Sheldon Cooper Has Asperger's Syndrome

[AaronSterlind]

First of all I love The Big Bang Theory, I'm 40 years old and an intelligent hominade so naturally I despise so called "reality tv" and its getting difficult to find any fun, escape fiction, sit-com television anymore, so kudos to the team that brings us this gem.  Until this came along I thought I was going to be stuck watching re-runs of Friends until I was eighty years old.  At any rate, all that being said I believe that the character Sheldon Cooper is classic Aspergers Syndrome case and I wonder if the writers of the show are onto it, it seems to me that theyr'e writing him into that mold more and more, which is great I think, I hope they make the diagnosis on the show someday, it'll open a whole new line of possibilities for the character.  I know to that his mother had him tested, as they say, however; alot of professionals miss aspergers diagnosis, a somewhat milder form of autism, and they where more apt to miss the diagnosis when the character would have been a child.  They did add from the lips of his mother: "although I wish I would have followed up with that specialist", a qoute by Sheldon's mother that excited me because it seems they may have cracked a window, so to speak, on the possibility of revisiting a mental illness.  Its the only aspect of the show that kind of bothers me, his friends are smart and theyr'e have been numerous medical doctor characters who never suggest Aspergers.  It seems obvious to me, at any rate, I was wondering if someone else has noticed this?

[netmouse]

Jim Parsons has commented several times with regards to his own belief that Sheldon has Aspergers. If you /search "aspergers" within this forum, you'll find numerous threads pertaining to the topic. There are some really insightful posts regarding the topic.

[BlackWhiteRose]

Ive copied that (its from fancast.com and they quoted Dr Mayim Bialik) :

 

Fans of CBS’s ‘The Big Bang Theory‘ have long debated whether Jim Parsons’ character, the ultra nerdy, socially inept, Sheldon (Jim Parsons), has Asperger’s Syndrome. Mayim Bialik, who plays his equally awkward girlfriend Amy Farrah Fowler, is uniquely qualified to weigh in on the topic.

The actress, who is still best known for starring on the 1990s sit-com ‘Blossom‘ when she was a teenager, has a PhD in neuroscience from UCLA. In fact, she studied Autism Spectrum Disorders.

According to Bialik, Sheldon’s case is complex. “OCD was the topic of my thesis when I did my doctorate. I think that Sheldon would definitely be on the spectrum, as we say. I actually don’t think that I would give him the diagnosis of Asperger’s. I would give him Obsessive Compulsive probably moderate to severe, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, possibly Social Anxiety Disorder… but not pure Asperger’s as we know it.”

She thinks that Amy truly is a female version of Sheldon. “I would classify Amy and Sheldon as pretty much the same psychiatric profile… I think, to me, she seems weirder because she’s female and she gets to act in situations that lend themselves to a different set of weirdness. Trying to bond with females is very different culturally than male bonding. But I think clinically probably the same diagnosis would apply.” quote end

 

And I agree with Mayim.

 

Edited December 27, 2012 by BlackWhiteRose

[Moonbase]

I don't agree with Mayim at all. Gawd she should know better!!!!

When Sheldon's mother said she should have taken him to Houston, this I believe was exactly the implication. You will find a lot of people who will argue against this on here though. I don't know why. They just do, maybe some people are uncomfortable with it but I think it's fantastic. It gives his character a total edge for me and confirms that he really is different. If you look up aspergers on the internet, Sheldon exhibits every trait on the list, more than once. OCD people just do not have all those other traits.

As netmouse has said, there's loads of threads about it. It's not just been noticed by fans, but by people who work with children with aspergers and those with family members who have it. They have posted here.

 

They never wrote him to BE an aspie but they gave him everything to indicate he was. The general feeling is that a diagnosis would box in the character too much though and I agree with that. I'm quite happy to just watch his quirks and know he's different for a reason.

