recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Dian Fossey

Dian Fossey (January 16, 1932 – c. December 26, 1985) was an outstanding American primatologist and conservationist who researched mountain gorillas for over 18 years in the mountain forests of Rwanda, where she founded the Karisoke Research Center in 1967. She was known to the locals as Nyirmachabelli, or Nyiramacibiri, which roughly means "The woman who lives alone on the mountain." In 1982 she also wrote a book, "Gorillas in the Mist", about her work/research with gorillas as well as her own personal story with them. Among her discoveries are how females transfer from group to group over the decades, gorilla vocalization, hierarchies and social relationships among groups, rare infanticide, gorilla diet, and how gorillas recycle nutrients. Her book was adapted into a movie in 1988 (after her death). Dian was also an activist who fiercely opposed poaching and tourism in wildlife habitats and helped to arrest several poachers. Her favorite gorilla, Digit, was killed and barbarically decapitated and mutilated by poachers on December 31, 1977. Following his death, Dian created the Digit Fund (now the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International in the USA) to raise money for anti-poaching patrols. Her zeal might have been the reason for her murder in 1985. This was the last entry in her diary: "When you realize the value of all life, you dwell less on what is past and concentrate more on the preservation of the future." The Karisoke Research Center she founded in 1967 is now operated by the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International and continues the work she started. Dian Fossey is believed to have been autistic in *Different Like Me: My Book of Autism Heroes* by Jennifer Elder. Read more about this amazing researcher and her pioneering work on her Wikipedia page.
Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol (August 6, 1928 - February 22, 1987) was a prominent American artist and a leader of the pop art movement. He used a variety of media for his art, including painting, silkscreening, photography, film, and sculpture. Among his most famous works are the silkscreen paintings *Campbell's Soup Cans* (1962) and *Marilyn Diptych* (1962), the experimental film *Chelsea Girls* (1966) as well as the multimedia events known as the *Exploding Plastic Inevitable* (1966–67). His New York studio was a beloved meeting place for many outsiders. In accordance with Warhol's last will, his entire estate (with a few exceptions) went to create a foundation for the "advancement of the visual arts". The *Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts* was founded in 1987, the year of his death. Warhol was also a prolific filmmaker and producer who produced more than 60 films just between 1963 and 1968. Warhol was also active in the music scene and strongly influenced the new wave/punk rock band Devo and David Bowie. Warhol is believed to have had Asperger's Syndrome and is mentioned as likely autistic in *The Genesis of Artistic Creativity* and  *Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome and Creativity* by Michael Fitzgerald, *Asperger Syndrome and High Achievement* by Ioan James as well as in *Elijah’s Cup*by Valerie Paradiz. Read more about his extraordinary life on his Wikipedia page.
Thristan Mendoza

Thristan Mendoza (born 1989), also called "Tum-Tum", is a marimba virtuoso (a savant) from the Philippines. He learned to play the marimba at 5, has perfect pitch and started his music training at the Philippine Montessori Center in 1995. He has performed at many concerts both in his homeland and worldwide, including in front of the royal family, and has received numerous awards. He later studied percussion under Sir Leodivino Roque at the University of the Philippines Diliman College of Music. Thristan also plays the piano and the guitar. Read more about this remarkable man here (old article by Darold Treffert about young Thristan) or on his Facebook page.
Chloe's Requiem

**Chloe's Requiem** (or **Cloé’s Requiem**) is a game published by **Buriki Clock**.

## Gameplay

It's an RPG Horror game that has Michel reacting to various things to check and keeping his cool (also know as his health/stress). The only thing to recover his health is to talk to a NPC. If you react to a obstacle and you have that item you have, you can equip it in your equipment to react it to good use.

## Trivia

* **Buriki Clock** also made other games called Fantasy Maiden's Odd Hideout and Trauma Traum.
Béla Bartók

Béla Bartók (March 25, 1881 – September 26, 1945) was a Hungarian composer and pianist as well as one of the founders of comparative musicology and is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century. He gave his first public performance at 11 in Nagyszőlősand and also played his own first composition, written when he was 9, a short piece called "The Course of the Danube". He started studying at the Royal Academy of Music in Budapest in 1899 and graduated in 1903. Initially his compositions were influenced by Wagner, Brahms, Liszt and Strauss, blending late Romanticism and nationalist elements, like in *Kossuth*. His style changed around 1905 and became much more concentrated, chromatic and dissonant when Zoltán Kodály directed his attention to Hungarian folk music. This style is what made him really famous. He moved to the USA with his second wife (Ditta Pásztory) when the Second World War broke out and had to face considerable financial difficulties because his concert engagements became much rarer. He died of a form of leukemia on September 26, 1945. He was still able to complete his Third Piano Concerto and sketch out a Viola Concerto just before his death. He is believed to have had Asperger's Syndrome and is featured in *The Genesis of Artistic Creativity* by Michael Fitzgerald, *Asperger’s and Self-Esteem:Insight and Hope through Famous Role Models* by Norm Ledgin, *A Guide to Asperger Syndrome* by Christopher Gillberg as well as in *Asperger Syndrome and High Achievement* by Ioan James. Read more about this extraordinary musician, his life and his work on his Wikipedia page or here (shorter).
AK Hevonen

