They didn’t have a name for it or diagnose it except in very extreme cases.
I went to school with someone who was later diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, which is a mild form of autism, but nobody ever knew anything about it then. He was just a geeky kid who didn’t get along with everyone else and did math and was crazy for puzzles. I actually always admired these qualities and never had any idea they were symptoms of a syndrome.
Of course, he’s rich and famous now because he invented Bit Torrent, so these diseases do have a positive side, especially in their milder forms.
Wow, that's awesome!! Did you know him?
Agreed, one of my friend’s sons has never been diagnosed, but he can’t remember faces or meeting anybody other than his immediate family . He repeats himself often in a conversation , and does not not like direct eye contact. I believe he would be called a Functional Autistic . He recognizes me because I can engage him on car talk. He is obsessive about a few things and a poor student, and lacks many social skills that every else in his family has in spades.
However, in the past 5 years he has built a few websites and is making 60k a year in a home based business for “tuner” parts for his great obsession, Honda civics made between 1993 and 2001! He machines the parts in his garage, assembles them, has UPS pick them up at his door and bills his customers.
I have Asperger’s and there are physical differences that make life harder. It goes beyond being geeky. My worst symptoms are-
-Extreme discomfort/pain if I’m touched or have to touch someone- This creates huge problems if I want/need to touch/be touched.
-Obsessions similar to OCD- They are constantly changing and I can stay up all night working on one. If I can’t fulfill an obsession, it can turn to depression. However, obsessions can be good as I had a health-food one that made me lose 80lbs.
-Random physical differences that make me stand out- I can start doing random movements/ticks and not realize it until someone else notices. Eye contact is almost painful and forced. Certain materials and clothing are untouchable for me. Also studdering, insomnia and random periods of depression.
There are also good symptoms. People say I’m a great engineer and I can do lots of work in my head. I’ve also won a prize for every project that turned into an “obsession” for me.
Kind of sounds like my 33 year old son when he was a toddler. He was fascinated with any thing that had to do with numbers and if I took him to the toy store all he wanted was puzzles. He was never geeky and always very social but even as an adult he does have some quirks. He’s a real perfectioist and little things that probably wouldn’t bother most people make him nuts. Right now he’s obsessing over a noise in his car that no one can figure out.