daydreamer84 wrote:
whirlingmind wrote:
Not sure I understood all your explanation about how the research has been measured. I think it's dangerous to use averages, especially where as you stated AS people have more extremes at either end of the scale of intelligence. Iwould imagine, that if you took the whole AS population (and I mean AS not autistic because we are talking about the OP having AS and obviously classic autism includes some very low functioning people so would give an unfair lowering of scores), that compared to the NT population there would be more gifted people with AS and that those people would be more gifted than the gifted NTs.
That';s exactly what the research in the book I read said was not true. It was roughly equal (no significant difference). This was research only comparing HF ASD people with NTs. The giftedness correlation is a stereotype. It's a bit annoying because it does encourage some people to think having AS would be cool.....like being labelled a genius. My friend from an ASD support group said someone (NT) actually said to her it'd be really cool to have AS and he wished he had it.
I think the stereotype comes from the fact that you have to have normal intelligence to get the diagnosis of AS in the first place (the criteria require "no global cognitive delay") and also from us sometimes having formal pedantic speech and special interests.
whirlingmind wrote:
Spacing out, is a form of daydreaming. If you speak to most people who daydream, they are not just blank minded, they are thinking about things, often random things and often hypothetical things that they might like to do etc. which is an adult form of the imaginary world of an AS child. ASC children spend time imagining their fantasy worlds, I know this because I did it as a child and my two ASC children do it (and tell me about it), and I know how it translates into my adult spacing out/zoning out/daydreaming, it's all part and parcel of the same thing. Tony Atwood may have only referred to imaginary worlds but then he was only referring to children when he wrote about it.
.....but daydreaming is VERY common among the general population (NTs) as well. It's particularly common with inattentive ADHD and the description of being in your own little world is too.
Well all I can say to you is, that one study is not proof. What one person says in one book is not proof. Studies have to be repeated and done so over large populations to be sure. And this still doesn't address my comment
Quote:
...compared to the NT population there would be more gifted people with AS and that those people would be more gifted than the gifted NTs.
I'm not talking about general daydreaming in the population, I'm talking about the cause behind
this particular type of daydreaming and the
environment in which it's used. OP said she is often spaced when with people/talking to people or something similar. And you are separating traits out
again, we should be looking at the gestalt of OPs traits.
Point one: I know the one study doesn't prove it and studies have to be replicated, that's true. Still, I haven't seen any similar studies. This study showed that there were the SAME amount of gifted people in NT and AS populations -that's how it addresses the comment.
there would be the same amount- but this is just a matter of conjecture. You also do not have evidence supporting your opinion either.The one speck of evidence I've seen either way supports my position and my opinion differs from yours-that's all I'm saying. There is no evidence showing giftedness is more common among those with ASD. I think a lot of people who have AS or suspect they do or have kids who have AS or they like the idea of it want to believe this.
Point 2: Okay, I take your point about looking at the whole picture but I have a friend who is NT, VERY NT and very socially skilled (I had her do the AQ and she scored 9- 16 is the average for NT's) also tunes out a lot -daydreams-while talking to people and in social situations. She fakes interest and listening as she's very socially adroit. We had a long conversation about this because I thought it was a strange thing I did and she said it's not at all and tried to teach me to fake listening. Other NT's I've asked in my family do this too-different people to different extents. My point is I see daydreaming as more of a human trait than an aspie trait.
08 Apr 2013, 6:51 pm