AK\_Hevonen (born 1978) is a remarkable artist with High-Functioning Autism from Germany. She creates beautiful drawings both digitally (with a Wacom tablet) and with pencils. She also has a passion for animals, in particular horses. All her drawings are incredibly expressive and truly capture moments of life. AK\_Hevonen aptly calls her art "painted dreams". Enjoy her wonderful art on her Facebook page.
Jo Redman

Jo Redman is a world champion kickboxer with Asperger's Syndrome and ADHD as well as an autism advocate and a public speaker. She is from the UK. She was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome as an adult in 2010 (when she was 23), and with ADHD even later, when she was 28. She started kickboxing on her father's advice when she was 13 to improve her self-confidence issues. She is now a multiple World Champion, a MAI Hall of Fame recipient and the proud winner of local sports awards. She is also a patron for Anna Kennedy Online. Read more about her incredible life on her website.
Cameron Thompson

Cameron Thompson is a British math prodigy with Asperger's Syndrome. His talent became evident when he was only four and he corrected his teacher who had claimed zero was the lowest number – she was forgetting negatives (source). He passed with high grades at maths GCSE and A-level, took an Open University degree in pure maths before the age of 15 (he started at 12) and obtained a 2.1 Honors Degree in Maths. He also excels at karate. Watch and enjoy his amazing journey here.
Frank Ludwig

Frank Ludwig (born 1964) is an award-winning multi-talented man who was born in Germany and currently resides in Ireland. He is a photographer (with the largest Sligo collection on the web) as well as a poet, playwright, writer of short stories and essays, and he also writes poems and stories specifically for children. He is also a committed autism advocate. This is what he writes about autism on his website: "Autism is not only a natural, but an indispensable part of human neurological diversity. If it weren't for autistics, human evolution would be unthinkable. Therefore autism should not merely be accepted, it should be appreciated." On the same page ("Autism Appreciation") you can also read several pieces he has written on the topic. Frank is a childcare worker and also runs the Sligo Autism Mediation Service to help autistic children and their parents. Frank was diagnosed with autism at the age of 50. He is one of the contributors of *We Can - We Will (Autistic People Help the World)*, the anthology of the Autism Hall of Fame. Read his articles and enjoy much more of Frank's talent on his website.
Bruce Chatwin

Bruce Chatwin (May 13, 1940 – January 18, 1989) was an English travel writer, novelist, and journalist. Among his many accomplishments are the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for his novel *On the Black Hill* (1982) and his novel *Utz* (1988) being shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. In 2008 *The Times* named him #46 on their list of "50 Greatest British Writers Since 1945." He also had a keen interest in art and archeology and ran the auction house’s Antiquities and Impressionist Art departments. After being employed by the *Sunday Times Magazine* he travelled the world to interview important personalities like Indira Gandhi and André Malraux. He wrote six books, one of which (*Songlines*, 1987) became a bestseller. Chatwin was bisexual, but preferred to keep his sexual preferences secret. He died of an AIDS-related illness. After his death some members of the gay community criticized him for keeping his tendencies secret. He is believed to have had Asperger's and is featured in *The Genesis of Artistic Creativity* by Michael Fitzgerald. Read more about his extraordinary life on his Wikipedia page.
David Sharif

David Sharif is a global autism advocate and motivational speaker for the world of neurodiversity. Born in Los Angeles, he graduated valedictorian from Village Glen West, a multi-disciplinary school administered by The Help Group, and became their first student to attend a four-year university out of state. A Magna Cum Laude graduate of Pace University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Peace & Justice Studies, David spent most of his undergraduate carrying his learning differences to new educational environments across the world. He was a member of the award-winning Model United Nations team participating in global negotiations, delivering impromptu speeches. David is also a recipient of the Indelible Mark Student Award, given to a student who leaves a legacy of outstanding contributions that significantly and positively influence the Pace student community. In his senior year, he received a research grant to conduct a study titled, “The Challenges and Successes of Post-Secondary Education for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders,” which he presented at several conferences. David is also an alum of Pace’s Oasis program, a comprehensive support setting for students with learning differences and is one of their strongest advocates.

David has been a long time member of Kehillat Israel in Pacific Palisades, California. For his mitzvah project there, he wrote a speech on what it is like to be autistic that he gave at many schools throughout the LA area. It was later made into a claymation video titled, “My Name is David.” He is also a proud member of Camp Havaya, a Reconstructionist overnight camp in South Sterling, Pennsylvania, where he discovered the magic of everlasting friendships, traveled to Israel for a month, and earned his first paid job as a camp counselor.

He has traveled to forty countries in five of the seven continents in the world. You can view his autism journey and worldwide expeditions on his platform, “Venturing Incredible Abilities.” David’s passion is sharing his experiences with audiences from all over the world to transform people’s perceptions of autism.
John Hall

John Hall (born 1975) is a successful American author best known for A*m I Still Autistic* (2011). He also serves as a trustee for Chicago, Illinois based Roosevelt University and was appointed to the California Interagency Coordinating Council by Governor Jerry Brown in April 2014. He earned a B.A. in Political Science in 1997 and a Masters in Business Administration in 2002 as well as a Doctorate in Education from the University of Southern California in 2012 and is a very accomplished man in spite of having been diagnosed as "severely autistic" by many "professionals". Read more about his accomplishments on his Wikipedia page.
Viola

**Viola** (ヴィオラ, *Viora*) is one of the main characters in The Witch's House (2012, Steam 2018)*, a*nd the protagonist of the game.

