0:00:08.743,0:00:13.993
So here is a PDD person.

0:00:13.993,0:00:16.033
PDD person!

0:00:16.033,0:00:20.278
PDD for pervasive developmental disorder.

0:00:20.278,0:00:22.521
What? Pervasive?

0:00:22.521,0:00:25.520
Don't worry, this isn't contagious.

0:00:25.520,0:00:28.523
It's not like the Treasury either

0:00:28.523,0:00:32.248
which invades you until your homes.

0:00:32.248,0:00:35.503
No, this is much simpler,

0:00:35.503,0:00:39.503
it's popularly known as autism.

0:00:39.503,0:00:43.760
Well, I admit that PDD sounds stylish

0:00:43.760,0:00:47.030
while autism does not so much.

0:00:47.030,0:00:51.519
I always say that the difference [br]between PDD and autism

0:00:51.519,0:00:54.764
is the same that between [br]a homeless person and a tramp.

0:00:54.764,0:00:58.263
It's the same thing[br]but with different words.

0:00:58.263,0:01:01.925
(Applause)

0:01:02.525,0:01:05.271
On the other hand,

0:01:05.271,0:01:10.037
autistic people are said to live [br]in their own bubble.

0:01:10.787,0:01:14.778
But there are 500 000 people [br]with autism in France,

0:01:14.778,0:01:17.283
so many people live in that bubble.

0:01:17.283,0:01:20.267
And I can assure you that we have fun.

0:01:20.267,0:01:23.276
We have a great time.

0:01:23.276,0:01:27.259
Maybe we have a greater time

0:01:27.259,0:01:32.512
than "Mr. Me, I president."

0:01:32.512,0:01:38.480
(Applause)

0:01:39.500,0:01:43.516
He's alone in his own bubble. All alone.

0:01:43.516,0:01:44.760
(Laughs)

0:01:44.760,0:01:47.253
Moreover, it seems that...

0:01:47.253,0:01:51.023
Well - that's what I was told -

0:01:51.023,0:01:57.760
this poor guy has to undergo[br]the so called "ordeal of caviar."

0:01:57.760,0:02:00.282
The "ordeal of caviar"

0:02:00.282,0:02:05.494
consists of having to swallow,[br]several times a day,

0:02:05.494,0:02:08.257
a disgusting substance

0:02:08.257,0:02:11.789
exploding in your mouth and on your teeth

0:02:11.789,0:02:14.987
when tasting it.

0:02:14.987,0:02:22.768
Other ordeals await the little man.

0:02:22.768,0:02:24.491
It seems that

0:02:24.491,0:02:28.756
there is also the ordeal of "champagne".

0:02:28.756,0:02:32.766
Champagne, this fermented beverage,

0:02:32.766,0:02:35.496
while my parents had always told me

0:02:35.496,0:02:39.270
not to eat mouldy or rotten food.

0:02:39.270,0:02:40.270
(Laughs)

0:02:40.270,0:02:41.515
So, you know...

0:02:41.515,0:02:45.506
Then, as a PDD person,

0:02:45.506,0:02:47.521
I don't smoke.

0:02:47.521,0:02:50.761
Not necessarily for philosophical reasons,

0:02:50.761,0:02:55.510
but simply, how can one buy cigarettes?

0:02:55.510,0:02:58.791
Where can you buy it online?

0:02:58.791,0:03:02.241
I don't know, it requires social skills.

0:03:02.241,0:03:05.771
So, no alcohol, no caviar, no tobacco,

0:03:05.771,0:03:08.991
or any other substances.

0:03:08.991,0:03:10.763
As you can see,

0:03:10.763,0:03:15.495
being autistic is ecological, [br]economical...

0:03:15.495,0:03:17.523
(Applause)

0:03:17.523,0:03:20.510
every eco-something you want.

0:03:20.510,0:03:25.781
In short, I think being autistic[br]should be repaid by the social security.

0:03:25.781,0:03:28.510
(Laughs)[br](Applause)

0:03:28.510,0:03:31.501
This being so,

0:03:31.501,0:03:33.256
don't count on me

0:03:33.256,0:03:37.496
to attend any pin-giving ceremony,

0:03:37.496,0:03:40.748
more or less golden or other,

0:03:40.748,0:03:44.766
as I have my Ethiopian grammar class[br]at this time

0:03:44.766,0:03:46.250
that I can't miss,

0:03:46.250,0:03:47.525
and anyway,

0:03:47.525,0:03:51.760
I'm not fond of this kind of social drama.

