'Born on a Blue Day'

'Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant '

Autistic savant Daniel Tammet learned Icelandic in a week and can recite pi to the 22,514th digit. In his memoir, "Born on a Blue Day," he describes what it's like growing up and living with Asperger's syndrome and synesthesia, a condition which causes him to understand words and numbers as "shapes, colors, textures and motions."

He was online Thursday, April 12 at 11 a.m. to take your questions about his book and life.

A transcript follows.

____________________

Daniel Tammet: Thanks to everyone who's posted a question for me today - I'll try and reply to as many as possible!

_______________________

Stockton, N.J.: Hello David, what color is today and why do you think so?

Daniel Tammet: Thursdays are always a bitty yellow.

_______________________

Worthington, Minn.:

1. What's your dream job?

2. I saw a documentary that showed you learning Icelandic. Your teacher said you were "like a sponge." Do you still remember the Icelandic you learned?

3. What is the hardest thing you've had to do?

It makes me happy to realize that a human can have a gift like yours.

Daniel Tammet:1. I guess writing and speaking would be my dream job, so I'm very lucky to be able to do both.

2. Yes, and I plan to return to Iceland next month to give a talk in Icelandic for the University in Reykjavik.

3. The hardest thing has probably been learning to feel comfortable living simultaneously in two countries of the mind, one of people and one of numbers.

_______________________

Lorton, Va.: Have you read, "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime"? It's a novel that explores the thoughts of a 15-year-old autistic boy. Did you feel it explained some of your thought process?

Daniel Tammet: I have read it and liked it a lot, except for its portrayal of religious belief as incompatible with autistic thought. As an adult convert to Christianity I disagree that autistic people are incapable of religious faith.

_______________________

Tucson, Ariz.: What are three recommendations you would offer teachers in grade school/middle school?

Describe a memorable moment in your own education.

Daniel Tammet: I would recommend communicating in clear, simple, unambiguous language with students; providing a "time out" area where students can go to cool down if they feel particularly stressed or agitated; third, having a mixed sports programme that allows autistic students who often lack a team instinct to do other sports such as gymnastics or athletics.

_______________________

Lutz, Fla.: What advice would you give a teacher who has an Asperger's student in her/his room?

Daniel Tammet: Be patient, communicate slowly and clearly, give the student a "time out" area in the school where he/she can go to calm down when particularly stressed or agitated.

_______________________

Indianapolis: I wonder if you can articulate why or how you are able to learn a language in a week. Were there any "tricks" or does it just come to you? Does something "click"? Maybe you might have some tips about different ways of learning that might help the rest of us be able to learn more quickly and thoroughly.

Daniel Tammet: I learn whole sentences that build a sense of how the words combine, then create my own sentences within a very short space of time. I look for relationships between different words, plus seeing words in different colours and textures aids my memory for new vocabulary.

_______________________

Greenbelt, Md.: Daniel -- thank you for sharing your life and experiences with the world. You are an inspiration.

Daniel Tammet: Thank you!

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: I'm sorry for the basic question, but I'm afraid I'm having trouble understanding. What exactly are Asperger's syndrome and synesthesia?

Daniel Tammet: Asperger's syndrome is a mild, high-functioning form of autism. Statistics vary, but it affects one person in every several hundred. Synaesthesia is a mixing of the senses -- in my case, when I look at a number I see shapes with distinct colours and textures. I also see words in various colours and textures.

_______________________

Cincinnati, Ohio: Communication, in most people on the autistic spectrum, holds the greatest challenge (at least from what I understand and have seen in my own life). In the book you talk about the relationship you have with your partner, and it's incredibly inspiring that you're able to have this beautiful relationship. What are some of your greatest challenges in the relationship? How do you communicate? What does a typical day look like for the two of you?

Daniel Tammet: The greatest challenges would certainly include communication, as well as my need for routine. My partner is very patient with me and happy to repeat himself or speak slowly to make sure what is said "goes in." It's frustrating for me too, as I can never know when I'm about to "switch off" and I have worked very hard at being as good a listener as possible. The need for routine makes sudden changes to a schedule problematic, so as far as possible we live a very simple way of life.

_______________________

Rockville, Md.: David, I am absolutely in awe of you, and it is amazing the things you have accomplished. Being autistic, did you have difficulty learning to speak, and if so, how did you overcome it? I am concerned about my 4-1/2-year-old grandson, who has been diagnosed with autism and who is very smart but has great difficulty speaking.

Daniel Tammet: Fortunately for me, individuals with Asperger's do not exhibit language delay as young children and this was true in my case.

