Books: Born on a Blue Day

Posted By on January 18, 2007

Born on a Blue DayDaniel Tammet has written a book, Born on a Blue Day, about his life as an Autistic Savant. He is an extraordinary 27 year old from the UK and is fortunate enough to be able function normally in society. In day to day life, he does has a compulsive need for order and routine well a particular precision with amounts of foods and exact times for tea. Daniel has developed the mastery of ten languages and is gifted with numbers ability to do calculations. He demonstrated his ability with numbers by reciting the number pi up to the 22,514th digit, a European record. The book details his relationship with numbers (think “Rainman” the movie) as well as the challenges of growing up with this unusual gift/curse.

In his childhood years, he struggled with epilepsy and seizures. The medicines being prescribed made him drowsy and slowed his progress early on in school. Daniel might now be classified as having Aperger syndrome which was not defined until 1994; it is characterized by an impairment in social interaction and repetitive behaviors associated with Autistic Savants. He mentioned that during his childhood he faced anxiety and loneliness and had difficulty understanding why he was different than his peers.

Along with the biographical information, Daniel shares how he views numbers. He ‘sees’ them as colors and with personality, the number 9 is ‘blue’ as is Wednesday — the day he was born. The book provides an interesting view inside the mind of a a Autistic Savant and is well worth reading. It might also be interesting to peruse his blog or read the first chapter of his book available in PDF format.

EDIT: Was forwarded this ABC Good Morning America clip and thought I would include it.



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Comments

  • http://www.rehanqayoom.blogspot.com Rehan Qayoom

    It is obvious that Daniel has this specific agility in working with numbers on a friendly basis but the consistency of a particular diurnal routine is fairly common to people leading organised lives. I don’t think it should be promoted as being unique to Daniel or other “savants”.

  • http://www.rehanqayoom.blogspot.com Rehan Qayoom

    It is obvious that Daniel has this specific agility in working with numbers on a friendly basis but the consistency of a particular diurnal routine is fairly common to people leading organised lives. I don’t think it should be promoted as being unique to Daniel or other “savants”.

  • http://www.myarchive.us RichC

    Thanks for the comment Rehan. You are correct … it is not unique just to “savants.” The reference to Aperger Syndrome, which is part of the autism spectrum, has as part of its symptom, obsessive and repetitive routines.

    Daniel a few routines beyond just being organized — here’s paragraph from Chapter one:

    “I have an almost obsessive need for order and routine which affects virtually every aspect of my life. For example, I eat exactly 45 grams of porridge for breakfast each morning; I weigh the bowl with an electronic scale to make sure. Then I count the number of items of clothing I’m wearing before I leave my house. I get anxious if I can’t drink my cups of tea at the same time each day. Whenever I become too stressed and I can’t breathe properly, I close my eyes and count. Thinking of numbers helps me to become calm again.”

  • http://www.myarchive.us RichC

    Thanks for the comment Rehan. You are correct … it is not unique just to \”savants.\” The reference to Aperger Syndrome, which is part of the autism spectrum, has as part of its symptom, obsessive and repetitive routines.

    Daniel a few routines beyond just being organized — here\’s paragraph from Chapter one:

    \”I have an almost obsessive need for order and routine which affects virtually every aspect of my life. For example, I eat exactly 45 grams of porridge for breakfast each morning; I weigh the bowl with an electronic scale to make sure. Then I count the number of items of clothing I’m wearing before I leave my house. I get anxious if I can’t drink my cups of tea at the same time each day. Whenever I become too stressed and I can’t breathe properly, I close my eyes and count. Thinking of numbers helps me to become calm again.\”

  • http://www.dieselblog.net Erik

    Colour me intrigued.

    I’m going to have to find this book I’ve always been interested in Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome. Good post.

  • http://www.dieselblog.net Erik

    Colour me intrigued.

    I’m going to have to find this book I’ve always been interested in Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome. Good post.

  • Elizabeth

    In another just released book, Strange Son, a very unusual young man named Tito who falls on the opposite end of the autism spectrum, shares his equally unusual experience of the world. Tito is severely autistic and nonverbal and yet, astoundingly, he has a high IQ and writes poetry. One hopes that these two books appearing on the scene at nearly the same moment in history, suggests that we are on the verge of a new understanding of the autism spectrum disorders; an understanding that comes from the inside out instead of from the theories and hypotheses of “experts”. While the biological causes of autism still remain undiscovered, these firsthand accounts are not only the most valuable tool scientists have to study autism, they are the beginnings of a new understanding of autism for us all. Although the wide-ranging abilities and expressions of the human mind never cease to amaze us, the opportunity to glimpse the world through the unique consciousness of these two young men offers a dazzling and unexpected gift like none that we have encountered in recent memory.

  • Elizabeth

    In another just released book, Strange Son, a very unusual young man named Tito who falls on the opposite end of the autism spectrum, shares his equally unusual experience of the world. Tito is severely autistic and nonverbal and yet, astoundingly, he has a high IQ and writes poetry. One hopes that these two books appearing on the scene at nearly the same moment in history, suggests that we are on the verge of a new understanding of the autism spectrum disorders; an understanding that comes from the inside out instead of from the theories and hypotheses of “experts”. While the biological causes of autism still remain undiscovered, these firsthand accounts are not only the most valuable tool scientists have to study autism, they are the beginnings of a new understanding of autism for us all. Although the wide-ranging abilities and expressions of the human mind never cease to amaze us, the opportunity to glimpse the world through the unique consciousness of these two young men offers a dazzling and unexpected gift like none that we have encountered in recent memory.

  • http://www.myarchive.us RichC

    Thanks for mentioning Strange Son … I look forward to looking at it.
    Rich
    http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9781573223119&itm=2

  • http://www.myarchive.us RichC

    Thanks for mentioning Strange Son … I look forward to looking at it.
    Rich
    http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9781573223119&itm=2

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Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee

  1. lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
  2. digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.