0:03:51.760,0:03:54.765
By the way, I have a secret to tell you.

0:03:54.765,0:03:56.508
One of my close friend

0:03:56.508,0:03:58.762
is an eminent linguist,

0:03:58.762,0:04:01.500
he's now doctor of Linguistics,

0:04:01.500,0:04:06.525
and the day of his dissertation viva,[br]I was worried about him.

0:04:06.525,0:04:09.500
"How is he going to manage for hours

0:04:09.500,0:04:12.765
the continuous flow of questions,

0:04:12.765,0:04:14.498
more or less trick?" I thought.

0:04:14.498,0:04:18.035
And the very evening, I received an email.

0:04:18.035,0:04:20.500
He writes to me at a fixed time[br]in the evening

0:04:20.500,0:04:24.507
and he said: "the viva went well."

0:04:24.507,0:04:25.760
I certainly believed him,

0:04:25.760,0:04:30.293
"But the drink after it was unbearable."

0:04:30.293,0:04:31.510
(Laughs)

0:04:31.510,0:04:36.274
Your servant solved the problem [br]more directly:

0:04:36.274,0:04:39.502
there was no drink to my viva.

0:04:39.502,0:04:42.260
That solved the problem.

0:04:42.260,0:04:45.775
But, you know, it was hard.

0:04:45.775,0:04:48.233
I had a bad start,

0:04:48.233,0:04:49.268
a really bad start.

0:04:49.268,0:04:50.360
See by yourself:

0:04:50.360,0:04:55.252
I was born on the same day and year[br]as Britney Spears.

0:04:55.252,0:04:56.505
(Laughs)

0:04:56.505,0:04:59.297
The only good thing is that

0:04:59.297,0:05:02.512
now I know at least one celebrity

0:05:02.512,0:05:03.782
which I can talk about

0:05:03.782,0:05:09.269
during the dinner parties I can't avoid.

0:05:09.269,0:05:11.277
That's at least one thing.

0:05:11.277,0:05:14.730
On the other hand, I was born

0:05:14.730,0:05:19.271
in the former buildings of [br]Charenton asylum.

0:05:19.271,0:05:20.785
As it was used to say,

0:05:20.785,0:05:24.759
The "royal house of Charenton[br]for old books lovers."

0:05:24.759,0:05:27.025
So, that's where I was born.

0:05:27.025,0:05:29.768
I can tell you, it was a pretty bad start.

0:05:29.768,0:05:31.249
When my parents saw me,

0:05:31.249,0:05:34.264
they said: "we're not having [br]kids anymore."

0:05:34.264,0:05:35.514
(Laughs)

0:05:35.514,0:05:40.232
And then school age came.

0:05:40.802,0:05:47.224
Well, no need to tell you[br]that I was in great difficulty

0:05:47.224,0:05:51.255
as my teachers would always say back then,

0:05:51.255,0:05:55.771
I did not start school.

0:05:55.771,0:05:59.766
Indeed, I couldn't make hoop,

0:05:59.766,0:06:01.777
and I still can't.

0:06:01.777,0:06:06.262
I still don't have the skills required[br]in Year 1.

0:06:06.262,0:06:09.272
If I had repeated, I don't know,

0:06:09.272,0:06:10.516
a dozen times,

0:06:10.516,0:06:12.499
it wouldn't have been enough.

0:06:12.499,0:06:14.239
Indeed, you see,

0:06:14.239,0:06:16.288
The Ministry of National Education

0:06:16.288,0:06:19.011
thinks you need to know how to make hoop

0:06:19.011,0:06:22.011
before working out triple integrals.

0:06:22.011,0:06:25.134
Not the contrary.[br](Laughs)

0:06:25.274,0:06:31.517
(Applause)

0:06:31.517,0:06:34.991
If you know how to work out[br]triple integrals,

0:06:34.991,0:06:38.279
you don't start school.