_______________________

Dunn Loring, Va.: Daniel, thank you so much for helping us all better understand those who are "wired differently"!

My 6-year-old son is an Aspie, and so often people's first instinct is to focus on his deficits. Yes, he has attention difficulties, yes he has to be taught how to interact and communicate with others, yes he is rigid and obsessional.

But me, I am so in love with this amazing child that I am endlessly boring people with my never-ending bragging about his incredible assets! He taught himself to read at 2-1/2, can sing (with great expression and feeling, not to mention perfect pitch) any song after hearing it once or twice, and absolutely devours information on subjects that interest him. He is also an absolutely lovely and affectionate child.

So -- different does not mean pathological! Yes our child will need help learning strategies to better function in the world of the "neuro-typicals," but he has so much to offer that it will be such a great benefit to all involved when his world and the NT world come to a comfortable meeting place.

Daniel Tammet: I absolutely agree with you that difference needn't be seen as a negative. My different-ness has allowed me to make contributions to the world that would have been otherwise impossible. Although it hasn't always been so, I'm now very happy just being me and don't have any need to want to be the same as everyone else.

_______________________

Dayton, Ohio: Is there a network or association of people with Asperger's or autism that helped you get published? I know that Temple Grandin went through a huge struggle to get her scientific papers published, let alone her autobiography.

Daniel Tammet: Fortunately I didn't have too much difficulty getting published. My story was already quite well known as a result of the documentary made about me entitled "Brainman."

_______________________

Charles Town, W.V.: I read your book and thoroughly enjoyed it. I was born on 20 October 1935. Can you please tell me what day that was?

Thanks

Daniel Tammet: You were born on a bright white day, Sunday.

_______________________

Boston: Daniel: Your story is so remarkable! I was wondering about your mathematical talents. Do your extraordinary abilities extend to abstract mathematics ? How are you at solving puzzles ?

Daniel Tammet: Unfortunately my autism limits my ability to understand abstract mathematics, though I'm fascinated by the achievements of mathematicians past and present.

_______________________

Humboldt, Tenn.: Hi Daniel,

I have a 13-yea-old son whose is diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome. His is in the high-functioning arena and has an above average I.Q.; however, he also has significant short-term memory issues which are a real problem in school. He also has "tics" such as high-pitched squeals, etc., although he only does them in front of his father and me. Just this morning I was telling him that he had to learn how to control impulses such as those. He has several other physical delays as well, such as fine motor delays, scoliosis, written language delay, etc.

Can you try to explain to me how it feels to be inside the mind of a person with this condition and ways you have learned to cope with day-to-day associated problems in your life. I am especially interested in how you survived high school and upper education years. What kind of help was there for you?

It is so frustrating as a parent to not be able to get inside your own child's mind and understand and also to know the best way to help them.

Thank you and congratulations on your book; I definitely am going to read it!

Daniel Tammet: It isn't possible to answer your question in any detail in the little space and time provided for me here, but your questions are certainly answered in my book "Born On A Blue Day."

_______________________

Reston, Va.: How would you counsel adults living with autism (and their caregivers) about independent living? As the caregivers get on in age, I see this as an important issue, especially as more and more children are being diagnosed.

Daniel Tammet: Get in touch with their local branch of the country's national autism network (here in the UK it is the National Autistic Society) for advice and support. I'd also recommend developing positive routines that include socializing, education, work, recreation.

_______________________

Pittsburgh, Pa.: Could you familiarize me with Asperger's? I've recently heard about this type of autism, but only in very general terms. And, are there mild to severe forms of this?

Daniel Tammet: Asperger's is a mild, high-functioning form of autism. There are certainly milder and less so forms of it.

_______________________

Silver Spring, Md.: Daniel,

I have two severely autistic children. People like you give autism a face and a voice, and for that, I thank you and hope God keeps blessing you.

Daniel Tammet: Thank you!

_______________________

Lutz, Fla.: Hello Daniel,

I enjoyed your book thoroughly, especially since I had an Asperger's student in my fifth-grade classroom. If only I had been able to read your book before I had him in class! So much of what you related about yourself, I remember seeing in him and I wish I'd had that knowledge at the time. It would have helped me understand and relate to him better than I did. Every teacher should read your book!

Daniel Tammet: Asperger's has only been diagnosable in recent years, but the good news is that public awareness and understanding of the autistic spectrum is growing all the time. Hopefully my book is another part of that positive process.

