Schumi Helps People Like Me

[Katherine]

I have just read on a website that Michael Schumacher is auctioning a race suit that he wore this season to help raise funds for autistic people. This news I particularly welcome, as I have lived all my life with an autistic disorder. My particular autistic disorder is known as Asperger Syndrome. I'm in illustrious company. Albert Einstein, Ludwig Wittgenstein and Franz Kafka were long thought to have this condition.

This disorder means that I have difficulty using language in social situations. This means that I do not pick up well on other people’s body language, facial expressions and other social signals. For example, I may not realise that when a person looks at a watch, she is trying to wind the conversation up and I will often not recognise that that means she is trying to get away. I often don’t know what things are acceptable to say in conversation and what may appear tactless, rude or insensitive. When in a group of other people, I will often have considerable difficulty in following the flow and rhythm of conversation that is going on. This will make me speak at the wrong times and appear rude. This is partly due to the fact that some autistic people, me included, have difficulty in mentally processing and making sense of auditory information. If the conversation is taking place in a noisy situation like a pub or club, I will have difficulty blocking out the sound of the music to listen to the other person I am talking to. I have a tendency to take people literally and may be confused by phrases such as ‘pull your socks up’. I cannot always gauge how to take people. For example, I may take a person seriously when they are in fact joking and vice versa. This makes me a gullible, naïve, innocent person. To make up for these shortcomings, I will often talk at length and make conversations one-sided. I do want to find out about people and be interested in them but I don’t know the questions to ask.

When a person meets me, I will not make eye to eye contact when talking with them. This is extremely intimidating for me, and I may often glance at another part of the person when they are talking or not at them at all, something called ‘gaze avoidance’. This makes the person think that I’m not listening or paying attention, but I am. I’m taking in every word that they’re saying to the best of my ability. I just don’t look at their faces. You wouldn’t believe this, but I even have difficulty looking at pictures of Schumi when he’s looking into the camera on television interviews, and when he’s looking straight at you in photographs!

I also have trouble in trying to identify with other people and lack insight into other people’s feelings and emotions. I will often sit through a ‘weepy’ film such as It’s A Wonderful Life and not understand why my parents are in tears. If I have been rude, I might not always realise that an apology might make the other person feel better.

During my childhood, I played alone. I would often invent games with complex rules and forbade anyone else to join in, fearful that they would want to change the rules. Change in routine is something autistic people and those with Asperger Syndrome fear. Change for us represents a loss of control over an environment which is ever-changing. People with Asperger Syndrome often stick to rigid routines and timetables to gain some autonomy over an environment they don’t have control over. I used to think that the world would end if I didn’t have my evening meal at six o’clock on the dot, if I went to bed later than half past nine or if my dad chose to drive to a relative’s house by a different route. I used to insist that my dad used the route which used the most motorways, my favourite type of road.

A strong point with Autistics is that the majority of us have exceptional long-term retentive memories. I can recall for example all the registration numbers of every car that my family has owned, I memorised the world Formula One champions from 1950-1995, including the team they drove for in just twenty minutes. The railway networks of Britain respectively took me 3 days to memorise. Given two stations in Britain, I can name the quickest route and which operators you travel with.

A somewhat rarer side to autism is some of us, not many have sensory sensitivity. I for one hate any people other than my parents touching me. If any other person does, I tense up, scared that they might harm me or do unpleasant things. If body contact has to happen, like someone greeting me, I prefer a handshake, rather than this continental thing of kissing on a cheek or hugging. If someone want to hug me, then I have to be mentally prepared for it, or when I feel like letting them hug me. The idea of making love to another person is, to me, repugnant. I cannot think of it in emotional terms. All I think of is a person other than my parents touching me, invading my body space. I hate balloons. I don’t know if one will pop and make me jump. I don’t like the material they’re made of either. Anything with a rubbery texture makes me stiff up and retch. I insist that dentists or any other medical person not use surgical rubber gloves when examining me. I cannot cope with loud music. I used to run away from school if keyboards or synthesisers were played. This is a reason why I have never been clubbing or go to pubs much. Also for me, the consumption of alcohol represents a loss of control. I don’t like the way a person’s behaviour changes when they’re under the influence. When someone’s only slightly merry, it still frightens me.

Autistic people often develop strong interests in particular topics like dinosaurs, cars, other vehicles and lists or league tables of sports statistics. These interests will not be numerous and often, if not kept in check, may take over the person’s entire life. They can often with skilful manipulation by parents and teachers, be used to encourage the autistic to explore the wider aspects of their interest, which may lead to the acquisition of other interests associated with the initial area of interest. This can lead to productive, long-lasting and worthwhile careers for autistic people. For instance, an autistic with an interest in orang-utans could be encouraged to find out about other types of monkey, and the often rainforest environment in which they live. One child requested that all his birthday presents should be road signs. With some inventive thinking by parents and relatives, his wish was granted. On a personal note, my interest in Formula One has been of immense benefit in a lot of ways.