She's confirm on October 14, 2013 and debt on October 16, 2013.

## Gallery

Viola's original concept artViola's concept artViola's in-game sprites
## Trivia

* She is voiced by Abigail Turner in The Witch's House with Voices (BlueRhaps0d1).

(To be Added)

 Set C
Hamish Finlayson

Hamish Finlayson (born 2004) is a young app developer from Australia who was recently the center of attention for being the youngest among the 1,500 delegates at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) which took place in Hyderabad (India) in 2017. This was his second GES. At his young age Hamish has already developed five apps, including one to help autistic people like him as well those who want to understand more about autism (TripleT&ASD) and four for the protection of the environment. He developed his first app for the protection of oceans and turtles (LitterbugSmash) when he was 10 and started coding when he was just 8. Hamish is currently working on a new app for teaching autistic children and adults life and social skills. Read more about this remarkable young man here or here (older article, but still very interesting).
Peter Howson

Peter Howson (born 1958) is a stunning artist from the UK who is considered one of his generation's leading figurative painters, in particular for his depiction of the human condition (facilitated by his own experiences of abuse) and for his heroic portraits. He finds much of his inspiration in the streets of Glasgow, where he grew up. His art is described by Robert Heller as "founded in Humanity,especially the human face". He has had numerous exhibitions and has found recognition in many forms, including being made the Artist in Residence at the University of St Andrews in 1985, being appointed official British war artist for Bosnia in 1993, being awarded a Doctor of Letters Honoris Causa from the University of Strathclyde in 1996 and being appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2009. In 2014 he walked across Scotland for autism. Read more about this extraordinary artist on his page on the Flowers website or on his own website.
Gilles Trehin

Gilles Trehin (born 1972) is a French artist who created/drew a fantastic imaginary megacity, Urville, in a period spanning over 20 years. He started its creation at only 12 years of age (he started general drawing at just 5). Urville is incredibly detailed (with over 300 drawings) and has a population of over 12 million. Gilles also wrote a book based on Urville's history. Gilles is also very talented in music and mental calculation. Read more about this remarkable savant either in this detailed article or in this brief article.
Stefan Banach

Stefan Banach (March 30, 1892 - August 31, 1945) was a Polish mathematician. He is one of the founders of modern functional analysis and is often considered one of the most important mathematicians of our time. His famous book *Theory of Linear Operations* was published in 1932. The Hahn–Banach theorem is one of the fundamental theorems of functional analysis.Banach is mentioned as possibly autistic in Autism in Mathematician by Ioan James. Read more about this great mathematician on his Wikipedia page.
John Elder Robison

John Elder Robison (born 1957) is a New York Times best-selling author whose motto is "I believe those of us with Asperger's are here for a reason, and we have much to offer". His most famous book is his 2007 memoir *Look Me in the Eye.* It is also his first book, which he started writing at the age of 49. John is also a speaker and educator as well as an autism consultant and advocate. Read more about this truly inspiring man on his website.
Patrick Jasper Lee

Patrick Jasper Lee is a great author, songwriter and speaker with an indigenous ancient lineage that has given him a greater understanding of life and has also been a coping mechanism. Patrick says that he promotes his own culture as a means of connecting with Earth and each other in a genuine way as opposed to the "pretend culture" that dominates our society. Patrick's first book, *We Borrow the Earth: An Intimate Portrait of the Gypsy Folk Tradition and Culture*, first published by HarperCollins and later by Ravine Press, became a hit worldwide. *Coming Home to the Trees* is its follow-up, and a third book is currently in the making. Patrick is also a songwriter who has published several albums and a public speaker as well as a traditional reader. Read more about his stunning life and his numerous activities on his website.
Shauna Phoon

Shauna Phoon (born 1989) is an extraordinary photographer from Australia who shoots pretty girls (and sometimes boys). She is also an artist. She truly manages to capture emotions (including hidden emotions) in her photos and art. She was diagnosed with ASD in her early 20s. Visit her stunning gallery here or read more about her and what photography means to her as well as her project *The Absence of Normal - Faces of Autism* in this article.
John Nash