_______________________

St. Mary's City, Md.: I started reading your book this week, and I've noticed that the social aspects of your childhood were very similar to my own. My social skills were so poor that my parents sent me to a child guidance counselor for three years. This was in the 1970s when Asperger's syndrome was almost unknown -- in fact, I learned recently that my counselor specifically ruled out autism because of my high reading ability. It was eerie to read the Oasis Guide and find my childhood traits described almost exactly. How did you and your parents learn that you have Asperger's?

Daniel Tammet: High reading ability wouldn't make you ineligible for a diagnosis of Asperger's. Bear in mind that high-functioning forms of autism, such as Asperger's, have only been diagnosable in recent years. I was finally diagnosed at age 25 at the Autism Research Centre at Cambridge University.

_______________________

New York, N.Y.: Daniel, what is your opinion on how autistic children should be educated: behavioral therapy, sensory/auditory integration therapy, diet, etc? It seems like some of the more severely autistic opponents of severe behavioral therapy are only able to communicate their opposition because they've already been trained by behavioral therapy, which makes me very ambivalent.

Daniel Tammet: I think children with mild autism, including Asperger's, should have the opportunity to learn alongside their non-autistic peers. Where this isn't possible, as when the autism is more severe, then I am in favour of special needs education to help those children/adults who might otherwise go without any form of education. Any therapeutic treatment ought to be evidence-based. Autistic children/adults are especially vulnerable to exploitation and abuse, so there need to be proper safeguards too.

_______________________

Johnstown, Pa.: Hi Daniel,

I'm a father of a 7-year-old autistic son, and a college professor who has taught several autistic and Aspy students. Grade schools and high schools have structures, resources, and plans to assist children of differing abilities and talents to succeed in their education, but colleges have none of this. In addition, college students on the autistic spectrum have differing needs from younger children like my son, so what would be your advice to college professors to help them to help their students to succeed?

Thanks

Daniel Tammet: They would benefit from classes that taught social and personal hygiene skills, as these become more relevant when children reach adolescence.

_______________________

Anonymous: I'm interested in your comment regarding seeing words as colors or shapes. As an English teacher, I've tried introducing different word groups (nouns, pronouns, verbs, and so on) with different colors and trying to keep the colors consistent in class materials. I'd be delighted to know about your word-colors and whether or not they follow syntactic or semantic classifications, or some other system, or none? Thanks!! (Saw the Iceland video and you were awesome!)

Daniel Tammet: The colour-word association is synaesthetic rather than planned, so the colours don't follow any particular classification but rather appear spontaneously to me. The first letter of a word generally dictates the colour the whole word will take: words beginning with "w" are always blue, ones beginning with "g" are always green, those beginning with "h" are always white, etc.

_______________________

Quicksburg, Va.: Daniel,

Your description of living simply with your partner is a lesson ALL of us need to take to heart!

Daniel Tammet: I'm a big believer in living as freely and independently as possible, in our homes, our families and our communities. We ought to limit the role or influence in our lives played by Big Business, Banks or Bureaucracy. The writing and ideas of the early 20th century English writer G K Chesterton have been a big influence on my thinking in this area.

_______________________

Anondale, Va.: What's your take on the genetics vs. environmental exposure debate about the causes of autism?

Daniel Tammet: Autism is a profoundly complex condition, with as many forms as there are people with it. I think this is one reason why some people grab on to simplistic explanations for the condition (such as the vaccination controversy). I believe there is enough good scientific evidence to suggest that autism occurs prenatally and is not in fact caused by environmental factors such as bad parenting or vaccination.

_______________________

Atlanta: Hello, Daniel.

When you say "I also see words in various colours and textures," do you literally see them this way, with the optical input from the eye to the optical center of the brain, or do you perceive them in a way that is similar to texture or colour?

Daniel Tammet: I see them as such in my mind's eye.

_______________________

Baltimore: This might be a stupid question, but do people with autism or Aspy understand each other better than people without? Is there a bond there that is difficult to penetrate?

Daniel Tammet: I don't think so. Autistic people can be just as diverse in their beliefs, ideas, opinions, lifestyles etc. as any other group of people. However I do agree that savants might well have such a bond, as there are so few of us -- around 50 in the world. When I met Kim Peek, the man on whom the Dustin Hoffman character "Rain Man" was based, in Salt Lake City three years ago I certainly experienced a sense of connection that was very special to me, and I hope for him as well.

_______________________

Daniel Tammet: That's all folks - many thanks again for all your questions! Bless bless (Icelandic for 'bye'!)

_______________________

Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions. washingtonpost.com is not responsible for any content posted by third parties.