Diagnosed but don't consider myself smart

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I was diagnosed with Asperger's during my teen years, and one thing I remember being brought to my attention a lot is how people with Asperger's are supposedly exceptionally smart/gifted, but I don't really consider myself smart (or smart at all in some cases).

My mom always tells me how I'm smart or a lot smarter than she is, but I'm skeptical. I get A's and B's in school, and often many times I feel like I'm the only one struggling a lot to understand some/a lot of stuff. Only reason I probably get A's on some stuff is because I don't know how much information the teacher wants, so I tend to put more than enough just to make sure I don't lose points. I've never been able to take AP classes in high school before either, or take on more than one class, though for processing speed reasons.

Even with other stuff such as learning skills for hobbies of mine, I feel like I struggle with it more than others. I don't pick up on certain things as well either, such as when someone contradicts themselves or meanings behind things. The only Aspie stereotype I fit in with regarding gifted is being artistic, but sometimes even with that I wonder if it has anything to do with AS (sometimes I wonder if I've been misdiagnosed).

Has anyone else that suspects they have AS or have been diagnosed with AS felt this way before? I can't be the only person..at least I hope not.

Having AS does not mean one has a high IQ, just that one is at lest average.

Yeah, when the thought of me being autistic was brought up, my first thought was to dismiss it, thinking, "I'm too stupid to be autistic."

But this was when my only knowledge outside of classic autism was of savants who are super good at math or have a "photographic" memory. Now that I know more about ASD I understand more that those are just stereotypes, and not everyone on the spectrum has a genius level IQ. You will, definitely, be more knowledgeable than most in whatever special interest(s) you may have, but by the way intelligence is usually measured you're more likely to fall on "average."

Also, you're smarter than you realize. Most people are. We always judge ourselves harder than others would.

And just mentioning you can have a high IQ and suck at school stuff. I do, probably because I'm so absorbed in my interests. Going to sound like a broken record but as others have mentioned you don't have to be a savant to have ASD.

Stereotype. You'll see a lot of them.

I was tested with a genius IQ at one time.

I know lots of stuff.

I do not consider myself smart in ways that really matter

It's a stereotype.

That doesn't mean it won't affect you.

I think this stereotype developed because many of us have one or more areas in which we accumulate a large amount of knowledge. (That doesn't mean we are also good at applying this knowledge...)

I often fear this stereotype. I tend to find that people who know me tend to with grossly under or overestimate. It's often painful from both directions. I'd rather just be seen for who I feel I actually am...

You're talking about
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savant_syndrome

Yes, that's what I thought too when I was diagnosed, mainly because I had this great amount of people looking at me like I'm a funny experiment. They started to tell me that I should be happy because that means I can be great, or a genius in art, and so on. Also in college, when I had to explain to my Language teacher that I would probably struggle in her class because of my condition, she just looked at me with a weird face and told me "But you can be brilliant. You will be, at least in your field".
I know people probably want to cheer you up (and themselves) when they say this kind of things, or people want to think that we all can be amazing and never be broken or struggle with life when we are adults so they can feel better about our diagnosis, but it's honestly better to not be overestimated all the time, or to feel the pressure that you must be exceptional at least in your area of interest.
I know I'm average, or even slower at comprehending and reading and remembering (long-term) than most aspies, but I prefer to take that knowledge and not erase it behind the hope that I too can be "Rembrandt" and "it will not matter". I know I can't, I know I have to take my time to do things, and it's preferable that you also take that knowledge about yourself, not to beat you up about it, but to know in what you can improve, at your own time, without silly pressures or expectations.
In the end you can't do much about what people believe we are, but you can do something about the way you view yourself.

You just have to find your how do you say "subject", im very mechanical and hands on and im doing something and almost finished with school that most people cant do even "normal" people and that's becoming FAA certified aircraft mechanic, i was diagnosed with apsergers and i always felt like i wasn't smart but i also had iq testing done and everything else as well and turns out im in the top 2% which they call "gifted" but it doesn't seem like it at all but then again it may take me longer to perform a task but i can envision the entire thing in my head before knowing the system or even looking at the books. You just have to look at your diagnoses as more of a gift than anything really like i have and then you start to notice it, but whatever you do don't beat yourself up about it you will eventually find your niche.

a lot of aspies with poor executive dysfunction and a lack of support think theyre 'not smart' when there isnt really a yard stick for judging smarts,sure anyone can have the highest IQ score going but it doesnt give them smarts or real life experience,it just makes them academicaly smart.

am intelectualy disabled and woud never consider self to be not smart,we all have strengths and weaknesses,its finding them thats the problem.
seeing as have mentioned being smart in creativity; that is a trait associated with right brain dominance,quite common with females, and some males on the high functioning spectrum.
left brain dominance is more tied in with being academicaly smart than creative smart;their left brain traits also give them negatives,the left brain dominance trait is more common in males on the spectrum which is why professor simon baron cohen came up with his 'extreme male brain' theory of autism,but it didnt quite cover the fact theres a lot of people on the spectrum who are right brained dominant,especialy hfa females.

perhaps its time to take advantage of the creativity ability,the artworks of people on the spectrum can sell quite well.

I really enjoy your blog. Glad you enjoyed swimming.