Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, has suggested that he may be neurodivergent and speculated that he would probably have been diagnosed as such as a child if he had been tested today.
In his memoir ‘Source Code: My Beginnings’, an excerpt of which has been published by the Wall Street Journal, the billionaire philanthropist recalled his childhood in Washington state and the support he received from his parents, who “struggled with their complicated son”.
During my childhood, the fact that some people’s brains process information differently than others was not widely understood
Bill Gates
“If I were a child today, I would probably be diagnosed within the autism spectrum. During my childhood, the fact that some people’s brains process information differently than others was not widely understood,” he writes.
Bill Gates, who is 69 years old, recalls that “my parents had no guides or textbooks to help them understand why their son became so obsessed with certain projects, overlooked social cues and could be rude and inappropriate without seeming to notice their effect on others”.
The Microsoft founder highlighted that his parents, Bill and Mary Gates, offered him a combination of support and pressure, which allowed him to grow emotionally while at the same time encouraging him to relate to other people.
Other millionaires with neurodivergence
Elon Musk (Tesla), who in 2021 on the Saturday Night Live program acknowledged having Asperger’s syndrome, and Richard Branson (Virgin) have attributed much of their career success to neurodivergence.
Signs that you are a neurodivergent person
Maria Marcos, psychologist at Prado Psicologos, explains in ‘Cuidate Plus’ “neurodivergence refers to a cognitive processing, to a neurological functioning that differs from the norm, that departs from the neurotypical“
There are several types of neurodivergence, such as autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity, or people with learning difficulties, such as dyslexia or dyscalculia, high abilities or sensory processing disorders, among others.
Some of the characteristics that people with neurodivergence may exhibit include high sensory sensitivity, for example to sounds or light, ability to recognize patterns and connections, as well as subtle details, high capacity for creativity, with original thinking that allows them to find more innovative solutions, difficulties in social interactions, focus on very specific interests, difficulties in organization or time management, difficulties in emotional management or intense emotional responses or more analytical or detailed thinking.