
What It’s Like to ‘Wake Up’ from Autism After Magnetic Stimulation - nkurz
http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2016/04/what-its-like-to-wake-up-from-autism-after-magnetic-stimulation.html
======
tgflynn
I'm amazed by the improbability of this guy's life. He had an abusive father
and a schizophrenic mother dropped out of school at 15 then worked as a sound
engineer for a famous rock band, built a successful high-end auto repair
business and then became a best selling author. I have to admit I was
skeptical reading the article but his story seems to check out
([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Elder_Robison](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Elder_Robison)).

I wonder how relevant his experiences with autism and TMS would be though to
those of us with less extraordinary lives. I mean I'm guessing that having a
life like this would tend to suggest that someone's internal mental makeup is
somehow rather non-mainstream as well.

~~~
tominous
Eric Raymond had an interesting take on the link between autism and
exceptional achievement (if you can get past his ego).

[http://esr.ibiblio.org/?p=7060](http://esr.ibiblio.org/?p=7060)

In short, the time and energy normally spent on social interaction instead is
spent on other aspects of life.

~~~
EGreg
Oh brother.

I consider myself very smart but wouldn't write this kind of arrogant drivel
:)

~~~
Snargorf
I find a lot of irony in this comment.

~~~
Chris2048
why?

------
luxpir
I feel it needs pointing out that the savant-stereotype surrounding autism
still needs taming a little.

Autism can make the lives of some sufferers extremely difficult, and also
those of their carers. We all know this, yet the typical response to 'my child
is autistic' is an assumption, often verbalised, that that child would 'at
least' be good at mathematics, music or 'computers'. Sometimes they are not.

It's similar to how the terms low- and high-functioning are not particularly
helpful in most cases [0]. In general I think we need to become a little more
nuanced in our approach to autism.

\--

[0] - [http://www.stuartduncan.name/autism/low-functioning-
autism-v...](http://www.stuartduncan.name/autism/low-functioning-autism-vs-
high-functioning-autism-in-2012/)

~~~
k__
Yes. I knew a few lightly autistic people who also aren't exceptionally good
at anything.

Some are better than average programmers or something. But their autism is a
greater burden than their increased skills are a help in their life.

It's not that they just sit at home all day, avoiding people and creating
awesome stuff en masse. Most of the suffer from their inability to interact
socially.

~~~
junko
But that burden _can_ be lightened. I wonder why local groups along the lines
of 'Autistic Anonymous' don't exist, or even if they do, aren't widespread
enough as there is a significant minority of the population who are autistic.
I'm talking about those who are in the 'higher' spectrum of course, though by
no means the group should turn into genius club or something. I agree,
autistic people can also be average-skilled, but one thing they all have in
common is the constant struggle to fit in socially, be it their lack of
communication skills or weird personality etc.

I know that having a meet up group for autistic people sound contradictory,
but as long as it creates a sense of safeness* where people are free to share
their experiences, even if they struggle badly doing so, it would still be
incredibly comforting. Sharing stories and tips may or may not be helpful, but
at the very least, nobody should feel alone in their struggle.

*e.g. those who are too intimidated to be physically there can listen/communicate via Skype etc. Naturally the group leader would have to be someone with expertise in autism or well-experienced in adjusting to society socially

~~~
vertex-four
Autistic-spectrum people tend to prefer finding and interacting with people
over the Internet - personally, much of my support network is a couple hundred
miles away from me, and I get to see some of them only a couple of times a
year. It works out - I also get as much irl socialisation as I desire (I even
organise an unrelated monthly social event).

~~~
junko
I agree, fortunately nearly everyone now socialises on the internet (Facebook
etc) so hanging out in forums is no longer a strange and sad thing. But I'd
argue that it's still not enough, even if we prefer it (I'm also mildly
autistic). I found it the hard way when I couldn't express the most basic
thoughts in a group project (for example) and it really affected my self-
esteem and my work, and I've no doubt that there are many stories like that. I
think it's important to acknowledge the fact that we also live in the real
world, and that we need to try and learn how to 'blend' in the best we could
without sacrificing our own 'quirkiness'. Otherwise our options range from
hermit to (if you're lucky) lone genius! And learning how to blend in is no
mean feat, so having peer support throughout that journey as I suggested
earlier could be really helpful.