John Nash (June 13, 1928 – May 23, 2015) was a mathematical genius who made fundamental contributions to game theory, differential geometry, and the study of partial differential equations, and the only person to be awarded both the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences and the Abel Prize. He displayed a passion for mathematics from an early age and proved the classic Fermat theorem about an integer multiplied by itself p times where p is a prime in high school. At the same time he also did electrical and chemistry experiments. He entered Carnegie Tech in Pittsburgh (now called Carnegie Mellon U.) on a full scholarship and eventually finished his studies in mathematics with a M. S. in addition to his B. S. when he graduated because of how good he was. While still at Carnegie (before enrolling at Princeton) he also took an elective course in "International Economics" and then wrote the paper "The Bargaining Problem" which was later published in *Econometrica*. As a graduate student at Princeton he then developed an interest in game theory studies, developed the idea which led to "Non-Cooperative Games", and also worked on manifolds and real algebraic varieties. He later worked at the mathematics faculty at M.I.T. from 1951 until 1959 (when he resigned) and in the same period managed to prove the isometric embeddability of abstract Riemannian manifolds in flat (or "Euclidean") spaces. He also worked on a problem involving partial differential equations (Hilbert's nineteenth problem, a theorem involving elliptic partial differential equations), but Ennio de Giorgi had been working on it too (without Nash's knowledge) and was the first to solve it. Around 1959 he started to develop symptoms of what was diagnosed as schizophrenia and what started a sad chapter of his life, just at the time when his wife Alicia found out to be pregnant. He was also hospitalized several times against his will. In the periods when he felt better he was still able to successfully work on his research. Nash is the subject of the well-received movie A Beautiful Mind. While in the past he was usually thought to have only suffered from schizophrenia, it is now believed that he also had Asperger's Syndrome. Prof. Michael Fitzgerald wrote a paper called Did the Nobel Prize Winner John Nash have Asperger’s Syndrome and Schizophrenia? and came indeed to the conclusion that Nash met the criteria for Asperger's Syndrome. Read more about this exceptional man in his own words or on his Wikipedia page.
Anthony Crudale

Anthony Crudale is the first autistic marathon winner. Anthony was diagnosed with autism at just 18 months, but this did not stop him from excelling both athletically (as a marathon runner) and academically (he graduated with an art degree in December 2000 and after that a local television station ran a story about him). After trying other sports, Anthony began running as a high-school junior and quickly improved, in spite of being asthmatic in addition to autistic. His career as a marathon runner starter with the Rock & Roll Marathon in 1998. Anthony likes to study the race's altitude profile on the Internet before running a marathon and memorizes past weather patterns. Anthony now has many trophies, medals and other awards in his bedroom. Read more about his remarkable story here.
Reg Mombassa

Reg Mombassa was born in New Zealand in 1951 and migrated to Australia with his family in 1969. He is an accomplished musician who regularly performs in the band *Dog Trumpet* (which he founded in 1991 with his brother) as well as an artist who regularly exhibits at the *Watters Gallery* in Darlinghurst (East Sydney). He also founded the band *Mental as Anything* in 1976 with four other art students and they released 11 albums and 27 singles. Reg left the band in the year 2000 to concentrate on his art. Reg is also a talented poet. Read more about his many achievements on his website.
Lisa Perini

Lisa Perini (born 1973) is a critically acclaimed Italian artist and musician. She has exhibited her beautiful work on different occasions and in many locations. She composes beautiful music on a regular basis, her latest work being *QUINTE MUSICAL**I* during the tour of Ceznutje –  Anna Tarca*(soprano)*e Alessandro Radovan Perini *(guitar)  –* on June 7-10 2016 in Lebanon. She is also the subject of a book titled “*Lisa Perini. Il Dominio del Rosso*” by Giorgio Nonveiller e Luigi Viola and is included on this list of Great Women of Our Time. Learn more about this talented lady on her website.
Johnny Dean

Johnny Dean (born 1971) is an accomplished British musician, front man and iconic pin-up of the '90s Britpop era. He was one of the founders of the band *Menswear* (1994-1998) together with Stuart Black and of the band *Messiah*, which he again founded with Stuart Black and which lasted until 2000.

He was diagnosed with autism in 2009 at 38. The diagnosis shed light on his life as before that he was often considered (in his own words) "antisocial, mean or aloof" because people did not understand him.

He is now an autism advocate and has campaigned for the National Autistic Society.

Read more about this icon on his Wikipedia page.
Eddie Callis

Eddie Callis is a gifted musician (singer, songwriter and harmonica player), dancer and artist from the UK. Eddie is part of a band called *The Travelling Time-Wasters* and co-writes and performs songs for the Shallal Dance Theatre, a company for which he has been dancing since 2008. He is also working on the AUT2 project with Kyle Coleman (another member of the Genius of Autism Wiki). Eddie is also an accomplished artist who has published a book of portraits. His art, however, is not limited to portraits, but also includes landscapes, ceramics, installations and videos. Read more about this remarkable young man on his website.
Matt Savage

Matt Savage (born 1992) is a very talented American jazz pianist and composer who has recently released his 12th album and has played with the biggest names in jazz and has also composed and recorded the score for a full-length documentary film, *Sound of Redemption: The Frank Morgan Story*. He started his career at 9 and had numerous media appearances throughout the years (Marian McPartland’s “Piano Jazz", NPR’s “All Things Considered", “Late Night with Conan O’Brien", “The Late Show with David Letterman", the “Today” Show, ABC’s “20/20", the Discovery Channel, BBC, Telemundo TV as well as news shows and documentaries worldwide) . Matt is a graduate of Manhattan School of Music and of Berklee College of Music and balances his professional music career with teaching. Matt is also featured in *Islands of Genius* by Darold Treffert. Read more about Matt's incredible journey and achievements here.
Amber Black

