New Delhi:
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has told NDTV that were he a young boy growing up in today’s world, he would “probably be diagnosed on the autism spectrum“. Mr Gates, who has never formally been diagnosed on the spectrum, said that as a child his parents sent him to a therapist who “over a year succeeded in convincing me (that) my mental style might be a positive thing”.
Speaking to NDTV ahead of the release of his memoir, ‘Source Code: My Beginnings’, he said the fact some people’s brains process information differently was not widely understood when he was a child. But such a diagnosis is helpful, if not important, today, since people on the spectrum can learn about the ways in which their brains work, and it also eliminates pejorative feelings against them.
Autism Spectrum Disorder, or ASD, is a complex developmental disorder impacting one’s ability to communicate and interact socially. It is characterised, in part, by repetitive behaviors and/or restricted interests, and occurs on a continuum of severity from mild challenges to difficulty with everyday life.
“(As a child) I knew there was something different (about me),” Mr Gates said, remembering an incident when he was in Class VI, “They (the school) asked us to write a report and I picked a small state (in the United States) called Delaware. I ended up turning in a 200-page report… the other kids were turning in five or 10-page reports. And I was kind of embarrassed.”
“… teachers were always a little confounded… I was capable and yet distracted. At one stage, I had a teacher say, ‘We should skip you a grade or two ahead’, or another say, ‘No, we should hold you back so you can mature’. And I, certainly my social skills, particularly with people my own age, other than a few nerdy boys like me, were very slow to develop.”
Mr Gates told NDTV the ability to focus (intensely) on a task (individuals on the autism spectrum are known ‘hyperfocus’) gave him an advantage growing up, but pointed also to ‘deficits’, such as parents who were often confused by what they thought was eccentric, or ‘abnormal’ behaviour.
“I was very lucky… I was going to this private school. And so, I was able to shape that capability into a strength,” he said, crediting this ‘strength’ with helping him eventually establish Microsoft.
It is, however, a “different world now”, Mr Gates said, explaining that many children of today who are diagnosed on the spectrum don’t have to hide the different ways in which they process information and the world around them.
Nevertheless, one cannot really ‘grow out of autism’, he said, explaining that he has, over the years, “… learned to socialise… hire people, and run a big company. I’ve had to learn a lot there.”
“… as CEO of Microsoft I would take whole weeks off… and even now, as I set my schedule, if I’ve had a bunch of days with large groups of people, then I’ll have a bunch of days by myself.”
“I still rock a bit, which is kind of characteristic of (autism)… they call it ‘self-stimulation’. So, you know, I have to catch myself because it can make people nervous. So, no… I don’t think it ever goes away. (But) it’d be harder to diagnose now because I’ve learned, how to shape my behavior.”
