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The Magic Cafe Forum Index :: Penny for your thoughts :: ohoh !.. Am I a little autistic ? (0 Likes) Printer Friendly Version

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Fred Darevil
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Elite user
446 Posts
Profile of Fred Darevil
Obviously you are right !..
Tony Chris
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V.I.P.
Vancouver, Canada
714 Posts
Profile of Tony Chris
Quote:
On 2002-06-23 23:25, Alewishus wrote:
I don't think your trick proves anything about autistic persons abilities. Autism is a spectrum disorder and the range of abilities of persons affected likewise varies greatly. When you do a trick that emphasizes one aspect of autism - the fact that a few autistics demonstrate islands of 'genius'- you risk setting up the expectation that all have this ability in some form or another. That would simply not be true. The truth is that all persons, autistic and normal, should be treated with respect, unless they have given us reason to treat them otherwise. Demonstrating an ablility as a human calculator is, or should not be a prerequisite for respect.


I Totally agree with Aliwishus. This was a very good comment and he is quite informed about autism.

I am a full time magician and the parent of two young children with autism spectrum disorder. You should never assume that what you see in the movies (Rain Man) is indicative of real life. My kids are nowhere near the severity of an autistic sevant and as the parent of them both, I would be offended if someone made a comment such as "I must be autistic" if I can name how many whatevers.

Bad taste indeed.
As magicians we create what onlookers call magic. If they truly believe in what we have created for them to witness then magic is real!!!



- TONY CHRIS, A.K.A. Zany Zack



http://www.tonychris.com
DJM
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Inner circle
Israel
1681 Posts
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Actually I've read there are only about 100 recognized savants in the world, like the person from Rain Man.. so looks like it's pretty rare to see this sort of thing in autisim.
Paul Shirley
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Inner circle
Melbourne, Australia
1206 Posts
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M:"And now, after 3 hours of counting tiny bits of paper,.... in to the microphone... loudly... How many peices of confetti did you count????"

S: : "Four thousand, eight hundred and fifty two"

M: "Four thousand, eight hundred and fifty TWO??? are you sure? Um???..... count them again!

M "While she is recounting Id like to do my signature piece for you all. I like to call it... Watching paint dry!!
I need another volunteer...... "
drmagic
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Loyal user
254 Posts
Profile of drmagic
Quote:
On 2008-07-18 21:15, DJM wrote:
Actually I've read there are only about 100 recognized savants in the world, like the person from Rain Man.. so looks like it's pretty rare to see this sort of thing in autisim.

DJM - You are absolutely correct.

BTW, The inspiration for Hoffman's "Rainman" character was based on the real life of Kim Peek; a savant who is not autistic. Hoffman even thanked Peek when accepting the Oscar he won for best supporting actor for Rainman. If you've ever seen the Discovery channel documentary on Kim Peek and Daniel Tammet you know what amazing mental abilities these two special people have.

Check out this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Peek

Fred, please, use a term other than autistic to explain your abilities. As others have stated above, autisim is a serious disability. I speak from personal experiences.

Best - Don