Edited December 27, 2012 by Moonbase

[BlackWhiteRose]

Oh please give me a break ...and three exclamation points are a little too much.

Write a mail to the producers.. ´cause they said he doesn`t have it. (thats what I was trying to say that the producers said so)

 

I´m out here.

Edited December 27, 2012 by BlackWhiteRose

[Moonbase]

Oh please give me a break ...and three exclamation points are a little too much.

Write a mail to the producers.. ´cause they said he doesn`t have it.

I´m out here.

 

He can not read emotions, sarcasm or understand humour. Even I know that can't be generalised anxiety disorder and OCD. And there were four.

 

No I'm not going to bother the producers, I know exactly why they won't box in this character. But I'm sure they don't have an much of a problem with the comparison as you might think. 

Without any officially announcement loads of people with the condition have come to this forum. We had a lady who said she worked with aspergers children. There was another lady who said her son was like Sheldon and countless other people who come here who have wife's, husbands and family members and they have all asked the same question about this character. I know he was not officially written to be an aspergers character but I find it staggering how people just push the possibility that someone with this kind of personality would be an aspie in real life aside. As if it's something that can only ever be a bad thing.

Edited December 27, 2012 by Moonbase

[Guest I'm not dead Cheryl]

We have discussed this issue so many times that it's starting to feel tyring, but here it goes once again:

As many here know I have Aspergers Syndrome and OCD. OCD is a common comordibility of Aspergers as well as Anxiety Disorders, etc.
I know a lot of Aspies as well, and both Sheldon and Amy (Amy is the favorite of the Autcast, a blog for Aspies that a lot of us frequent) fit with the profile of a lot of people I know. So does Raj for that matter, as selective mutism is found also in people with Aspergers (I know 3 people with selective mutism). Sheldon's story of "my mother had me tested" also rings a bell in my personal experience. I didn't speak till I was 5. Until that time my mom took me to dozens of doctors worried that there was something wrong with me. Since I was born in 1982 and Aspergers didn't became known within the medical community until the 90's I never got a diagnose. They ran so many tests on me, and didn't found anything. They would just tell my mom not to worry, that I had a high IQ, and that Einstein didn't speak until he was 4, so she shouldn't worry. It wasn't until I was in my 20's that I was finally diagnosed.

Having said that though, to me, if the writers say that Sheldon doesn't have Aspergers, then he doesn't. Why? It's simple, it is THEIR character. They write him as quirky and weird and they don't want to label him as an Aspie, and then I am really fine with that, since, first, it gives them freedom, second, because it could really lead to stereotyping, because, and even though Sheldon is consistent with some people with Aspergers, there a re a lot of people within the spectrum that are NOTHING like him. And that could do harm, especially in a society that is very ill informed about Autism, and third, because... he doesn't exist! you can't diagnose fictional characters!

I particularly like that they don't label him. It helps us. And a lot of Aspies think like me. Because his quirks are just quirks and not labeled as a Syndrome, therefore, it helps people who regularly see the show, see us as people and not as thing with an Asperger's seal on our heads. Asperger's does not define people.


And most important, for the OP: Asperger's Syndrome IS NOT a mental illness. It is classified as a disorder or a syndrome.

[Moonbase]

We have discussed this issue so many times that it's starting to feel tyring, but here it goes once again:

As many here know I have Aspergers Syndrome and OCD. OCD is a common comordibility of Aspergers as well as Anxiety Disorders, etc.

I know a lot of Aspies as well, and both Sheldon and Amy (Amy is the favorite of the Autcast, a blog for Aspies that a lot of us frequent) fit with the profile of a lot of people I know. So does Raj for that matter, as selective mutism is found also in people with Aspergers (I know 3 people with selective mutism). Sheldon's story of "my mother had me tested" also rings a bell in my personal experience. I didn't speak till I was 5. Until that time my mom took me to dozens of doctors worried that there was something wrong with me. Since I was born in 1982 and Aspergers didn't became known within the medical community until the 90's I never got a diagnose. They ran so many tests on me, and didn't found anything. They would just tell my mom not to worry, that I had a high IQ, and that Einstein didn't speak until he was 4, so she shouldn't worry. It wasn't until I was in my 20's that I was finally diagnosed.

