Intelligence as the great equalizer

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I was in the post office Wednesday morning, and the woman in front of me was wearing an "Autism Speaks" shirt. On the back of it, it made an acronym out of the word Autism and the TI part said "Totally Intelligent". I don't know if she really believed that or not, but I didn't have the heart to tell her that people with autism are no more intelligent than anyone else. From what I can find from research in the topic, intelligence in the autism population is distributed the same as it is in the NT population.

Sometimes in one of my classes when we are discussing ADHD, I will have students tell me their child has ADHD, and then will follow up with "but people with ADHD are really smart." Just like autism, all of the research shows that intelligence in ADHD people is distributed the same as in general population.

It surprises me that people try to use intelligence as the great equalizer or rationalizer to somehow counteract a mental condition. It is surprising because other than that, we don't value intelligence in US culture at all. It would make more sense to say "but people with ADHD are very attractive."

The problem is that Aspergers had a IQ cut off, and ASD does not.

So Aspies are not normally distributed by definition.

I have never seen peer reviewed research plot the distribution, I have only heard anecdotes.

Can you cite studies?

First, It's not an accurate comparison, because ASD people are described as "focused on the details", so, if that trait is measured, then they may appear as geniuses among "broad thinking" NT people.

Second, as a group overall, I would guess that ASD / AS people would appear less intelligent on a distribution when compared to an NT distribution.

-Grade school is likely a place of ridicule and torture for an ASD person, so less learning likely happens. Many will not have the perseverance and support to overcome this.

-Others may make into college, and hold a job, but eventually have to "drop out" because functioning at a job is so difficult.

These factors mean less opportunity to gain skills to perform better on an intelligence test.

I sometimes get the impression that the "He/she has ASD but of course is also soooo intelligent" line can be a type of defensive thing that friends and family might say just to make themselves feel better.

Hey, whatever gets you through the night.

Intelligence is used as an excuse to justify abuse and dehumanisation

There are times when "intelligence" could serve as a counterpoint to "social suavity/coolness."

The above is simplistic, but could be used as a basis.

I believe the equation leans more towards regard for "intelligence,"common sense," and "sincerity,as one gets older.

People get sick of the games played by those who are "suave/cool." They get tired of all the crap, all the semantic games, all the superficialities of that group.

I find intelligence to have been a burden for most of my life (I was finally diagnosed at 38 as a super-high-functioning Aspie) because I could not understand why people do not despair seeing the problems of the world in the way I did -- starvation, trafficking, violence. Until my diagnosis, I never understood why I had spent my life feeling split down the middle -- either too smart/bordering on genius (which I would never say because that is being arrogant for women in the culture I come from), or completely dumb. I do think many neuro-atypical people have sharper cognitive intelligence levels (if one accepts the way 'intelligence' is normed in the West -- I was not born in, and did not grow up in the West, though I do live and work in the West now). It has been a long, lonely, exhausting journey coming to terms with the diagnosis and learning about being an Aspie and realizing all the pain and suffering in my life has a rationale -- but the intelligence question is one that has always hounded me because I know I am smart -- probably smarter than most people I happen to know -- but I am also super kind, gentle, non-confrontative, and painfully shy, and in trying to fit in with the world, I have chosen to/had to play 'dumb' for most of my life. It. Just. Hurts. p.s. I am not sure this post makes any sense, and I apologize if it doesn't seem more than gobbledygook. This is my first post on this forum. I will learn to get better at this.

Jennifer, you've made an excellent post.

I think the purpose of these statements originated to rid the opposite stereotype - that "those" people are all dumb.

I don't know what the objective truth is (IQ tests do not accurately measure many people on the spectrum well; progressive matrix tests often give much higher results in the ASD population, but similar results in the NT population), but I *do* think it makes for better experiences to assume intelligence rather than assuming otherwise.

I cannot find this study right now, but there was a study done where teachers were told random children were "extremely bright". After a period of time, those children performed better than before and better than their peers. The simple act of having someone believe it and treat them this way gave them richer educational experiences, which in turn actually made them more capable little people.


So, what I'm trying to say is:

-it might not be true
-I don't care if it's technically true
-it's useful, so I like it

This approach, I like. If it is useful to believe, then why not? Very cool. Thanks, screen_name.

I am inspired by Jennifer's excellent first-time post to make my first time post. I was diagnosed 10 years ago at age 49 as a high-functioning aspie. I always got good grades in school. So I and my classmates and teachers thought of me as smart, albeit shy and awkward. But unlike with a smart NT, nobody could see the smart me directly. I am only smart when I am highly focused, sometimes hyper-focused. When I am talking to people, I am not focused, and I am not at all that same smart person. I have made a living all of my adult life, but not as good a living as would have been predicted by my IQ. In the working world, people don't have grades to judge you by. Workers are judged largely by one-and-one conversations, where I don't do so well, and by group meetings, where I am often totally confused or distracted by someone's jewelry. Nobody sees the smarter me.

Aspies, on average, may not be more intelligent than NTs. But I would say that aspies are always more intelligent than the way NTs see us. I shudder to think what my life would be like if I were only as smart as others saw me.

Aspies might have a "different" method of arriving at things than "neurotypicals."

The quality, and the result, depends upon the individual Aspie and the individual NT.

Good one, cookieman!

All the discussion about 'intelligence' and 'smartness' going on in the world totally confuses me. Come to think about it, almost everything about the world confuses the heck out of me. Having grown up in a culture where females are gendered (very often with vicious shaming tactics) to be 'proper' girls -- quiet, non-disruptive, non-trouble-making, non-question-asking, I learned early on to be very socially adept. I am funny, and successful at a very social job, have (NT) friends, and from the outside, am a success in almost every way. On the inside, the story is quite different. I have struggled with major depression since I was seven (diagnosed at 30), and with this feeling that I just don't belong in the world the way others appear to. The emotional effort it takes to be 'me' as I am in the world is humongous, but of course, up until last year, I couldn't explain that to anyone, and still can't because the moment I say 'I have AS', about 99% of the reaction is "no way. Of course not. No way you are on the spectrum. That is crazy.' -- and more or less virulent versions thereof. People think I am smart; I think I am smart. The problem is, I don't FEEL smart. Never have. This internal battle has sometimes brought me to the brink of wanting to end it all. Thankfully, I have one parent alive, and I don't have the heart to do that to her. So, everyday, I get up, put on my battle gear, and go out into the world to do this thing the NTs call 'living.' I often don't see the point of it -- it is all pretension -- but since I am so conditioned to 'pass' in the NT world, I just keep doing it out of habit, and because I don't really have a choice. The rent has to be paid, the belly fed, no matter how much darkness one is battling. I am very jealous of Aspies who are also techies. They get to be their 'weird' selves, do their coding thing, and make tons of money. They can live their smartness for real. Me -- I just battle the real/fake conundrum every moment of every day. And it has only gotten harder as I have grown older.

Sorry -- long post. Its just been a tough journey getting here -- and now I can't seem to stop trying to explain how hard it has been. Oish. <shaking head>

Gracias, kraftiekortie.

No hablo Espanol.... But are you from Spain? I know someone in Olot, Catanunya.

Please don't despair Jennifer. I think we are very much alike, and when I was in my thirties, I was in a place similar to where you are. I was very lucky to find a woman, now my wife, who understands me as well as anyone could, and loves me for who I am. You sound like you have a lot going for you!