Anyone watching Celebrity Mastermind?

What Anya said
I have seen The Autistic Gardener programme ( found him a bit annoying tbh) but if he is Asperger, he will enjoy showing off his knowledge/special interests etc.

A friend's son is autistic. He has quite a high-powered job, which involves public speaking. I once asked her about how he manages. The answer was that he has been told from a young age that there's nothing to worry about. As he takes things so literally, he doesn't worry.

There was a fascinating article in the Sunday Times Supplement about 18 months ago where their reporter spent a day at GCHQ. Apparently over 60% of their employees are on the autistic spectrum. The reason being that these special people are generally of high intelligence, are extremely single minded and completely focused on their given tasks. They are brilliant code-breakers having numerical memories and rather like a dog with a bone will persevere with a problem till solved. The reporter found it strange that there was no chatting in corridors, by coffee machines, lifts, everybody just got on with their job. Thank goodness for these wonderful and differently able people who help keep our country safe.

Agreed Judy and a nice tribute to them
The thing is though, that more autistic people don't have a job at all ( of any kind) than do have one.My DGS is autistic, and intelligent ( it doesn't always follow) but would have to change a great deal in the next five years to even be in with a chance of a job.
Still, we live in hope.

Right, now I've watched it I would him firmly on the spectrum. I think his red hair, nail varnish and tattoos are his version of GS1's costumes. And the garden design based on the Fibonacci sequence was the clincher. GS1 would think that was brilliant.

I've just seen this topic and have read it through before posting.

bellsisabelle We are having an argument as to whether he is really autistic or not. They say he is, I say he isn't. And your training for this 'diagnosis' is years spent reading special needs posts on Mumsnet? Please tell me I'm hallucinating and you didn't really write that

Anya Children with ASD need 'labels' (or diagnosing as we prefer to call it) as that is the only way they can get support and the extra help they need. Sorry if I keep going on but I feel very defensive about GS1. He's been dealt a difficult hand. I so agree and would add that his parents have also been dealt a difficult hand.

I took my DGS to see his GP about a cough a few years ago and mentioned that his parents were worried he may be autistic. The GP asked if he laughed voluntarily at something funny (so not just repeating what others were doing) and commented he could see the child kept eye contact so no, he didn't have autism and anyway there were plenty of surgeons at xxx (a top London hospital) who were autistic so not to worry about it. Thankfully the parents weren't satisfied with that and 18 months later he was diagnosed as being on the spectrum.

I could go on at some length about the range of autistic behaviours, disabilities and the difficulties of everyday life but will instead suggest bellsisabelle that you read a bit more about it before making such assertions again.