Asperger's and high intelligence-- correlation or not?

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2012 CDC figures

It's impossible to know how valid those estimates are, given confusions affecting diagnosis.

Pyschologists and psychiatrists as diagnosers seem far more likely to misdiagnose Fragile X as autism, than paediatricians who see things from wider perspectives. As the FXS misdiagnosis rate is said by some to be quite high (the FXS is missed and misdiagnosed as autism) and FXS features intellectual impairment, you have to wonder at the reliability of the data.

http://www.intellectualdisability.info/ ... x-syndrome

It typically takes someone on the autism spectrum to be able to memorize vast amounts of useless information and be able to recall it instantly.

Never had my IQ tested but I generally think I am more intelligent than the average person at my work. By that I mean I like to understand how things work, understand politics, finance, history and the world. I sit surrounded by women talking about reality telly programmes etc. 'Oh my God riiiiight, did you see what John did on Towie last night? I know, riiiiight?!'

I want to should at them and tell them they are all brain dead, but instead I sit there saying nothing at all, rarely even uttering a greeting.

Instead of having to sit through shows on the telly, I can read about it on the internet in few minutes.

My IQ is 103 and sometimes people mistakenly refer to me as smart without having learnt the full story. Overall I would say it is misleading to think their is any correlation between Asperger's and intelligence. I for one am very slow to process information and also suck at learning mathematical concepts and picking up on nuances. Two autistic friends of mine can be mistaken for having a high iq as well yet both have their areas of weakness like me. One understands concepts and scientific theories well but cannot understand novels very well, the other is good at maths but is terrible when it comes to performing on tests.

Whilst I am not an Aspie (my diagnosis was autism), it was my understanding that those on the higher end of the spectrum tend to have rather skewed intellectual abilities.

I do not believe my IQ can be any higher than 100 because I am utterly useless at anything scientifically, artistically or mechanically related. My inability to solve problems is truly quite laughable.

I surmise that most on here, just like neurotypicals frequently do, overestimate their intellect.

I think any correlation might be overstated (media representations play a part); that said I can see how the differences in brain function might manifest as extraordinary intelligence in some aspies.

The thing to remember with IQ is that it's inherent; it shouldn't give you a sense of superiority or inferiority regardless how you score, because you didn't achieve it, you were born that way. I have a genius IQ, but I am hopeless in many non-academic situations. I don't know if there is a link between my IQ and my ASD, but before I knew I was autistic (20 yo) I thought I just didn't fit in because I was too smart .

I take a somewhat different view. I have come to think that most people possess a roughly equivalent degree of "intelligence" i.e. whatever it is that IQ tests measure, unless there is something clearly wrong with their brain such as damage due to Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, etc.

I can see how Asperger's Syndrome could lead some people to perform well on certain tasks that are thought to require high intelligence. For example, fascination with and love of detail. In middle school, I was very good at memorizing all the stuff that one is expected to memorize in History, and took great pride in showing off what I could recall. Typical aspie behavior, I suspect. The more "social" pupils were either just not interested in the subject matter or too focused elsewhere to do that, but they were most likely born with the necessary brain capacity.

Likewise math. Aspies can find comfort in being able to recognize rules and being able to predict outcomes accordingly. IRL this tends not to work. For example, a male aspie may have known two different girls with red hair who were nice to him, so he will formulate a rule that redheads can be trusted to be nice to him. This rule will quickly fail, however the rules of math can be trusted to never fail. Thus he develops a love of math and finds comfort in increasing his mastery thereof. He may also tend to speak in a very "pedantic" way and find joy in correctly using the more subtle rules of English grammar (and show obvious contempt for the more casual sort of syntax heard in the conversation of the popular kids). Likewise vocabulary, not only increasing but wanting to show off (but failing to impress anybody especially the pretty girls).

These traits might well lead a person with AS to achieve high scores in exams and go on earn higher level degrees in math or engineering in University. And don't forget computer programming!

For the aspie who does not manifest their traits in this way, I can see how the stereotype might seem oppressive!