------
Practicality
So, funny that on hacker news and lots of programming blogs when this topic
comes up a lot of people chime in about being on the (autistic side) of the
spectrum too.

Ironically, I feel left out. I am on the other end of the spectrum. Kind of
like what this guy described after the treatment, although I've been dealing
with it my whole life, so I don't get all worried.

I feel like the only programmer who is intensely aware of the emotional state
of my colleagues. I can sometimes tell people what they are feeling (when they
are opening up) and it shocks them because I know it better than they do.

Of course, I listen to trance-music at work so I can pretend to be autistic
(please understand it's a bit of a joke) and ignore all the swirling emotions.

Anyway, I've found others like me, but they seem to be more rare than autistic
people. It seems to me like it would be nice to not be aware of all the
emotions all the time.

I sincerely envy the "insensitive" people quite often.

It seems like it would be a lot easier if I were able to be selfish to a
normal level without caring that someone's emotions might be unsettled.

~~~
paloaltokid
_> I feel like the only programmer who is intensely aware of the emotional
state of my colleagues. I can sometimes tell people what they are feeling
(when they are opening up) and it shocks them because I know it better than
they do._

You are not alone. I often feel the same way. I'm going to assume that you
work primarily with male programmers, since that's the makeup of our industry.
(In all of my jobs, most of the programmers I've worked with have been male).

I think guys generally are actually quite emotional, much much more than they
let on. But our culture has very strange notions around masculinity and what
it means to be male. Vulnerability, empathy, intuition, these things are not
instilled in us as positive character traits for a man. Instead, rationality,
self-reliance, self-confidence, and detachment from emotion are elevated as
things to aspire to.

There is absolutely value in being rational, self-confident, and being able to
not get taken out by your emotions in a crisis situation. But when you use
those things all the time in your life to get by, they become a real handicap.

I can't tell you how many times I've worked with guys who I _knew_ were going
through a lot (parents with mental illness, divorce, troubled home life) but
tried so hard not to let on and at the same time _never talked about it_ when
given an opening.

We have really screwed ourselves over as a culture and we owe it to our sons
to redefine what masculinity is so that they don't have to endure the same
emotional hangups as us.

~~~
delazeur
Well, personally, I am a male comfortable talking about personal stuff with
friends but I would never talk about it at work.

~~~
paloaltokid
Right, but that isn't really the discussion we're having. My own experience
has been that the folks Practicality and I are thinking of are walled off both
at work and in their private lives from meaningful human contact. And, since
we spend so much time at work, it'd be a shame not to have at least a few of
our human needs met there.

------
motti
My mother published a fairly seminal paper on the topic [1] 18 years ago which
concludes that emotional awareness (specifically, the "Theory of Mind"[2]) can
be learned by people with Autism.

At the time this was against prevailing wisdom but AFAIK is now considered
accepted wisdom.

[1]
[https://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?cluster=165456960940191...](https://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?cluster=16545696094019108775&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5)
[2]
[https://www.autism.com/understanding_theoryofmind](https://www.autism.com/understanding_theoryofmind)

~~~
Diederich
It's unclear how far along I am on the spectrum, but emotional intelligence is
something I acquired late and with much effort.

~~~
thedevil
Same here. I was able to learn social skills in my late teens and through my
twenties.

It wasn't exactly a fun process though. I'd try to "act normal" and then get
feedback that taught me I was breaking a social norm. Feedback = kids making
fun of me or cringing out of pity and embarrassment for me. And I wasn't very
sensitive to the feedback so it took a lot of feedback to learn.

Now I seem normal-ish and life is peachy and my different ways of thinking
feel like a superpower rather than a handicap. But man, teenage life was hard.

Disclaimer: I was never actually diagnosed with ASD (I was just called "weird"
and "nerdy" and other things), but I have no doubt I would be diagnosed ASD if
I ever got diagnosed.

~~~
cmdrfred
My story is similar to yours except I made a conscious decision to buck the
trends and didn't work too hard on acting normal. I worry about what will
happen to the kids growing up in this new safe-zone anti-bullying world? That
feedback was invaluable to me, in fact it was probably the most important
thing I learned in high school.

