JEDDAH, 2 April 2008 — On the occasion marking the World Autism Day today, names of talented autistic people who changed the world will be mentioned. Beethoven, Vincent Van Gogh, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein and Bill Gates all had symptoms of autism in their childhood and yet, they are names that will always remain in history.

In the Kingdom, the Jeddah Autism Center too will mark the day by extolling their success stories.

Abdullah is a talented boy at the center. He excels in practical activities, such as sports and art. He’s a fast swimmer and a gifted painter.

He answers questions with few words.

“You went to Al-Ahsa, what did you do there?”

He said: “There was a swimming competition.”

Asked the teacher: “What did you do there?”

He answered: “I won.”

“What did you win?”

“A medal,” he said. “And in Riyadh, too. I like painting more than sports.”

Abdullah uses any piece of paper to paint on. He even reshapes it into different designs.

He is always the first candidate to participate in art contests.

When children join the specialized center, they practice all kinds of activities and then their teachers figure out where their talents are.

A more difficult autism case is Abdulaziz.

“Abdulaziz does not talk at all no matter what you tell him,” said his instructor. “If he gets nervous, he starts hitting the floor with his foot and gets hostile.”

Hussain and Mohammad are two talented children who entered the center when they were only children. After they graduated at the age of 16, they joined the school’s staff and started working at the center.

“Children here are very artistic. As they enter the center, they start learning basic art skills. We start with holding their hands to help them with drawing until they get used to it,” said Amal Fida, arts instructor.

Autism is a special case that makes special people. “Autistic children live in their own world. They could be sitting with you and suddenly open a subject that is not related to the discussion around them. They also have delayed language development,” said Dr. Sherif Azzan, consultant psychologist at Al-Maharat Center.

Symptoms begin to appear as early as 18 months. According to Azzan, 70 percent of autistic children need to be admitted to special centers, while 30 percent can go to regular schools.

Children who have Asperger’s Syndrome, considered a type of autism spectrum disorder (though some experts dispute whether it is a type of autism), tend to adapt well as they grow older, with proper treatment. Children with Asperger’s Syndrome, unlike children with other autism spectrum disorders, do not exhibit delays in the development of speech or other cognitive abilities. They tend to exhibit other symptoms associated with autism, such as being reclusive or unsociable.

Hans Asperger, who first described the disorder, called children with the condition “little professors” because of their tendency to have a highly focused obsession in a narrow range of interest, such as geometry, that begins to emerge around age 5 and can later evolve into a professional talent.

“They can be very successful when they grow up in their studies and work, but when they get back home to their families they do not speak much with their partners and children and enjoy being alone.”

Autistic people increased from four in every 10,000 to 75 in 10,000. “This is because there is early diagnosis of autistic disorder, and diagnosis tools have developed,” said Azzan.

Autism is more common among men - the ratio being four cases among men to one woman.

Autistic people are visual thinkers. In the Jeddah Autism Center, facilities are labeled with photos. For example, a photo of a tab on the door tells that it is a bathroom.

Saudi Autistic Society in corporation with Saudi Pediatric Association is holding a two-day medical program entitled “Autism Diagnosis and Treatment” in Jeddah on April 28-29.