Having said that though, to me, if the writers say that Sheldon doesn't have Aspergers, then he doesn't. Why? It's simple, it is THEIR character. They write him as quirky and weird and they don't want to label him as an Aspie, and then I am really fine with that, since, first, it gives them freedom, second, because it could really lead to stereotyping, because, and even though Sheldon is consistent with some people with Aspergers, there a re a lot of people within the spectrum that are NOTHING like him. And that could do harm, especially in a society that is very ill informed about Autism, and third, because... he doesn't exist! you can't diagnose fictional characters!

I particularly like that they don't label him. It helps us. And a lot of Aspies think like me. Because his quirks are just quirks and not labeled as a Syndrome, therefore, it helps people who regularly see the show, see us as people and not as thing with an Asperger's seal on our heads. Asperger's does not define people.

And most important, for the OP: Asperger's Syndrome IS NOT a mental illness. It is classified as a disorder or a syndrome.

 

 

Thanks for the post. I don't want Sheldon labeled either and I'm not an aspie as you well know. But I do get overly sensitive about this, because to me, saying it's impossible, is an insult to all those people who see Sheldon as a positive role model. I feel like they are being robbed of something.

Edited December 27, 2012 by Moonbase

[koops]

The bottom line is always the same about this, like Sursonica says: the writers do not write him with Aspergers in mind and insist he is just Sheldon, because giving him a diagnosis would be restrictive for his character. While Sheldon has plenty of Aspergers traits he also at time acts inconsistently with that, and I think the writers are simply not willing to commit to the type of consistency in writing that giving him a diagnosis would require. Also, he does have traits from all those other disorders Mayim mentioned but for some reason people always seem to focus on Aspergers. In my mind, the writers have taken some traits here, some traits there and out came Sheldon. 

 

I think for a fictional character, especially in a sitcom, the main problem with Aspergers would be the empathy issue. Sheldon does act like a self-centered jerk a lot but when needed he can also show empathy, because people like to see an empathetic character in those situation and it would be heartbreaking if he weren't. If they gave him a diagnosis it would be a lot harder to explain why he sometimes act empathetically while other times he does not. 

 

In any case, I think there's a generalized obsession with diagnoses nowadays. I'd rather focus on traits than conditions, I think it makes a lot more sense and it's much more useful. 

[wannamaker]

[...So does Raj for that matter, as selective mutism is found also in people with Aspergers...]

 

 

Yes, I would agree that the script acted for Raj is not one of the best. He's really a quirky and shy character in The Big Bang. Maybe Sheldon seems a dumbass sometime, but I don't think his act relate to an autistic syndrome. He is a remarkable outspoken fellow of I know it all and that can be annoying for some people.

Edited February 12, 2013 by wannamaker

[BlackWhiteRose]

Sheldon is my favourite character of the show. And some crazy psychologists told me I have that asperger snydrom but I don`t  `cause my IQ isn`t that high as Sheldons...okay I`m weird like Sheldon and I have also problems to talk to some people ecept for some friends thats why I understand Sheldon(thats my opinion)

I never wanted to insult someone.

And I also don`t want Sheldon labeled he´s a lovely fella.

Sorry if I insulted someone I didn`t mean to and maybe something was a little misunderstanding.

[Moonbase]

Sheldon is my favourite character of the show. And some crazy psychologists told me I have that asperger snydrom but I don`t  `cause my IQ isn`t that high as Sheldons...okay I`m weird like Sheldon and I have also problems to talk to some people ecept for some friends thats why I understand Sheldon(thats my opinion)

I never wanted to insult someone.