------
0942v8653
An article written by Robison:

An Experimental Autism Treatment Cost Me My Marriage
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11313452](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11313452)
(26 days ago, 560 points, 313 comments)

~~~
jonaf
My 2-year-old son is the happiest, sweetest little boy. He was diagnosed with
autism about 6 months ago by a pediatric neurologist, who we saw because he
has zero communication skills (verbal or otherwise). He is almost always
remarkably happy, and we love that about him. However, as you may imagine,
it's impossible to discipline him, because he doesn't understand when you are
disappointed or say "no" firmly. He thinks it's funny. Everything is funny. I
am not sure yet but if he can go through his entire life successfully and
mostly independently, and maintain the ability to enjoy literally every waking
moment so greatly, I would go so far as to say I envy his innate joy. If I
could ask him, I wonder if he would want to feel disappointment or sadness the
way I do.

~~~
peterarmstrong
Friendly advice: make sure that, if the time comes, you get a speech therapist
sooner rather than later if the speech is delayed too much and the fact of not
being able to communicate causes him distress. Early intervention helps so
much, so it's great you have a diagnosis at this young age...

~~~
MichaelMoser123
I can second that; my daughter used to get very upset interacting with other
kids when she got into daycare (because of a delay in speech development). I
would be playing with her for hours each day - it was all very repetitive and
she was quite closed up within her own world, but then it all cleared up.

------
tehwalrus
Some people have argued [1] that it was not his autism, but his alexithymia
which was altered by the TMS. Alexithymia is an orthogonal condition: it can
occur with or without autism.

Believing that a "cure" for autism is required is also a rejection of neuro-
atypicality as a valid state of being, which is a common form of subconscious
Ablism (discrimination against disabled people). That is not to say that no
autistic people want to try treatments, simply that we should _not_ forcibly
treat all of them (least of all children, which is a line even Robinson
himself doesn't argue for crossing.)

[1] [https://soniaboue.wordpress.com/2016/04/06/a-shot-in-the-
dar...](https://soniaboue.wordpress.com/2016/04/06/a-shot-in-the-dark-autism-
and-tms/)

~~~
AlgorithmicTime
I'm going to come out and say that this is no different than a person born
without arms claiming that they're not disabled, that they're not damaged.

To claim we shouldn't cure autism because doing so would "reject neuro-
atypicality as a valid state of being" (a typical non-statement) is as absurd
as saying we shouldn't grow people new limbs (assuming we had the capability)
because it's a rejection of amputeeism as a valid state of being.

In a perfect world, autistic children would be found extremely young and cured
before they suffered any real harm from their condition.

~~~
DanBC
> I'm going to come out and say that this is no different than a person born
> without arms claiming that they're not disabled, that they're not damaged.

You might want to look at the social model of disability, because there are
people who do say this. For example, wheelchair using disability rights
campaigners have often said that their wheelchairs are not the problem, but
the lack of ramps in shops and workplaces is what causes them to be disabled.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_model_of_disability](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_model_of_disability)

That's not a new concept; it's been around since the 1970s.

~~~
JoeAltmaier
Makes sense, that folks have been fooling themselves since the '70s. It was
that kind of decade.

~~~
DanBC
It's a simple concept. How can I help you understand it?

It's created large amounts of social change. American disability law derives
from it, for one example.

Here's a cite from UK goverment mentioning the social model:
[https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2010-to-2015-gove...](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2010-to-2015-government-
policy-equality/2010-to-2015-government-policy-equality)

> We encourage the use of the social model as a way of understanding
> disability. It says that disability is created by barriers in society.

> The barriers generally fall into 3 categories:

> the environment – including inaccessible buildings and services

> people’s attitudes – stereotyping, discrimination and prejudice

> organisations – inflexible policies, practices and procedures

You probably need to be aware of this, because not being aware of it creates a
risk if you ever have any management role.

~~~
JoeAltmaier
Of course I'm aware of it. But redefining well-known terms is a sign of
groupthink, common among activist group. By pretending words mean a whole new
thing, we can identify the in group, and humiliate the out group. I won't
participate in that hallucination.

A disability is when you have less ability than everybody else. We can
mitigate that by addressing {everything you list above}.

~~~
DanBC
> A disability is when you have less ability than everybody else.

What percentile?

------
qewrffewqwfqew
The sort of post-TMS emotional hypersensitivity he describes is "normal"? On
one hand I wonder if I'm further on the spectrum than imagined and should seek
help ... on the other, being overwhelmed by other folks' emotional state
sounds crippling.