Amber Black is an athlete and reiki master healer from the USA. Specifically, she is a GBO Pro Athlete, a small-business owner, Figure Universe Champion, AADP Board Certified Practitioner and Health Coach. She serves as a licensed Chaplain and attuned 4th degree Usui Reiki Master Healer. She was diagnosed with autism at 37. As she says on her website, her mission and inspiration is to exude an example of her mental, emotional, spiritual and physical commitment to overcome adversity, recover and create a pinnacle to educate about the importance of support and empowerment to others about her journey with autism. She would like to create an expanded perception in understanding autism in such a way that allows people open their eyes to the fact that even with the autism diagnosis, we can still have a functional, healthy lifestyle. Read more about this extraordinary lady on her website.
Joy Adamson

Joy Adamson (January 20, 1910 - January 3, 1980) was a naturalist, artist and author born in former Austria-Hungary. Joy is famous in particular for her best-selling book *Born Free* (published in 1960) about raising Elsa the Lioness. Elsa's mother was killed by George (Joy's husband) who thought she was going to attack him. However, the lioness was just protecting her cubs, so George took them home after realizing his mistake and Elsa (the youngest one) then stayed with them until adulthood. They taught her themselves how to survive in the wild, and Elsa also became the first lioness successfully released back into the wild. Joy was also an artist who created more than 500 paintings and line drawings. A compilation of her artwork was published as an autobiography called *The Searching Spirit*. Joy was murdered in Kenya on January 3, 1980. She is mentioned as most likely having Asperger's Syndrome in the book *Asperger’s Syndrome: A Gift or a Curse?* by Michael Fitzgerald and Viktoria Lyons, partly based on the details about her life in Elspeth Huxley's foreword to Joy's autobiography. Joy is also included on this list of Great Women of Our Time. Read more about this amazing lady and her extraordinary life on her Wikipedia page.
Mikaela Scheldt

Mikaela Scheldt is a fabulous young artist, photographer and poet from the USA with a profound artist statement: “My life’s work is figuring out how to meaningfully communicate and engage with people. Making art objects is just one way I’m doing that.” Mikaela also says: "How does being an artist affect my experience as a person with Asperger’s Syndrome?  It’s everything! When I am working in the studio I feel calm and strong. I still struggle with basic adult tasks. Sensory overload, social anxiety, executive functioning still slow me down, but it’s manageable. With a constant studio practice, I have fewer meltdowns, anxiety attacks, and my brain doesn’t shut down as frequently." Mikaela became an artist when she started reading feminist art theory as an undergraduate. She was writing even before she became an artist and says this about writing: “Finding words to fit the images and emotions that crowd my brain is a really productive practice.” Mikaela is included on this list of Great Women of Our Time. You can enjoy Mikaela's wonderful art, photos (in particular surf photos) and poetry on her website.
Faith Butterfield

Faith Butterfield (Born: December 18, 1996) is an animator, actress, voice actress, writer, and entertainment industry artist with autism. She is best known for her animated short My Heart Flies which won the Academy of Dream Awards at the Palm Springs International Animation Film Festival and Expo in 2018 and played the artist in the Special Olympics PSA.

Butterfield was born on December 18th, 1996 in Glendora, CA to Tammie Butterfield (nee: Camou) a retired flight attendant and David Butterfield a serviceman.
Talina Toscano

Talina Toscano is a very talented American singer, songwriter and musician with perfect pitch who has had three number one hits on the Independent Music Network (IMN), has been honored by numerous organizations, has performed at Carnegie Hall, The Apollo, GMA Studios, The Grove, Culver Studios, United Nations, Citi Field and has been featured on every major Television Network. She has been called “vision for all the world to see” by Alicia Keys. Her music is a fusion of Pop with a little Soul/R&B flavor and her songs span from the techno dance hit “Hypnotized” to driving ballads such as “I’ll Be There For You” (inspired by the events on March 11, 2011 when the earthquake and tsunami rocked the coast of Japan). Talina takes bullying very seriously and has written an anti-bullying anthem, “Just Be Nice”. She has also started a musical program called “It’s Ok to Be Different” which she performs in schools and is an advocate for the empowerment of girls worldwide. Talina is also one of the winners of the 2018 Autism Hall of Fame Genius Award. Read more about this inspiring lady on her website.
Jacob Velazquez

Jacob Velazquez is a young American pianist and child prodigy who began taking piano lessons at the age of four. Among other honors he was admitted to the National Musicians Guild after performing ten classical music pieces from memory. His current teacher is Giselle Brodsky, Co-Founder and Artistic Director of the Miami International Piano Festival and The Piano Academy: as well as Co-Founder and Director of *Patrons of Exceptional Artists*. Jacob has released an album called *Jacob* with multi-award winning producer and songwriter Hal S. Batt and has filmed two music videos. The album *Jacob* includes a very moving piece called *Reflection of Passion*. Jacob is also one of the winners of the 2017 Autism Hall of Fame Genius Award. Find out more about this exceptional young artist on his website.
Emma Zurcher-Long