0:06:38.279,0:06:40.771
Plus, if you go back to your psychologist,

0:06:40.771,0:06:43.261
you really look nut.

0:06:43.261,0:06:45.779
You'll get tiny pills.

0:06:45.779,0:06:49.519
That's what happened to me for years.

0:06:49.519,0:06:54.767
I became, I think, a great friend[br]of various laboratories.

0:06:54.767,0:06:57.771
I must indeed have contributed[br]to their health.

0:06:57.771,0:07:03.028
Moreover, psychatrists at the time

0:07:03.028,0:07:05.757
were extremely competent.

0:07:05.757,0:07:10.533
They could empty your bank account[br]within a few minutes.

0:07:10.533,0:07:13.251
And according to the favourite expression,

0:07:13.251,0:07:14.770
remember that,

0:07:14.770,0:07:17.741
by check you'll never pay,

0:07:17.741,0:07:20.257
or everything will go away.

0:07:20.257,0:07:22.252
You must pay cash,

0:07:22.252,0:07:25.246
which has of course other advantages,

0:07:25.246,0:07:29.019
but well, I only understood it later.

0:07:29.019,0:07:31.496
So the years passed,

0:07:31.496,0:07:33.508
and at primary school

0:07:33.508,0:07:36.516
I was struggling anyway

0:07:36.516,0:07:40.247
because I had become aware[br]of something terrible.

0:07:40.247,0:07:45.499
I realised that my Year 4 teacher[br]was uncultivated.

0:07:45.499,0:07:50.517
She didn't even know[br]Ramesses II's successor.

0:07:50.517,0:07:52.515
It also seemed

0:07:52.515,0:07:55.502
she didn't know the capital of Belize.

0:07:55.502,0:07:57.763
Honestly ! Nonsense !

0:07:57.763,0:08:00.989
And so the years passed.

0:08:00.989,0:08:04.749
At secondary school, nobody wanted[br]to sit next to me.

0:08:04.749,0:08:09.259
Anyway, I would come [br]more or less regularly.

0:08:09.259,0:08:13.513
But once in sixth-form college,[br]things got different.

0:08:13.513,0:08:17.525
Oddly enough, it took me [br]some time to understand

0:08:17.525,0:08:21.237
why some wanted to sit next to me

0:08:21.237,0:08:23.511
especially before math exams.

0:08:23.511,0:08:25.252
(Laughs)

0:08:25.252,0:08:30.767
Well, some social equations[br]can't be solved.

0:08:30.767,0:08:33.499
Such is life they say.

0:08:33.499,0:08:36.271
Then, later on

0:08:36.271,0:08:39.259
I'm now almost free,

0:08:39.259,0:08:41.241
I study for pleasure.

0:08:41.241,0:08:44.764
I can choose my classes, which is great.

0:08:44.764,0:08:49.782
So for a certain time [br]I attended Ethiopian classes.

0:08:49.782,0:08:53.184
These classes do perfectly fit autism.

0:08:53.184,0:08:54.757
You're alone with the teacher.

0:08:54.757,0:08:56.851
(Laugh)

0:08:57.241,0:09:02.754
(Applause)

0:09:02.754,0:09:04.274
By the way,

0:09:04.274,0:09:06.267
the teacher, how can I put this?,

0:09:06.267,0:09:09.651
isn't so different than us.[br](Laughs)

0:09:09.651,0:09:12.264
So we got along extremely well.

0:09:12.264,0:09:16.259
I also attend, and hopefully,[br]it will begin this year,

0:09:16.259,0:09:18.767
Old Avestan classes.

0:09:18.767,0:09:21.019
We're a larger group: we're 3.

0:09:21.019,0:09:26.007
The 2 guys passionately argue

0:09:26.007,0:09:29.273
about the formations of Sigmatic Aorist

0:09:29.273,0:09:30.759
into Vedic Sanskrit

0:09:30.759,0:09:32.777
compared to Avestan forms.

0:09:32.777,0:09:37.241
And then I tell them "Stop it![br]Go back to what really matters!"

0:09:37.241,0:09:38.265
(Laughs)

0:09:38.265,0:09:41.259
"Think about the essential things of life.

0:09:41.259,0:09:46.264
For instance, the transition from[br]the Sumerian to the Akkadian writing."