~~~
e12e
To me it sounds like he probably ended up on the far sensitive side of the
spectrum, but well within normal. But, even if he was an adult, he didn't have
the mental tools to handle the emotion - I read it as if he suddenly got the
intense and open empathy children can have. You don't go to a six year old and
describe the suffering of refugees in detail, because it'll give them
nightmares. Just having a general idea of someone's suffering can be
overwhelming for a child.

I know people that are very emotional, and can get overwhelmed by seeing
others suffer -- but people that are absolutely "normal". I wouldn't call it
"average" (for adults anyway) however.

I do think he's wrong about not having had a limited form of empathy:
literally feeling other peoples pain _is_ empathy. That doesn't mean he didn't
care, or loved before - but it absolutely sounds like he had trouble:
"understanding and _entering into_ another's feelings" (from WordNet, my
emphasis).

It's a fascinating story, like a real-life "The Speed of Dark", by Elizabeth
Moon (in part inspired by her son):

[http://www.amazon.com/Speed-Dark-Ballantine-Readers-
Circle/d...](http://www.amazon.com/Speed-Dark-Ballantine-Readers-
Circle/dp/0345447549)

~~~
bootload
_" I do think he's wrong about not having had a limited form of empathy:
literally feeling other peoples pain is empathy. That doesn't mean he didn't
care, or loved before - but it absolutely sounds like he had trouble:
"understanding and entering into another's feelings"_

Sort of.

Pre TMS Robison was unable to distinguish subtle facial expressions. What does
this really mean? It means he could not decode other peoples facial
expressions and more importantly fire the mirror neurons that allow
recognition of emotion. The research mentioned is important in that it shows
some linkage to mirror neurons and activation in specific sections of the
brain (inferior frontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex and superior
parietal lobe) which is the machinery unavailable to Robison before the
experiment.

What does this really mean? Well the post TMS Robison recognises facial
expressions and the neuronal machinery now understands how that expression
effects others and acts on it. There a relationshipt with mirror neurons and
facial reading ability. If you test people for facial recognition who have
botox, they loose that ability to decipher emotion much like Robison.

You can view the episode Dr. David Eagleman talks to Robison about this very
article on The Human Mind, Ep 5, "Why Do I Need You?" ~
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDR_0Co4ycU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDR_0Co4ycU)

 _" Then, my first job was on the crew for a rock-and-roll tour. I worked in
music and sound engineering into the early ‘80s."_

Remember that exploding guitar Ace Frehley used in KISS? That was all
Robisons' doing ~
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sE0RmdkR9s0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sE0RmdkR9s0)

~~~
e12e
I was thinking more about seeing someone skin their knee, and feel an almost
physical pang of pain.

------
thonos
Everytime I read one of these Autism articles I feel like I might be affected
myself. I lack most of the symptoms I read on the internet but often feel
disconnected and not caring about what's actually happening. Like a robot on
autopilot with occasional breaks when I realize where I actually am in my
life. For example when I hear really bad news, I'm just like "eh, life goes
on".

I'm not sure when this started but I remember a moment a few years back when I
realized this trait for the first time.

Is there a short check I can do to find out more?

~~~
colejohnson66
Visit a doctor. That's really the only sure fire way to know. You may just
have depression.

~~~
cowpewter
Agreed. "Robot on autopilot" sounds far more like depression than ASD to me.

------
anateus
This gave me a strong Flowers for Algernon vibe.

For someone that's high functioning only with experiences like these is it
really possible to see what things are still "missing".

~~~
foxhedgehog
Not intending to trivialize the intensity of this person's lived experience by
saying this, but I definitely think that this would make for an amazing short
story.

------
philovivero
I'm glad this guy wrote this up.

Now I have no desire to get off the spectrum.

~~~
proksoup
I had a (medication induced) experience similar to the author's, with similar
perception of radical changes in the motivations/intentions of my coworkers
and friends, but mostly I remember it being like bright light was turned on in
a dim room, my new awareness of others emotions changed a lot of my
assumptions about their thoughts, the effects lasted a few days.

