Aspie Dad

I’m not sure about anyone else, but from everything I had read about Syd, at least part of what was going on with him makes it sound like he was one of us (’on the spectrum’). [Disclaimer: I am a major Pink Foyd fan-boy] Thank you for the music, Syd.

Obituary: Syd Barrett [BBC]
Syd Barrett was a huge influence on rock music. As a founder member of Pink Floyd, Syd Barrett wrote songs at once wistful, surreal and quintessentially English. Barrett’s increasingly erratic mental state led to him leaving the band in 1968.

Syd Barrett’s continuing importance, both to his former band-mates and the musical world at large, was made explicit at the 2005 Live 8 concert in London’s Hyde Park.

Introducing their classic song, Wish You Were Here, Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters said: “This is for the people who can’t be here - especially Syd.” But it was another Floyd song, the epic Shine On You Crazy Diamond, written as a tribute to Syd Barrett, which will stand as his epitaph.

Update July 12:

Illustrative of this is an excerpt from an Associated Press discussion on the passing of Barrett with biographer Tim Willis, author of “Madcap: The Half-Life of Syd Barrett, Pink Floyd’s Lost Genius.”

Do we know for certain what Barrett suffered from?

Willis: Nobody knows. His sister has said that a specialist said he had an “odd mind” rather than an illness. He had some identity problems, probably combined with Asperger’s syndrome, the obsessive kind that you often find in great artists. He just had a different brain. (full article)

Yep, that ‘odd mind’ rather than an illness…

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Not that it will change some people’s minds…

Eurekalert: Measles Mumps Rubella and mercury-based immunizations cleared as causes of autism

Pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) like autism and Asperger Syndrome have been on the rise for years. Measles Mumps Rubella (MMR) vaccines and thimerosal—containing vaccines (which are approximately 50 percent ethylmercury) have been suggested as possible causes. A new MUHC study published in the scientific journal Pediatrics tomorrow, assesses the link between childhood immunizations and PDD in 28,000 Quebec children and finally clears MMR vaccines and thimerosal—containing immunizations as risk factors.

“There is no relationship between the level of exposure to MMR vaccines and thimerosal—containing vaccines and rates of autism,” says Dr. Eric Fombonne, Director of Pediatric Psychiatry at The Montreal Children’s Hospital of the MUHC and lead investigator of the new study. Thimerosal was used to prevent bacterial and fungal contamination in the manufacture of various vaccines until its elimination from vaccine formulas in 1996 in Quebec. “According to our data, the incidence of autism was higher in children who were vaccinated after thimerosal was eliminated from vaccines,” says Dr. Fombonne.

“In the past, concern about a potential link between MMR vaccinations and autism led some parents to take the drastic step of refusing to inoculate their children against dangerous childhood diseases like measles,” says Dr. Fombonne. “This action resulted in resurgence of the measles, which caused the deaths of several young children in Europe.” Dr. Fombonne’s study indicates that autism rates continued to increase even with reductions in the use of MMR vaccinations. “We hopes this study will finally put to rest the pervasive belief linking vaccines with developmental diseases like autism,” says Dr. Fombonne.

Autism is a neuropsychiatry disorder that impairs a child’s ability to communicate and interact with others. The prevalence is about 65 cases per 10,000 people (about 1 child in 155) making autism one of the most common childhood disorders. The Psychiatry Department at The Montreal Children’s Hospital sees about 350 new cases of autism each year. However, Dr. Fombonne stresses that there is no demonstrated autism epidemic. He attributes the rise in autism rates to a broader definition of autism and greater awareness of the disorder.

http://www.muhc.ca/

For more information please contact:
Ian Popple
Communications Coordinator (research)
MUHC Public Relations & Communications
(514) 843-1560

ian.popple@muhc.mcgill.ca