The Autistic Surfer

Posted on: September 8, 2009 2:16 PM, by Jonah Lehrer

In the latest issue of Outside Magazine, I profile Clay Marzo, a rising star on the pro surfing circuit. In December 2007, Clay was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, a mild form of autism. What's so intriguing about Clay's story is that his Asperger's isn't a hindrance or handicap. Instead, it's a crucial part of his success, allowing Clay to focus, for hours at a time, on nothing but the physics of waves and the mechanics of surfing:

Clay Marzo has been waiting all morning for waves. He's standing with his surfboard next to a NO TRESPASSING sign on the edge of a pineapple field, looking down at a remote beach on the northwest shore of Maui. There are no tourists here, because there is no sand, just a field of jagged lava rocks and a private dirt road. The tide is still too far out, so the waves are trashy. Clay hasn't said a word for more than an hour; he hasn't even moved. He's just stood in the hot tropical sun and stared silently at the sea.

The waiting ends a few hours later, shortly after 1 P.M., when the trade winds begin to blow. Clay furiously rubs his hands together, like a man trying to start a fire, and lets out a few guttural whoops. He then grabs his board and quickly descends the steep slope in his bare feet, motioning for me to follow him.

There are a few surfers in the breaks to the right, away from the rocks. Clay heads to the left, where the waves are bigger. He paddles out and starts scanning the horizon, counting the seconds between the heaving swells. After a few minutes, he abruptly turns around and points his board toward the shore. His body goes taut and he starts to push backwards. The wave is still invisible--I can't even feel the undertow--but Clay is already searching for the perfect position. And then it appears: a six-foot wall of shimmering blue. The water rises until it starts to collapse, which is when Clay pops up onto his board. He accelerates ahead of the break--his sudden speed makes the wave seem slow--and then he snaps upward, launches his board into the air, and somehow whips it around, so that he lands backwards on the disintegrating lip. For a dramatic moment, Clay looks off balance, but then he reverses the board and calmly rides the whitewash until it can no longer carry him. The wave is over. He's already looking for the next one.

Clay Marzo doesn't love surfing. Love is a complicated thing--sometimes people fall out of love--but there is nothing complicated about Clay's relationship to the ocean. For Clay, surfing is an elemental need, a form of sustenance, a way of being that he couldn't be without. He just turned 20, but he can't remember a time when he wasn't obsessed with barrels, shortboards, and the daily swell report. When there are no waves, Clay sinks into a stupor. His face takes on a sad, frustrated expression, and strangers think that he's constantly about to cry, although that's just because his light-blue eyes get irritated by the sun. When I ask Clay what he would do if he couldn't surf, he looks confused for a second, as if he's unable to imagine such a terrifying possibility. "I don't know," he says. "I guess then I would just want to surf."

In December 2007, Clay was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, a form of "high-functioning" autism. In recent years, as parents and doctors have begun to worry about a possible autism epidemic--a reported 1 in 150 children are now diagnosed with the syndrome--there has been an increased focus on understanding and treating its symptoms, which include impaired social interactions, difficulty with communication, and the tendency to fixate on repetitive behaviors. While Clay has many of these deficits--he's easily overwhelmed by other people and often struggles to express himself--he also demonstrates one of the distinguishing features of Asperger's: an "encompassing preoccupation" with a narrow subject. Some children with the syndrome become obsessed with 19th-century trains or coffee makers or The Price Is Right. Others will memorize camera serial numbers, even if they show little interest in photography. Hans Asperger, the Viennese pediatrician who first identified the disorder in 1944, argued that such obsessiveness can be a prerequisite for important achievement, even if it comes at a steep social cost: "It seems that for success in science or art, a dash of autism is essential," Asperger wrote. "The necessary ingredient may be an ability to turn away from the everyday world ... with all abilities canalized into the one specialty."

What makes Clay unique is that his obsession is a sport, not an abstract intellectual category. While many children with Asperger's are marked by their lack of coordination--"motor clumsiness" is a very common trait--Clay moves in the water with an uncommon grace. (His movements are much more awkward on dry land; I watched him hit his head on a car door and knock over two water glasses in the span of 15 minutes.) "Clay's kind of a surfing freak," nine-time Association of Surfing Professionals world champion Kelly Slater has said. "He's like a cat. He's got this ability to always land on his feet. Clay definitely knows things that I don't know." Clay's nickname is "the Rubber-Band Man," since he'll consistently stick maneuvers, such as his signature aerial reversal, that aren't supposed to be possible. He'll be bent over backwards, his blond hair in the water, and he'll find a way to stand up.

