Insomnia, and Jackson’s inability to sleep was revealed after his death: “Michael Jackson was so distraught over persistent insomnia in recent months that he pleaded for a powerful sedative despite warnings it could be harmful, says a nutritionist who was working with the singer…” (“Michael Jackson was so Distraught over Insomnia that he Begged for Powerful Drug”, Huffington Post, June 30, 2009)
Perhaps Jackson’s musical magic was simply due to 45 years of working in the industry with the best and having his talent honed by his disciplinarian father and the perfectionists at Motown Records, or it could have been due to Autism.
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Read more at Suite101: Was Michael Jackson Autistic?: Doctor Claims Autism Explains Jackson’s Genius & Poor Social Skills | Suite101.com Was Michael Jackson Autistic?: Doctor Claims Autism Explains Jackson?s Genius & Poor Social Skills | Suite101.com

Wife of Eric · 12-05-2009, 03:36 PM

hmm i dont think it went that far, i do think he extremely lacked social skills....

Green Forest · 12-05-2009, 03:36 PM

Poor Social skills? So some Kimberley person is going to diagnose Michael Jackson from what we saw in the media? How so dumb and Irresponsible. How does she know Michael had poor social skills? Michael may have not whored himself out to the media but his withdrawnness does not mean he had autism.

Optimizm you are just the messenger so this rant is not for you.

shoefreakbaby · 12-05-2009, 03:38 PM

Michael Jackson wasnt no veagan, he aint kfc ask magic Johnson.

He wa a fake vegetarian
he had insomnia due to anxiety and Lupus meds, thats there side affect.

These people....

BugzMoney · 12-05-2009, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by musiclover15

Poor Social skills? So some Kimberley person is going to diagnose Michael Jackson from what we saw in the media? How so dumb and Irresponsible. How does she know Michael had poor social skills? Michael may have not whored himself out to the media but his withdrawnness does not mean he had autism.

Optimizm you are just the messenger so this rant is not for you.

I hear you.

But what explains his quirky behavior?

His siblings all grew up in the same household, but he is the only one that show those traits.

Bonita Negrita · 12-05-2009, 03:42 PM

i don't even like the mj forum and his stans, but i had to groan you for that one. i think condi will be proud. that is such a ridiculous claim.

shoefreakbaby · 12-05-2009, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by musiclover15

Poor Social skills? So some Kimberley person is going to diagnose Michael Jackson from what we saw in the media? How so dumb and Irresponsible. How does she know Michael had poor social skills? Michael may have not whored himself out to the media but his withdrawnness does not mean he had autism.

Optimizm you are just the messenger so this rant is not for you.

The same way plastic surg came on shows and said he had like 50 things done, with out even seeing the man. smh

I hate when professionals stoop so low just to get a 100 bucks to talk about a celeb. It unprofessional to take a guess and not even have a sit down with the person. Im calling the APA.lol

BugzMoney · 12-05-2009, 03:44 PM

Yall acting like having Autism is a bad thing. Majority of people who are Autistic have high-functioning Autism meaning that the appear to be normal.

Einstein, Aristotle, Socrates, Bill Gates, and other well known people though out history have all been speculated by experts of having Autism.

CrazE · 12-05-2009, 03:45 PM

ppl have to fuckin remember the media twists shit up
if you actually watch private videos, uneditted where he's hangin out with friends...he's a NORMAL guy, not quirky NORMAL, sure he had a theme park in his backyard and shit but damn he's got money, and when you have money you buy random shit because you can

dear god, apparently he has schizophrenia, autism, body dysmorphic disorder, multiple personalities, bipolar, suicidal........

im tired of the bs

there is no fucking way mj is number one in the world and be mentally challenged

BugzMoney · 12-05-2009, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by craze4mj

ppl have to fuckin remember the media twists shit up
if you actually watch private videos, uneditted where he's hangin out with friends...he's a NORMAL guy, not quirky NORMAL, sure he had a theme park in his backyard and shit but damn he's got money, and when you have money you buy random shit because you can

dear god, apparently he has schizophrenia, autism, body dysmorphic disorder, multiple personalities, bipolar, suicidal........

im tired of the bs

there is no fucking way mj is number one in the world and be mentally challenged

Perhaps you have to do research on Autism. Autistic people are not mentally challenged.

Wife of Eric · 12-05-2009, 03:50 PM

@optimizim

most autistic children are not high performing, asberger(sp?) ones are ....

BugzMoney · 12-05-2009, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DIVA BABY

@optimizim

most autistic children are not high performing, asberger(sp?) ones are ....

Asperger's is what some think MJ had.

shoefreakbaby · 12-05-2009, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by optimizm

I hear you.

But what explains his quirky behavior?

His siblings all grew up in the same household, but he is the only one that show those traits.

Marlon and michael were the only young ones, and if you look at vids of marlon he is as playful as mike. Tabiolds pay thousands of dollars to know about mike. How much to they pay to know about his brothers?
If they did they would have a field day, man beaters, cheater, brothers with same baby mommas, gay rumors.

Latoya is like two years older than mike and look how she acts. And she was even apart of the group.

Even at that, no one worked as hard as michael, jermaine and jackie.
They were the lead singers, so marlon and tito would be at home chilling.
And michael went on shows alone alot with Joseph. Michael recorded solo albums and J5 albums. Berry gordy is to blame too, they knew what he was dealing with, with Joseph and still they worked him like a dog. And it wasnt till he got older that he saw that not everyone had to go through that as a child.

They all had diff upbrings imo.

Manks · 12-05-2009, 03:55 PM

Ah, society's attempt to compartmentalize everyone into neat little boxes. If they can't fit 'em into one, they'll darn sure try to explain 'em into another. But anywho...it's hard to try and diagnose a person that you haven't personally observed but I don't think he was autistic (if he were, he'd be an Aspie, though). Musical genius, yes. Quirky, oh yes. I just don't think that their examples are enough to say he had a developmental disorder.

Green Forest · 12-05-2009, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by optimizm

Yall acting like having Autism is a bad thing. Majority of people who are Autistic have high-functioning Autism meaning that the appear to be normal.

Einstein, Aristotle, Socrates, Bill Gates, and other well known people though out history have all been speculated by experts of having Autism.

Having Autism is not wrong and yes you are right, some people with Autism are superhuman smart and are VERY productive in the world. However diagnosing someone they have never met with a life-altering disorder is WRONG and is ETHICALLY IRRESPONSIBLE!