The Piano Man

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Let's face it: in such a state, it may be virtually irreversible. Let hem be like the way he is and stop asking questions. Let that piano stay in there and let him rest a while, maybe days, maybe months, maybe even a year or more, without pushing him. And don't give him any medication if he continues to stay harmless. He's no threat to anyone. That's my treatment.

WELL SAID!

Glen, great points. Once again it's the government proffessionals working to rather limtied best of their abilities!!

I agree that the guy just needs to rest for as long as he needs to rest. To comunicate with him with his means through music. Not to force him to communicate the way the majority do. This annoys me! Just because some don't communicate through spoken word or in different mannerisms, doesn't mean we don't communicate at all. Grr! I am 'lucky' because I can communicate through words, but it frustrates me constantly because it is NOT my first language of communication. It's probably about the 5th or 6th.

Well, since I posted my last message it seems the doctors in their wisdom have now decided to give Piano Man his own piano, and also are cosidering using music and art therapy to try to communicate with him.
From the BBC World News site :-
"The so-called "Piano Man" has had an upright piano nstalled in his room at the secure mental health unit where he is being held, his carers have said.
Doctors are considering using music and art therapy to try to communicate with the mystery man who has not yet spoken. "
But they dont yet seem to have got another musician to listen to him and maybe play piano with him, though.
I agree they should let him have peace and quiet though, for as long as he needs. He seems harmless and very unhappy (apparently has been in tears several times). I suppose he has been put in a secure unit for his own safety...they dont know why he was found in such a distressed state or whether someone had tried to harm him. I have heard suggestions that maybe , if he is autistic and unable to live on his own, some so-called "carer" might have tried to dump him or "lose" him, in order to force the authorities to assume responsibility, but whether this could be true I do not know (I have heard however of old and demented patients being abandoned by their families like this though).
Incidently, someone asked in this thread about the Piano man's drawing of the grand piano; did he depict the number of keys accurately, as somebody with AS would be more likely to do this than a NT person? Well, I downloaded a copy of the picture, and although when magnified it was rather blurry, it does appear that he correctly drew a keyboard of about seven-and-a -bit octaves. But the black keys are rather uneven and I am not sure how significant this is , anyway!
Glenn

Hope he doesn't have a roommate. Playing the piano into the wee hours of the morning.

What interested me, aside from his ability to play piano. Is how good looking he is. Perhaps, there really is a island somewhere of really good looking men. I dunno, it'd be cool if there was, lol.

Random point of correction:

Mutism in autism does not always have to do with whether someone has "normal cognition" or not, but "normal cognition" + "mutism" is not the same as selective mutism. Selective mutism is when social anxiety is the reason someone is unable to talk. They are too terrified to talk. There are other reasons that autistic people can't communicate in speech. (I can't, and I don't have selective mutism.)

Last edited by anbuend on 21 May 2005, 12:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.

This story is so interesting and yet so sad. I hope someone recognizes him soon.

Was merely (and clearly unsuccessfully) trying to point out the difference between those autties who generally are totally mute or without the ability to speak (which is often accompanied by a subnormal IQ) and those within the normal to superior range who would usually present as selectivley mute, if anything. Just being that Selective Mutism is when someone has the ability to speak and doesn't (granted it is usually relegated to certain environments), hence the term "selective".

For those that are still interested (after this news story has faded from view over the past few days) ... there is now a new claim that the Piano Man is a Czech pianist named Tomas Strnad:-

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_b ... ory=642025

If this is true, then the guy might be slightly older than they thought. Tomas Strnad is described as being shy and softly-spoken, but there is no indication that he has any sutistic-spectrum condition, although this presumably is still a possibility.
Naturally the authorities are treating the new information with caution. They have received literally hundreds of other suggestions concerning the Piano Man's identity, none of which have come to anything....so far. And even if they do learn his name, they still need to work out how he came to be wandering beside the sea in Kent, distressed, soaking wet and unable to communicate...and why he has remained mute and apparently terrified for some seven weeks,now.

I hope this is finally the answer!