At the moment, Clay is one of the most celebrated surfers in the world. He already has a national surfing title and numerous Hawaiian titles; he's been featured on the cover of Surfer magazine and is a mainstay on YouTube, where one of his clips has been watched more than 100,000 times. Although Clay has yet to qualify for the ASP World Tour--a series of competitions featuring the 46 top-ranked surfers--his low ranking hasn't hindered his reputation for being world-class. Kai Barger, a fellow Maui surfer and the current ASP world junior champion, recently called Clay "the best out of all of us, and it's all natural. He never had to work at it."

But Kai is wrong. Although Clay's body appears to be perfectly designed for the sport--he has a long torso and short legs, which gives him a low center of gravity and the ability to crouch in tight barrels--his real secret is that he's always in the water. If Clay isn't surfing (and the only time he's not surfing is when there are no waves or it's a moonless night), then he's probably watching slow-motion videos of himself surfing, which he's been known to study for ten hours straight. His mom, Jill Marzo, used to be his main videographer. From the time he was seven years old, she would sit on the beach in the shade and record Clay until the camcorder battery ran out. "If I ever missed a good ride, he'd get so upset," Jill says. "He remembers every single wave. They all kind of look the same to me, but not to Clay. Those waves are what he lives for."

Jill is used to speaking for her son, since he often struggles to speak for himself. Here on Maui, I've watched him flail for words during several interviews with an ESPN news crew, avoiding eye contact and staring instead at the cameras and sound equipment. Even the simplest questions lead to awkward silences and stammers, as if Clay is terrified of saying the wrong thing. And yet, if you're able to talk to Clay when he's comfortable--and he's always most at ease in the warm Hawaiian water--he's likely to surprise you with his eloquence as he reels off one vivid metaphor after another. He describes the feeling of surfing inside a barrel as "like being inside a throat when someone coughs and spits you out." When I ask Clay what he loves about waves, he goes silent and looks away. I assume he's going to ignore my question. But then he utters a line that could easily be his slogan: "Waves are like toys from God."

10 Myths About Autism

10 Myths About Autism
Experts Examine Misconceptions About Autism
By LARA SALAHI
ABC News Medical Unit
Oct. 23, 2008



As the number of Americans diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders climbs, so, too, does the number of questions surrounding this disorder. Namely, what is autism, and what is causing a rise in autism diagnoses among adults and children nationwide?

Amid these questions, television shows and magazines feature a barrage of stories and imagery -- families rallying for and against vaccines, debates between medical experts pointing to both genetic and environmental causes, and images of individuals diagnosed with autism who struggle to speak and function independently, while others can interact with others and are able to hold jobs. For many, these competing messages may make this already complex condition even more confusing.

Fortunately, doctors and researchers are learning more about the causes and characteristics of autism.

The following are answers to 10 common myths, that may help us better recognize the range of symptoms we call autism spectrum disorders.

Myth: Autism is an emotional or mental health disorder.

While physical or social behaviors of individuals with autism may suggest that they have a psychological disorder, autism is actually a biological illness that affects the brain's growth and development.

"In the case of autism, the parts of the brain that are most affected seem to impact three areas of functioning," said Michael Alessandri, executive director of the University of Miami's Center for Autism and Related Disabilities. "Social behavior, communication and restricted and repetitive rituals and routines are ways that the child or the adult with autism interact with the environment."

Although autism is now understood to be a neurodevelopmental disorder, Alessandri, an expert for ABCNews.com's OnCall+ Autism section, said autism can still be considered a complex disorder because its range of symptoms is so diverse.

"Scientists and clinicians now understand that autism is not a singular entity, but rather, a variety of syndromes that ... create the autism spectrum disorders," said Alessandri.

Myth: There is an autism epidemic.

The word "epidemic" often implies a sudden burst in the number of individuals within a fixed time who have, in this case, autism.

Although the CDC reports that one out of 150 children born have an autism spectrum disorder, some experts are quick to question whether a surge in autism cases is actually occurring. Some are more likely to link the upshot of numbers to the combination of a broader definition of autism, a wider spectrum, and an earlier diagnosis.

"The condition has not become more widespread, but there is more diagnosis of autism," said Dr. Bob Marion, director of Children's Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.

Sheila Wagner, assistant director of the Autism Center at Emory University in Atlanta, added that more awareness of symptoms has allowed more people to identify individuals who have autism.