I'd rather be more in tune with reality, if new technology (or older ones like
psilocybin or lsd) can provide this, sign me up.

~~~
slv77
TMG had a similar effect on me after taking it for three months. The effect
was repeatable for others in my extended family.

The effect initially was a very intense feeling of being connected with
everyone. The intensity faded over time but the effect still remains. For
example I actually enjoy small talk.

After some reaearch I believe that TMG facilitates the breakdown of tonic
dopamine (background dopamine outside of neurons) and high levels of tonic
dopamine relative to tonic serotonin suppress the release of oxytocin.

LSD is serotogentic and may work in a similar way by stimulating serotonin
receptors and simulating raising the level of tonic serotonin vs dopamine.

Oddly people on SSRIs complain about reduced empathy as a side effect so there
may be a U shaped curve or something else going on.

~~~
dfraser992
Wow. you just gave me the rights clues to a theory I have about myself and
childhood and stuff.... "learned Aspberger's" if you will. Can you post more,
please?

~~~
slv77
Once a neurotransmitter is released it will continue to activate receptors
until it is scavenged either through active re-uptake or enzymatic
degradation. While the brain is a pretty efficient scavenger of
neurotransmitters it isn't perfect and neurotransmitters that aren't scavenged
continue to randomly activate receptors and diffuse out of the synaptic cleft.
A neurotransmitter that is part of an pulse is called phasic while a
neurotransmitter that is awaiting degradation is called tonic.

It was surprising to me that these tonic neurotransmitters have an active role
in the brain. Their random activation of receptors on the receiving neuron
make it more sensitive, putting it on a hair trigger if you will. The random
activation of auto-receptors on the sending neuron inhibit further
neurotransmitter release. And when these tonic neurotransmitters diffuse out
of the synaptic cleft they can sensitize other neurons nearby or even trigger
cell death (in the case of glutamate)

The way that I like to think of it is that a phasic neurotransmitter carries
an immediate signal while a tonic neurotransmitter carries a longer term
record of phasic activity.

MAO and COMT are two important enzymatic pathways for enzymatic degradation.
MAO degrades norepinephrine, serotonin and dopamine while COMT degrades
norepinephrine and dopamine. COMT operates by attaching a methyl-donor to the
neurotransmitter which is donated by SAM-E. With some consumer grade genetic
testing I discovered that I had a defect in betaine homocysteine
S-methyltransferase (BHMT) which is one pathway to recycle SAM-E. Supplemental
TMG, also called betaine, simulated more BHMT activity for me.

My guess is that lower levels of SAM-E had the effect of elevating tonic
dopamine and norepinephrine relative to serotonin by plugging one of the
drains.

------
phineastcat
I'm on the spectrum and don't feel any emotional disconnect unless my blood
sugar drops (usually from forgetting to eat or sleep.) When that happens, it's
like part of my brain just... goes to sleep. I'm still awake, but I have a
really hard time producing or sensing any emotions. My loved ones tell me
'it's like talking to a robot and not [PhineasTCat].'

The weirdest part is I can physically feel that part of my brain isn't awake;
it's like a weight in my head, pressing on my eyes. When I was little I called
it 'the brain fuzzies.'

~~~
mercer
Oh wow. I experience those sensations but I've never directly associated them
with decreased emotions. In hindsight, that does seem accurate though. For me
it's the weight pressing on my eyes and sometimes a slight tingly sensation
somewhere.

------
randomgyatwork
We need to stop seeing different types of personalities as diseases.

~~~
Zenst
agreed it is by any other form, mental racism. People are people and they are
all individuals, just sadly collected up in group definitions imposed by
others. Still in a society that labels politicians in negative ways in
general, it is a trait that prevails across many aspects of life and people do
like to categorise and label things.

------
endymi0n
If a simple coil is able to do this to the brain, how come the many Teslas of
a superconducting MRI magnet don't do zip?

Genuinely interested...

~~~
tgflynn
The 1 T+ field your thinking of is a static magnetic field. Static magnetic
fields don't induce currents (except in rapidly moving objects) and have no
known effects on the brain or biology (at least for the field strengths
available for MRI, really extreme magnetic fields might cause such effects).

MRI machines also use much smaller modulated magnetic fields during a scan.
It's conceivable these could have TMS like effects but as far as I know they
don't in practice. I imagine TMS uses fields which are stronger than these
since I believe the excitation coils are placed in very close proximity to the
head.

------
foxhedgehog
This is legitimately one of the most incredible and heartbreaking stories that
I have ever read.

------
agumonkey
I wonder how sexual development happens in autism. In terms of emotional
connection it's a pretty central and strong source.

~~~
anigbrowl
Such a broad question doesn't admit of an easy answer, but if I was going to
put in a single sentence I'd say dating was hell but sex is fine. No idea
whether autistic people are more or less prone to be into kinky sex but my
hunch is more.