Emma Zurcher-Long is a remarkable young lady living in NYC. She is a writer, poet, public speaker and singer featured in *Unspoken*. She has found her unique voice through typing. She has been lecturing at conferences and schools around the United States and her writings have been published in the anthology *Typed Words,* *Loud Voices: A Collection*, Special Parent Magazine, HALO’s 2014 edition of Voices, and on her blog, *Emma’s Hope Book*, which has more than 16,000 followers. On the homepage of her blog, Emma has a highly interesting article on "Methods of Communication", which she wrote in December 2017. *Unspoken* will be premiering in NYC on September 7-13th 2018 at the Maysles Documentary Center in New York.
Nikola Tesla

Nikola Tesla (July 10, 1856 - January 7, 1943) was a Serbian-American inventor, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, physicist, and futurist who is best known for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current (AC) electricity supply system. His 1891 invention, the "Tesla coil," is still used in radio technology today. He is usually considered a genius of the same level as Einstein. Among other sources, he is cited as likely autistic (Asperger's Syndrome) in *Genius Genes: How Asperger Talents Changed the World* by Michael Fitzgerald and Brendan O'Brian (published in 2007). Temple Grandin also says in this video that if he lived today he would be diagnosed as autistic. Tesla won numerous awards for his work during his lifetime: Order of St. Sava, II Class, Government of Serbia (1892), Elliott Cresson Medal (1894), Order of Prince Danilo I (1895), Edison Medal (1916), Order of St. Sava, I Class, Government of Yugoslavia (1926), Order of the Yugoslav Crown (1931), John Scott Medal (1934), Order of the White Eagle, I Class, Government of Yugoslavia (1936), Order of the White Lion, I Class, Government of Czechoslovakia (1937), University of Paris Medal (1937), The Medal of the University St. Clement of Ochrida, Sofia, Bulgaria (1939). Read more about this genius and his remarkable work and contributions to society on his Wikipedia page.
Michael Tolleson

Michael Tolleson Robles (born 1957) is an artist with Asperger's Syndrome currently living in Mexico. He is also a savant. On his website he says "Examining my ability to paint; every stroke is instinctual since I have no training, and I rely on the use of the huge amount of stored information my Asperger's mind has observed and retained. Each painting I now create, regardless of size, is painted in less than 1 hour." Due to his ability to complete paintings in less than an hour Michael takes part in many autism events to show how his beautiful art is created and how his autistic mind works. Michael started actively painting in June 2011. He has sold his paintings in art galleries and has recently completed a series of paintings of horses and a series of paintings of women. Read more about Michael and enjoy his wonderful art on his website.
A.J. Ayer

A.J. Ayer, FBA (October 29, 1910 – June 27, 1989) was a British philosopher known in particular for his contributions to logical positivism, especially in his books *Language, Truth, and Logic* (1936) and *The Problem of Knowledge* (1956). When he published *Language, Truth, and Logic* at 26 he became the "enfant terrible" of British philosophy because his logical positivism leaned on the concept developed by the Vienna Circle. In this book, Ayer asserted that without logical or positive verification statements cannot be true or untrue. Ayer was an Honorary Associate of the Rationalist Press Association from 1947 until his death. He was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1963 and in 1965 he became the first president of the Agnostics' Adoption Society and in the same year succeeded Julian Huxley as president of the British Humanist Association, a post he held until 1970. He was was awarded a Knighthood as Knight Bachelor in the London Gazette on January 1, 1970. Ayer was also good at sports and played rugby for Eton, and was also a noted cricketer and a keen supporter of the Tottenham Hotspur football team. Ayer is featured as most likely autistic (Asperger's Syndrome) in *The Genesis of Artistic Creativity* by Michael Fitzgerald. Read more about his extraordinary life, his ideas and his publications on his Wikipedia page.
André Weil

André Weil (May 6, 1906 - August 6, 1998) was a prominent French mathematician famous in particular for his work with number theory and algebraic geometry. He was also one of the founders of the Bourbaki Group. Among his major accomplishments are the 1940s proof of the Riemann hypothesis for zeta-functions of curves over finite fields and his subsequent laying of proper foundations for algebraic geometry to support that result. Other significant results were on Pontryagin duality and differential geometry. Weil wrote several books and papers on mathematics. He is mentioned as possibly autistic (Asperger's Syndrome) in *Autism and Mathematical Talent*by Ioan James. His sister Simone Weil is also believed to have been autistic. Read more about this influential mathematician and all his books and accomplishments on his Wikipedia page.
Anna Silivonchik

Anna Silivonchik is a very gifted multi-media artist from Russia. From her website: The unique and multi-faceted combination of images and thoughts that Anna creates in every painting (almost always with a slight dash of humor) creates a strong emotional charge through astounding metaphors that give birth to many unexpected associations. Enjoy some of her original, wonderful art and creations on her website.
Chris Baker

Chris Baker is an amazing award-winning self-taught hyper realistic artist from Cardiff (UK). His artwork is exclusively produced using pencils and has been exhibited at the Wales Millennium Centre. A key event in his life was when he was featured on ITV News in August 2015. Before that event he was very introverted and barely talked to people, but is now more self-confident and his social skills have greatly improved. Enjoy his stunning art on his website. You can also read more about Chris in this recent article about him.
Cody Clark