The fact that Formula One has a definite schedule reassures me that there’ll be a race every two or three weeks, something that is comforting for an autistic that likes a concrete routine. It begins in March, another definite. The races always seem to happen in roughly the same order every year, another comforting thing for Autistics. My time in Formula One forums helps me to appreciate the views of people who may not see eye to eye with me. Michael Schumacher’s accident at Silverstone in 1999 forced me to accept change and that change is a good thing sometimes. I naively perceived that he’d be there at all races. This in turn led me to appreciate the driving talents of the other drivers more and to find out more about them, making a narrow blinkered interest widen to appreciate other aspects of Formula One. His accident and the subsequent good it did me in terms of widening my F1 interest makes me confident I’ll still be watching F1 after Schumi retires. I’m much more self-confident as a person than I was before I was interested in Schumi. The way he drives, deals and interacts with other drivers has helped me learn much more about humanity than anyone. I hope that, from his auctioning the suit, he may come to learn more about people like me. Michael Schumacher has made me come alive.

[KC]

Its good to hear that the drivers are getting behind charities. While we hear some charitable work that goes on in the US with most Us athletes, we rarely hear of those foreign to us.

Your post is excellent and well written Katherine. I want to welcome you to the site.

[LYM]

Welcome Kathy. I've read you posts at F1Racing and they are beautiful.

It's important to understand the true characters of these drivers can only be shown outside F1, not in it.

[Liz]

Welcome, Katherine, we always like to have more girls around this place! And thank you for the information in your post as well. I think it's the beauty of the internet that we get to meet lots of different people and learn how to get along without all the usual face to face judgemental stuff.

Glad to hear TGF is doing charitable work. I reckon he'll do even more now he's the ambassador for F1, do you think?

[TimD]

Katherine, thank you for sharing in this post. I found many profound things in what you say that I had not formerly thought about. It's nice to know that the sport which I enjoy as a pastime can be of such powerful significance to another enthusiast, and on such a deep level, too.

It gives me another reason to celebrate this wonderful disparate community we have. Liz is quite right. This internet is a perfect place to meet and share ideas with people we would never have a hope of meeting in our everyday routines.

[EERO]

Thanks, Katherine, it was a terrific post. I honestly was surprised by the title of your post, but you make an eloquent arguement. its so easy to think of the sport as a group of self-obsessed Nero-like figures who would fiddle away as the world burned.
I hope you stick around and watch next season unfold with us.

Cheers.

[downforce]

Hi Katherine!
Good to hear the "effects" of Michael.
Its simply great the way he influences people in all walks of life.

[Peter Mallett]

Hi Katherine and welcome to the forum.

Excellent post and very interesting. However you do realise that living where you do you have a wonderful circuit near to you where you can witness racing at first hand. I mean Cadwell Park. I hope to be racing next season and if so will no doubt be making the effort to race at CP. Perhaps you'd like to come along and see what (in a small way) goes into racing. (Its the same as F1 but we have smaller caravans).

Oh and I noted your quite sensible aversion to alcohol and drunks so we won't invite Craig or Invader. However, Tim, Maisie Lorna, Chris et al are usually sober minded individuals.

Its also good to see that MS and others do so much for charities.

[Maisie]

Thanks for the ringing endorsement, Peter

Welcome aboard, Katherine. I hope we do get a chance to meet up at Cadwell Park - it's always really nice to meet new people, and Cadwell is one of the circuits I've never been to, although from what I've seen on videos it looks ... entertaining Especially the hurtling-along-right-next-to-a-solid-cliff-face bit!

[neutral]

I too have read a lot of your posts from F1racing and they are nothing short of spectacular. You should post that piece you wrote called "a letter to Michael" on this forum. It almost(I said almost) made me cry. Welcome to ten tenths and keep posting.

P.S.

A strong point with Autistics is that the majority of us have exceptional long-term retentive memories. I can recall for example all the registration numbers of every car that my family has owned, I memorised the world Formula One champions from 1950-1995, including the team they drove for in just twenty minutes. The railway networks of Britain respectively took me 3 days to memorise. Given two stations in Britain, I can name the quickest route and which operators you travel with.

DAMN THATS IMPRESSIVE!!!!!!!!

[Red]

Hello Katherine,

Charity actions are not new to Schumacher. He's also the captain of the "Allstars drivers" soccer team. For example he postponed a scheduled surgery (meant to remove the metal pin from his leg) to compete in a charity match last week: F1 All stars drivers vs Sport Stars with Tomba as captain. (Off topic, the drivers crashed the opponents by 5:3. Schumacher, right wing, scored a goal and was nominated MVP). Hakkinen, Coulthard, Frenzen, Alesi, Trulli, Fisichella, are regular players in these matches, as well as Prince Albert (when in Monaco). In last one, the F1 team was strengthen by Riccardo Patrese, Ivan Capelli, Luca Badoer, Max Biaggi. After such a match held last year, the Pope invited the "players" at Vatican to thank them.

Other guys involved in F1 do this; lets mention Arrows, who sponsors the Royal National Institute for the Blind.

[Ralf's Girl]

That was an excellent post, Katherine. Welcome to Ten-Tenths!

[botsquad]

kate:

i don't know much about autisim, nothing really. but you can write as well as anyone i know.

thats fantastic that tgf has inspired you.

i hope you go on to greatness. just like your hero.

good luck.