"There's a lot of media exposure to autism, in television and movies," said Wagner. "This has made [autism] more recognizable in the lay population."

Myth: Autism can be cured.

Some parents may allude to a certain diet, medicine, or set of behavioral treatments that have cured their autistic children, where other parents may try the same mode of treatment and see no results. While there are treatments created to improve an autistic child's ability, there is no known cure for autism.

"We do know that with early intervention with younger children and Applied Behavioral Analysis, we can improve a child's functioning," said Marion.

Applied Behavior Analysis, or ABA, is one form of therapy for newly diagnosed children. It includes repeating behavioral activities to improve a child's social and physical functions.

According to Marion, there is no blanket treatment for autism, and it is up to the individual's doctor to assess what treatment will offer the best benefit for each autistic child.

In some cases, Marion said, behaviors, including eye contact, interaction with others and development of language skills, will significantly improve -- but the underlying biological disorder will not change.

"And that is definitely not a cure," he said.

Myth: Autism is the result of cold and unemotional parents.

In the 1940s, Austrian doctor Bruno Bettelheim theorized that autism was a result of parents, especially mothers, who did not love their children. Children in such situations would withdraw and become autistic, Bettelheim believed.

However, researchers have thawed the "refrigerator mother" theory. According to medical experts, a child's autism diagnosis has nothing to do with how the child is raised.

"We don't know if there are any things that a parent can do or not do, conclusively, will determine whether their child gets autism or not," said Dr. Daniel Geshwind, director of UCLA's neurogenetics program and center for autism research. "Most of the evidence right now points to there being a very strong genetic predisposition in most cases of autism, but not all."

Myth: Individuals with autism always have hidden or exceptional talents.

Stephen Wiltshire, 34, is best known as the human camera. He can replicate architectural designs and landscapes down to each blade of grass -- even if he is only given one opportunity to observe the area he is drawing. Wiltshire has reproduced panoramic scenes of Tokyo, Rome and London by memory after one short helicopter ride over each of the cities.

Wiltshire is an autistic savant. That is, he has extraordinary cognitive skills that allow him to recall details of designs, numbers and measurements that are normally considered too difficult to remember.

The concept of an autistic individual as a savant may have been popularized by Dustin Hoffman's character in the movie "Rain Man."

But while Marion acknowledges that there is a minority group of individuals with autism who have unusual islets of skills, savants are an unrealistic portrayal of the majority of individuals on the spectrum. He said most do not have talents or skills that distinguish themselves by extraordinary talents.

"There are strengths and weaknesses in every child," said Marion. "It's important for every child with autism to have a multidisciplinary evaluation by health professionals who have experience in assessing a child's skills and deficits, to come up with an educational plan that will benefit the child the most."

Myth: Repetitive or ritualistic behaviors should be stopped.

One of the classic indicators of autism is repetitive and ritualistic behaviors, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM IV), a physician's tool to diagnose autism.

While these behaviors -- which can include hand flapping, banging on walls or rocking back and forth -- may seem odd, they do have a purpose: they can be calming; they can feel good; and they may help the individual communicate with others, said Wagner.

Repetitive behaviors may only pose a problem if they begin interfering in family life or if they prevent those with autism from functioning independently, Wagner added.

However, according to Dr. Pauline Filipek, associate professor of pediatrics and neurology at the University of California, Irvine, a child may learn to outgrow repetitive behaviors.

"Often, as an individual gets older, they learn that such behaviors make them stand out in society, and they learn to miniaturize those behaviors," said Filipek.

Myth: Individuals with autism are unable to build social relationships.

"This is a generalization and needs to be individualized because the spectrum is so wide," said Marion.

In short, social relationships are possible for some individuals on the autism spectrum, but not for others on the most severe end of the spectrum, Marion said.

The DSM IV, which includes diagnosing guidelines for autism, lists "impairment in social interaction" as one indication that an individual can have an autism spectrum disorder. But not every child on the autism spectrum will have the same degree of difficulty connecting with others.

"At the most severe end of the spectrum, yes, that's true," said Marion. "But there is a multitude of children who have friends, and even some who do have close relationships."

Myth: Autistic individuals are a danger to society.

"It is a disservice to think that all people with autism are dangerous," said Wagner.

The idea rises from numerous news stories of individuals diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, a high form of autism, who have been accused of burglary and, at times, murder.

However, if you look at the entire population of people on the autism spectrum, the number of people involved in crime is small, said Wagner. If someone with autism were to act out, it may be due to frustration or perhaps physical or emotional overstimulation, not necessarily malice, she said.