Cody Clark is a fabulous young magician from the USA. He was diagnosed with autism at 15 months of age and like many other great autistic people he was dismissed by prejudiced doctors and his parents were told that he would never be able to do anything, but of course he proved doctors wrong. He first became a magician at the age of 11 after being inspired by a show. He then joined the Louisville Magic Club, studied at the Jeff McBride Magic & Mystery School in Las Vegas, and later used his Bachelors degree in Marketing/Theatre Arts from the University of Louisville to learn how to run his own business. Cody is also an autism self-advocate who uses his own 60-minute magic show to demonstrate that autism is just a different way of seeing the world. Read more about this remarkable magician onhis website.
Vito Bonanno

Vito Bonanno is an accomplished, award-winning artist from New Haven, CT. Vito exhibits his art regularly in both solo and groups exhibitions. His first solo exhibition, *Unfiltered V: Vito Bonanno Riding with the Train Girls*, took place in May 2012 at the Akus Gallery (Eastern CT State University) and included works on paper, canvas, video pieces, a student-artist interactive mural project and installations*.* Elizabeth Peterson, the director of the gallery, stated: “The characters, objects and ideas that inhabit Vito Bonanno’s work act and interact in striking ways. Caught within the grids and map-like structures he imagines, they are often in a struggle between multiple worlds. He has found a way to tap in the intensity of focus and insight afforded him through autism to unleash a formidable creative power and vision”. Vito also has his own studio and regularly works with art facilitators. He was diagnosed with autism just before his 4th birthday and was able to develop into the great man he is today thanks to the support of his family and the help of committed professionals. Read more about Vito on his website.
Danny Beath

Danny Beath (1960-2013) was an award-winning British landscape and wildlife photographer and botanist. His most famous photos were photos of Scottish, Welsh and Shropshire flora and fauna, in particular butterflies and fungi. Danny also earned a PhD in Tropical ecology from the University of Aberdeen in 1993. He was diagnosed with autism at the age of four and was lucky because he had a very supportive family who helped him flourish and achieve his goals. He later became an advocate for autism. He died of a heart attack at 52. On the very day of his funeral he was announced as the winner of the Travel Photo of the Year competition. Read more about this remarkable man on his Wikipedia page and enjoy his photographs here.
Scott James

Scott James is a British singer with Asperger's Syndrome. His incredible voice impressed the judges when he auditioned for the X-Factor in 2009 after living in seclusion for several years. Judge Simon was so touched by his talent that he even went backstage to personally congratulate Scott and his vocal coach. Read the full story of this extraordinary young man here..
Elizabeth Catlin

Elizabeth Catlin is a fantastic mnemonist from the USA.who has been remembering birthdays and making birthday cards herself for thousands of people for decades, including strangers who just shared their details with her. Elizabeth has never written down any dates or addresses. She has just memorized them all, remembering more and more every year and without ever making mistakes. In 2009 she was honored as the “Best Birthday Wisher” in the Reader Digest’s “Best of America” section. Read more about her extraordinary story here.
Joshua Beckford

Joshua Beckford (born 2004) is the youngest person who was ever admitted to Oxford University. He was admitted at age 6 (taking part in courses which were part of an online learning platform for gifted children) and gained distinctions in both Philosophy and History. Joshua is very talented in many other fields, but his main goal is to become a neurosurgeon. Joshua has also won numerous awards, including the Positive Role Model of the year at the National Diversity Awards in 2017. He is also an ambassador for Boys Mentoring Advocacy Network (BMAN), where he serves as Low Income Families Education (L.I.F.E) Support Ambassador for five countries; Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, and South Africa, as well as the United Kingdom, where Joshua was born. Read more about this extraordinary young man here or here or on his own website.
Clarence Kang

Clarence Kang (born in 1998) is an accomplished, regularly performing musician from Malaysia who participated in "Asia's Got Talent" in 2015. Even without any formal training, he is able to read music, transcribe, compose his own pieces and more. He has published his own album called "Hold My Hand". He is also a talented artist whose work has been featured featured at art exhibitions. Read more about this extraordinary young man on his website.
Bobby Fischer

Bobby Fischer (March 9, 1943 – January 17, 2008) was an American chess grandmaster and the eleventh World Chess Champion and many consider him the greatest chess player ever. His genius became evident at an early age, as he won "the Game of the Century" at 13 and became the youngest grandmaster ever (at that time) at 15. At just 20 he won the 1963–64 U.S. Championship with the only perfect score in the history of the tournament (11/11). He became reclusive after losing his world champion title. In 1992 he decided to play again and won an unofficial rematch against Spassky, which, however, caused problems because the match took place in Yugoslavia, which at that time was under a United Nations Embargo. He lived the rest of his life as an émigré. Fischer was not only an exceptional chess player, but also made great contributions to chess playing in general, like a modified chess timing system patented in the 1990s and a new variant of chess named Fischerandom (today called "Chess960"). Fischer is mentioned as likely autistic in *Unstrange Minds: Remapping the World of Autism* by Roy Grinker as well as other sources (for example this article). Read more about this extraordinary chess player on his Wikipedia page.
Axel Brauns