0:09:46.264,0:09:48.259
(Laughs)

0:09:48.259,0:09:51.759
You see, that's how we have a great time.

0:09:51.759,0:09:53.989
(Laughs)

0:09:54.489,0:09:58.255
One thing should be noted.

0:09:58.255,0:10:02.284
Some say, at least, that's what is written[br]in erudite treatises:

0:10:02.284,0:10:06.787
autism goes along[br]with relationship problems.

0:10:06.787,0:10:08.780
I would say: not necessarily.

0:10:08.780,0:10:10.004
For instance,

0:10:10.004,0:10:14.267
I absolutely have no relationship problem[br]

0:10:14.267,0:10:15.640
with my mother-in-law.

0:10:15.640,0:10:16.755
(Laughs)

0:10:16.755,0:10:20.747
And I would even go as far as to say[br]

0:10:20.747,0:10:24.265
that according to my little [br]unvalidated statistics

0:10:24.265,0:10:29.528
99% of people having relationship[br]problems with their mothers

0:10:29.528,0:10:31.272
are not autistic.

0:10:31.272,0:10:34.014
(Laughs)

0:10:34.014,0:10:37.245
So, at the office, it was complicated.

0:10:37.245,0:10:41.505
I had a little... privilege.

0:10:41.505,0:10:43.090
I have a title.

0:10:43.090,0:10:45.510
I'm the guy who failed

0:10:45.510,0:10:49.532
all his job interviews. All of them.

0:10:49.532,0:10:51.505
Earlier this afternoom

0:10:51.505,0:10:56.043
we had this brilliant talk about[br]Aikido Management.

0:10:56.043,0:10:58.495
My life is more about failure management.

0:10:58.495,0:10:59.495
(Laugh)

0:10:59.495,0:11:04.497
Just to tell you how unsporting I am.

0:11:04.497,0:11:06.255
Well, anyway,

0:11:06.255,0:11:07.993
for a few years now,

0:11:07.993,0:11:10.264
I've had the chance to have a boss

0:11:10.264,0:11:14.533
who doesn't care about my clothing.

0:11:14.533,0:11:17.517
He was born blind.[br](Laughs)

0:11:17.517,0:11:19.002
That's convenient.

0:11:19.002,0:11:23.774
I dedicate the free time that I have[br]to one of my recent hobby,

0:11:23.774,0:11:27.265
which has remained a bit secret until now:

0:11:27.265,0:11:32.278
I collect small sized water bottles.

0:11:32.278,0:11:35.038
This one is from Corsica.

0:11:35.038,0:11:37.765
It has to be handled carefully.

0:11:37.765,0:11:39.043
(Laughs)

0:11:39.043,0:11:41.761
But I'm proud of my little collection.

0:11:41.761,0:11:44.261
Then, for a few years,

0:11:44.261,0:11:47.255
I've been an entertainer in autism.

0:11:47.255,0:11:50.519
Just like there are travellers,

0:11:50.519,0:11:52.986
there are autistic travellers.

0:11:52.986,0:11:58.523
Now, for lack of being friend[br]with pharmacologists,

0:11:58.523,0:12:02.756
I'm friend with French hotel keepers.

0:12:02.756,0:12:05.538
Soon I will ask for my little permit

0:12:05.538,0:12:07.773
so I can access to the parking area

0:12:07.773,0:12:12.264
dedicated to autistic travellers.

0:12:12.264,0:12:16.768
Well, you know, people often [br]talk about curing,

0:12:16.768,0:12:19.511
curing persons with autism.

0:12:19.511,0:12:25.243
What comes up when you speak[br]to an autism specialist,

0:12:25.243,0:12:27.263
"specialists" in quotes,

0:12:27.263,0:12:29.763
one of the words you'll hear first

0:12:29.763,0:12:32.770
is the suffering. You suffer.

0:12:32.770,0:12:37.508
And as one of my autistic friend told me:

0:12:37.508,0:12:39.766
the suffering of autistic people

0:12:39.766,0:12:43.263
is a vital need for the psychiatric.

0:12:43.263,0:12:44.758
Of course !

