The Glenn Gould of Radiology

"He told me about a man, who I'll call B, who had completed nearly all the requirements for a radiology specialization at the University of Montreal. This man was the best student in his class. He had spent fifteen years training. He could read twice as many radiological scans as a non-autistic colleague. He was also a professional-level guitarist. Mottron called him "the Glenn Gould of radiology," Glenn Gould being a brilliant, classical pianist."

"B was refused his diploma. The reason: he didn't talk to people. He wore identical shirts every day. The university said he lacked "the social ability to work in a team." Mottron lobbied on his behalf, but radiologists are MDs with institutional power, and they closed ranks. What would it have taken? One nurse. A single person to serve as an intermediary between the radiologist and the staff requesting his reads. Give him the scans, let him work on his own, have someone else handle the communication."

Laurent Mottron is a University of Montreal neuroscientist with over thirty years researching autistic cognition, having assessed more than 3,000 autistic individuals and published over 400 papers. A trainee, identified as B, completed nearly all requirements for a radiology specialization, excelled academically, read twice as many radiological scans as non-autistic colleagues, and was a professional-level guitarist. The university refused to grant a diploma because B lacked perceived social ability to work in a team and wore identical shirts. The accommodation needed was one nurse to serve as an intermediary for communication; that accommodation was not provided. B wrote that he intended to set himself on fire in front of the University of Montreal but did not follow through.

Read at Psychology Today