~~~
agumonkey
What about simpler affectionate interactions ? dating and sex were already way
beyond what I had in mind. Autism impossibility of emotional interaction would
be at odds with simple hugging. And in my view, hugging is a prototype of
sexual relationship (pure pleasure sex left of the discussion).

~~~
restalis
Hugging has two distinct sides - emotional and sensorial. It feels kind of
futile to do it for emotional reason (you do it just to please the other side,
maybe) but it still feels good for sensorial one. It's like hugging a pleasant
animal.

~~~
agumonkey
You never hugged someone you missed to death ? I bet it wasn't for sensorial
pleasure. There's something more when you can let down on someone else and
somehow 'talk' by skin / closeness.

~~~
restalis
I choose not to "miss to death" anyone/anything. When it happens to hug
someone it doesn't make much difference to me if we haven't seen each other
for over a year or a minute.

~~~
agumonkey
Well, I used to feel that way, but again since these events I experienced the
physical affectionate need for someone. Again, the reason I ask if autistic
persons are stuck without this sensation or not.

I recently read part of an Oliver Sacks book, it's incredible how different
everyone's experience can differ.

------
rdudek
My daughter is will be 4 years old in July and she's been diagnosed with
autism last October. Me and my wife have been wondering if TMS is being done
now more broadly and have it tried on her?

------
pingec
Sounds like his recently awakened sensitivity is on the level of a child's and
he has yet to go through the coping process of desensitization.

------
hammock
If it's accepted that magnetic pulses can stimulate nerve cells in the brain,
"re-tun[ing] the way brain cells communicate," what does this mean for EMR in
the environment, e.g. from Wifi and our cell phones? We are constantly being
told that it's harmless, but it must have some effect on our brains.

------
timwaagh
this sounds interesting. i always wanted to be able to read people better and
emote normally. i don't have a marriage to save so that should not be the
problem. hopefully this treatment will soon be available in my country.

------
ESRogs
He really likes that skinned knee example.

------
smegel
The biggest takeaway from this for me was...so what the hell is EM radiation
from my mobile phone doing to my brain???

~~~
notthemessiah
Cell phone radiation is typically in the GHz wave range, and rTMS, as well as
most brain waves, typically between 1 and 30 Hz. They are completely different
parts of the spectrum, well, so unless you are a pigeon, I don't think there's
much effect.

~~~
smegel
> I don't think there's much effect

I felt more reassured when scientists were promising there was no interaction
between EMR and organic matter.

~~~
Nutmog
Were they ever? Cellphones have been shown to heat the side of you brain. No
evidence that it alters its functioning though. Going out in the sun also
heats the side of you brain.

------
dschiptsov
Autism is a set of habits, a biased training, if you wish. It cannot be undone
by any brain stimulation whatsoever. Brain doesn't work that way.

------
iopuy
Jesus Christ, this guy is the author of 4 books all related to autism?

    
    
        - Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's (2007)
        - Be Different: My Adventures with Asperger's and My Advice for Fellow Aspergians, Misfits, Families, and Teachers (2012)
        - Raising Cubby: A Father and Son's Adventures with Asperger's, Trains, Tractors, and High Explosives (2014)
        - Switched On: A Memoir of Brain Change and Emotional Awakening (2016)
    

He really hit the gravy train. I can't wait for "Sending An Asperger's Kid To
College" and "Grandpa has Asperger, Son"!

~~~
nvarsj
Good for him! It's pretty stupid to assume he "hit the gravy train" by writing
a few books. There are much better ways to make money. More likely he wrote
those because it's a topic he cares enough about.

------
nashashmi
Ok. Now I am going to call it. Back in the late 90s, people used to joke that
you shouldn't keep cell phones at your wasteline or your "futures" will be
affected. And then they would joke further that in 20 years you will have some
weird people walking this earth.

Well, it is 20 years later now, and we should see the affects of this supposed
cell phone radiation. If I had to guess, I would say the version of the future
we were predicting is the one we live in today ... where lots of people now
have autism.

The article says "magnetic" waves through the brain can "fix" autism. If
magnets and electro waves are the fix, then maybe cell phone and radio waves
were the cause that disturbed the brain to be this way.

~~~
raphman_
see
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11493927](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11493927)