0:12:44.758,0:12:50.858
Otherwise...[br](Applause)

0:12:52.008,0:12:56.763
But in order to disprove some rumours,

0:12:56.763,0:13:02.016
it's important to note that[br]I studied medicine.

0:13:02.016,0:13:03.488
For two hours.[br](Laughs)

0:13:03.488,0:13:08.031
I went in the wrong lecture hall and[br]I didn't dare to go out.

0:13:08.031,0:13:10.234
That's why, actually.

0:13:10.234,0:13:14.495
We can laugh about it,[br]laugh is welcomed.

0:13:14.495,0:13:20.267
But, I can assure you that[br]a large number of great experts

0:13:20.267,0:13:22.499
with pretentious titles

0:13:22.499,0:13:25.260
had often less than a two-hour class

0:13:25.260,0:13:27.278
about autism

0:13:27.278,0:13:31.276
during all their years at university.

0:13:31.276,0:13:32.499
Unfortunately.

0:13:32.499,0:13:33.742
So...

0:13:33.742,0:13:36.515
Let's take a practical example.

0:13:36.515,0:13:39.283
When a child with autism ask you:

0:13:39.283,0:13:42.531
"What does pass out mean?"

0:13:42.531,0:13:44.509
To pass out,

0:13:44.509,0:13:47.507
going outside, that's it?

0:13:47.507,0:13:51.264
Or, what does "cutting corners" mean?

0:13:51.264,0:13:52.531
Making something round.

0:13:52.531,0:13:54.757
Pictures are the first language.

0:13:54.757,0:13:57.785
That's how children with autism

0:13:57.785,0:13:59.527
understand language.

0:13:59.527,0:14:03.017
Is it a defect ? Do we have to cure it?

0:14:03.017,0:14:05.247
In my opinion, it's a minor defect

0:14:05.247,0:14:09.498
compared with what "cutting corners"[br]actually means to many politicians.

0:14:09.498,0:14:10.499
(Laughs)

0:14:10.499,0:14:20.531
(Applause)

0:14:20.531,0:14:25.518
I can give you an electoral data,

0:14:25.518,0:14:30.272
it seems that 99% of politicians

0:14:30.272,0:14:33.254
with whom it's impossible to communicate

0:14:33.254,0:14:34.771
are not autistic.

0:14:34.771,0:14:36.526
(Applause)

0:14:36.526,0:14:39.759
And there, unfortunately,

0:14:39.759,0:14:45.758
any of the existing therapies seems[br]to be fruitful.

0:14:45.758,0:14:47.527
What should we do?

0:14:47.527,0:14:49.254
That's very annoying.

0:14:49.254,0:14:51.516
By the way, I barely dare to say it,

0:14:51.516,0:14:55.792
but it's whispered in the small[br]autistic community,

0:14:55.792,0:14:58.519
Marseilles inhabitants tricked us.

0:14:58.519,0:15:00.505
They really did.

0:15:00.505,0:15:02.782
They didn't want Mrs Carlotti.

0:15:02.782,0:15:08.766
So we, disabled persons, we'll have to...

0:15:08.766,0:15:11.273
Anyway, that's our problem.

0:15:11.273,0:15:15.737
I also would like to add something,

0:15:15.737,0:15:21.992
Nowadays we talk about [br]educating autistic children.

0:15:21.992,0:15:24.501
Good, it should be done.

0:15:24.501,0:15:27.273
But I would like to note something,

0:15:27.273,0:15:30.856
I know numerous non-autistic children

0:15:30.856,0:15:33.758
who need to adapt themselves at school.

0:15:33.758,0:15:38.535
I think that the adaptations set up

0:15:38.535,0:15:41.021
at school for children with autism

0:15:41.021,0:15:43.509
are beneficial to other children first ,

0:15:43.509,0:15:44.763
to every children.

0:15:44.763,0:15:46.238
It has been proven.

0:15:46.238,0:15:50.503
When you add an autistic children[br]in a classroom,

0:15:50.503,0:15:54.495
the school and class level increases.

0:15:54.495,0:15:56.503
It's the same in companies.

0:15:56.503,0:15:58.744
Have you heard that,

0:15:58.744,0:16:00.503
during last summer,

0:16:00.503,0:16:03.743
SPA, the German software giant

0:16:03.743,0:16:07.505
announced that it would hire[br]hundreds of collaborators

0:16:07.505,0:16:09.238
with autism.