And I also don`t want Sheldon labeled he´s a lovely fella.

Sorry if I insulted someone I didn`t mean to and maybe something was a little misunderstanding.

 

Yes I think it was a misunderstanding, he's my favourite character too.

[BlackWhiteRose]

Okay then ^_^

And I love his eidetic memory (mine is almost as good as his I`m still working on it)

He´s a really fascinating character.

[Moonbase]

Okay then ^_^

And I love his eidetic memory (mine is almost as good as his I`m still working on it)

He´s a really fascinating character.

 

Well, I wish I had that memory. I have to write everything down on the calendar on my phone. Or I forget what I'm supposed to do.

[BlackWhiteRose]

I would love to help you :-))
 

I remember stuff I wanna remember you know some quotes of the show, some Sheldon quotes ;-)

And on one quiz show in our country the million euros question was about the drake equation and I knew I´ve heard it on the show. Damn I should have read your sig more often :D

But I remember in what year I was where (in  the summer holidays). And I remember all the concerts I´ve been to and Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock is easy peasy for me to explain ´cause I just love that.

My mother envies me my good memory.

Edited December 27, 2012 by BlackWhiteRose

[Moonbase]

The drake equation was on a quiz show? Thats pretty cool! Did anyone get the answer?

 

I envy anyone with a good memory, I'm such a day dreamer and I think that's part of my problem. Even Jim remembering his lines is seriously impressive to me.

[Guest I'm not dead Cheryl]

I would love to help you :-))

 

I remember stuff I wanna remember you know some quotes of the show, some Sheldon quotes ;-)

And on one quiz show in our country the million euros question was about the drake equation and I knew I´ve heard it on the show. Damn I should have read your sig more often :D

But I remember in what year I was where (in  the summer holidays). And I remember all the concerts I´ve been to and Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock is easy peasy for me to explain ´cause I just love that.

My mother envies me my good memory.

good memory indeed. I have eidetic memory like Sheldon too. I can remember a lot of stuff, random information. I barely ever needed to study or read a text more than once since I remember it very easily. I can remember inmediately quotes, facts, images, and entire dialogs of movies etc.

 

BUT I have issues remembering trivial stuff, like what I need to buy at the supermarket, or what time I need to go to a meeting, etc, or my anniversary! so I keep an agenda with a complicated set of alarms on my phone as well as a paper one, and even then, it fails oh, well.

[koops]

Memory is a funny thing. When I was in school I used to just have pictures of book pages in my head and when we had tests I would just scan the page to find the information to answer the question. I still remember some of those pages to this day. 

[bigbangsheldon]

I can remember lots of things like really lots but not important stuff :/ 

[netmouse]

So long as you remember the most important thing of all.... Pants first... THEN shoes !! :D

[BlackWhiteRose]

The drake equation was on a quiz show? Thats pretty cool! Did anyone get the answer?

 

I envy anyone with a good memory, I'm such a day dreamer and I think that's part of my problem. Even Jim remembering his lines is seriously impressive to me.

 

Yeah that question was on  the german version of " Who wants to be a millionaire" but the candidate didn`t know the answer and left the show with 500.000 €. But on Facebook some people talked about that question and some of them knew the answer.

 

Jim sometimes forgets a line but that´s okay. He´s still so adorable. ^_^  

 

 

@netmouse: *LOL*

[phantagrae]

So long as you remember the most important thing of all....

Pants first... THEN shoes !!

:D

Actually, I always put my socks and shoes on before I put on my pants, but that's because it's easier for me.

[netmouse]

If you wear shorts all the time (as I am prone to do) you never need to worry about it :D

[bigbangsheldon]

holla!

[tmp]

Jim, along with the creators and writers, is the ultimate expert on the question.  I saw an interview they did at Comic-con 2011 (I think it was) and he said no, Sheldon doesn't have a condition, "He's just Sheldon."  I think we can suspend our disbelief on it and just go along.