Axel Brauns (born 1963) is a very talented German writer and filmmaker. Among other books he wrote an autobiography called *Buntschatten und Fledermäuse – Leben in einer anderen Welt* (*Coloured Shadows and Bats – Living in Another World*) which spans the years 1965-1983 and presents his view of the world growing up as a person with Asperger's Syndrome. The book reached the bestseller list of *Der Spiegel* in 2002. In 2003 Axel was nominated for the *Deutscher Bücherpreis* in the category "Most successful debut". Read more about his accomplishments on his Wikipedia page.
William Sidis

William J. Sidis (April 1, 1898 – July 17, 1944) was a formidable mathematical and linguistic child prodigy who (according to his sister) had the highest IQ ever recorded, could read at 18 months, was admitted to Harvard at 11 years of age (his father had tried to have him admitted when he was 9, but his application was rejected because William was too young), and graduated at 16 *cum laude*. He also spoke between 25 and 40 languages. He could already speak 8 languages at 8 years of age and had already invented his own language ("Vendergood"). He is remembered in particular for his book *The Animate and the Inanimate* (1925), in which he postulates the existence of dark matter, entropy and the origin of life in the context of thermodynamics. His writings, however, include many other subjects, like cosmology, American Indian history, *Notes on the Collection of Transfers,* as well as lost texts on anthropology, philology, and transportation systems. In spite of his incredible abilities, he soon withdrew from public life and even denied his intelligence. He told reporters that he wanted to live the perfect life, which to him meant living in seclusion, shortly after graduation. He then obsessively collected streetcar transfers, wrote self-published periodicals, taught small circles of friends his version of American history and stayed away from the limelight. He is believed to have had Asperger's Syndrome and is featured in *Asperger’s Syndrome: A Gift or a Curse?* by Michael Fitzgerald and Viktoria Lyons. Read more about this unique mind on his Wikipedia page.
David Barth

David Barth (born 1998) is an award-winning artist with Asperger's Syndrome from the Netherlands. He started drawing from the moment he could hold a pencil in his hand (at about 2 years of age). He draws many subjects, from animals (in particular birds) to buildings, all very detailed. He also knows the scientific names of the birds he draws (over 400), including their Latin names. David published his first picture book "Poeperlak en Plassebed" in 2008 with his mother's help and a second book in 2010 "Wat is er toch met Kobus?", translated "What's up with Kobus?" (his mother wrote the book and David illustrated it.) Enjoy David's fantastic art and read more about him (there are also photos of exhibitions as well as videos about him) on his website and in this article.
Lucy Blackman

Lucy Blackman (born 1972) is the first autistic non-verbal person in Australia to become an officially published writer with her book *Lucy's Story* published in 2001, written with the help of facilitated communication. Lucy also completed her studies (Literary Studies) with honors at the Deakin University in Geelong. She also wrote a chapter in the book *Autism and the Myth of the Person Alone.* Douglas Biklen,the editor of the book, made the following comment about Lucy: "In all my personal interactions with Lucy Blackman, I have found her opinionated, articulate, humorous, ever so candid, and always ready to challenge my ideas or anyone else's. In her chapter, these qualities persist." Read more about this inspiring lady, her work and facilitated communication on her Wikipedia page.
Dani Bowman

Dani Bowman (born 9 January 1995) is a very talented animator, animation educator and autism advocate. She also has her own animation studio (which she started at the age of 14). She was diagnosed with autism at the age of 3 and proved doctors who thought she wouldn't be able to do much in life completely wrong. Today she is a very accomplished lady. You can read more about her on her website.
Michelle Dawson

Michelle Dawson (born 1961) is an autism reseatcher from Canada. She was diagnosed with autism herself as an adult in 1993-94 and became a researcher in 2003 when she joined Laurent Mottron's team in Montreal. A key statement of her work is that she says that most scientists try to determine how autistic brains are broken, but she thinks it would be more useful to try to determine how autistic brains work rather than how they are broken (source: Wikipedia). Michelle received an honorary doctorate from the Université de Montréal in June 2013. Read more about the life of this pioneering woman and her writings on her WIkipedia page.
David Militello

David Militello (born 1999) is an actor and musician from the USA. David didn't talk for the first three years of his life, but at 4 he developed a passion for singing and became a star and a crowd favorite wherever he performed. At the age of 8 he auditioned for the Atlanta Hawks and was chosen to sing the National Anthem at two NBA games, and at the age of 9 he successfully participated in America's Got Talent. After that he focused more on acting and obtained principal roles in television, commercials, music videos, shorts and independent films. David's dream is to perform on Broadway one day. Read more about this gifted young man here.
Naoki Higashida

Naoki Higashida (born 1992) is an accomplished poet, novelist and essayist from Japan. In spite of having difficulties making himself understood when he was very young, he won first prize in the Grimm Fairy Tales Contest, a story-writing competition, at both 11 and 12 years of age. To date he has published more than 20 books, including one on autism ("The Reason I Jump") that became a hit in Japan and that has now been translated into 30+ languages. Naoki uses an alphabet grid to write without any assistance from anyone. Read more about this gifted writer here.