0:16:09.238,0:16:12.228
We heard crazy things in the French press!

0:16:12.228,0:16:18.008
"Merkel even wants to enslave[br]persons with autism."

0:16:18.008,0:16:20.513
So, let's calm down a little.

0:16:20.513,0:16:23.773
These people will just have a good job

0:16:23.773,0:16:28.503
and will be paid depending their skills.

0:16:28.503,0:16:32.266
And in a few years, if SPA's results

0:16:32.266,0:16:34.518
are even better than today,

0:16:34.518,0:16:40.233
we'll cry foul over a German plot[br]against France.

0:16:40.233,0:16:48.872
(Applause)

0:16:50.262,0:16:55.248
You know, a device has been placed here, [br]before my eyes,

0:16:55.248,0:16:56.783
it's called a timer.

0:16:56.783,0:17:00.015
It's frequently used in facilities

0:17:00.015,0:17:03.756
designed to receive persons with autism

0:17:03.756,0:17:08.258
because autistic persons [br]can't manage their time.

0:17:08.258,0:17:13.250
These facilities are said[br]to be the worst by the way.

0:17:13.250,0:17:15.492
But once again, I can assure you

0:17:15.492,0:17:19.008
most of people who have trouble[br]managing their time

0:17:19.008,0:17:22.002
are non-autistic persons.

0:17:22.002,0:17:24.998
So I'll come to my two last sentences,

0:17:24.998,0:17:26.246
if I may.

0:17:26.246,0:17:27.763
First:

0:17:27.763,0:17:32.260
Autistic people are said to live[br]in their own bubble,

0:17:32.260,0:17:37.253
I know numerous non-autistic people [br]living in thick bubbles

0:17:37.253,0:17:40.790
with whom no communication is possible.

0:17:40.790,0:17:45.232
Being interested in pi number decimals,

0:17:45.232,0:17:48.756
is not stupider or rarer

0:17:48.756,0:17:52.769
than memorising football results.

0:17:52.769,0:17:53.782
(Laughs)

0:17:53.782,0:17:58.566
(Applause)

0:17:59.626,0:18:03.526
On the other hand, I'm thinking...

0:18:03.526,0:18:06.029
I could go on like this for hours,

0:18:06.029,0:18:09.798
especially because, I didn't tell you,

0:18:09.798,0:18:13.499
I have the Fidel Castro syndrome.

0:18:13.499,0:18:16.972
I just would like to tell you a story.

0:18:16.972,0:18:21.768
A great man came to France[br]a few years ago.

0:18:21.768,0:18:24.502
Stephen Shore, an American.

0:18:24.502,0:18:28.519
And so when he was a young child,

0:18:28.519,0:18:32.993
at the time, in the 1960s-1970s,

0:18:32.993,0:18:36.984
American doctors knew as much[br]

0:18:36.984,0:18:39.746
as what French doctors know [br]today about autism.

0:18:39.746,0:18:43.254
So they told his parents:

0:18:43.254,0:18:47.521
"Well... Some parents have a dog at home,

0:18:47.521,0:18:49.502
you, you'll have this child."

0:18:49.502,0:18:51.636
Many years later,

0:18:51.636,0:18:53.738
little Stephen became a grown-up.

0:18:53.738,0:18:56.776
Yes, autistic children[br]become adults too.

0:18:56.776,0:19:00.247
Some don't know it, but it's a fact.

0:19:00.247,0:19:02.532
So many years later,

0:19:02.532,0:19:06.277
Stephen was now professor[br]at Boston University

0:19:06.277,0:19:10.522
and when he came to France, [br]at the end of his lecture,

0:19:10.522,0:19:13.527
someone asked him a question:

0:19:13.527,0:19:18.007
"Mr. Shore, you're married but[br]why don't you have children?"

0:19:18.007,0:19:19.767
And he answered:

0:19:19.767,0:19:23.272
"My wife and I decided[br]not to have children

0:19:23.272,0:19:27.042
because he might NOT be autistic."

0:19:27.042,0:19:28.076
(Laughs)

0:19:28.076,0:19:29.291
Thank you.[br](Applause)