highly gifted IQ and above : Question

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hi
i am not trying to be elitist here

my question is:
do autism symptoms of those with ASD who also have a high IQ (i am meaning, highly gifted and beyond) differ or manifest differently in any way than the symptoms of ASD for rest of population?

i can't find much info on this and am wondering if the wrongplanet community has some valuable information

thanks!

I've never taken an official test, so I don't know my IQ. My ASD diagnosis has "gifted in several fields" printed in the description.

As far as both I and the team of doctors & psychologists who diagnosed me are concerned, my symptoms are typical. Lack of social skills and interest, hyper- and hyposensitivities, unusual body language including lack of eye contact, rigid routines, and difficulty to adapt to changes. Also, my executive functions are lacking. Most of what I've read on this forum, from all IQ ranges, has resonated in some way with me.

This can be tricky to answer, as AS is a spectrum. People can be affected differently simply because they are different from one another. Not everyone has the same traits, so it may be an apples to oranges comparison. I will give you my story.

I had an IQ test done in my youth (3rd grade). It showed that I was in the highly to extraordinary gifted levels. The school had never seen someone like me before. My reading comprehension at the time was equal to a high school graduate. By middle school, I was at graduate school level and by high school I was at post doctoral level in reading/understanding. My science, history and math abilities were always very strong when compared to others in my class level. But all was not well. It can be very lonely when you are so different from everyone around you.

Many teachers were confused on what to do with me because I was too advanced for the material in most of my classes, yet was socially behind by about two years from everyone else. I was severely bullied due to this issue. Autism at the time was only though of in severe cases. Aspergers was not defined at that point in time (1980s). After graduating with my PhD, I set out to understand why I was so unusual. I did not self-identify until I was in my 40s. I always knew I was different, but could not put my finger on why.

I have certain abilities that are very high level, but I do not think of them to be savant. One of them involves being able to do extreme mental visualizations. It allows me to “see” inside of particles to understand how they are formed and put together with energy. (Nikola Tesla had a similar ability with electrical devices. He could run simulations of experiments in his mind and fix problems before drawing them out on paper.) I often use my visualization ability to understand how the universe is made. But, not everything is easy. It sucks to not be able to describe to my friends some of what I know as it goes above their ability to comprehend. That can cause me to become depressed at times. What good is the ability if it cannot be shared?

My experiences probably cannot answer the question as well as you would like. Sorry about that, I am only one human in a world of different people.

I've seen quite a bit of research that shows some higher IQ aspies appear to have better social skills if they have applied their brains to the puzzle of social interactions. This seem to be particularly the case for females. I've also noticed that some high IQ aspies (typically males) focus on proving how clever are to others, rather than learning to get on with others or how to use their brains to contribute to the world. They don't seem very happy with their lives for some reason.

Rather than ASD manifesting differently, I'd say that high IQ adds new challenges while reducing others. ASD is quite broad, while the problems of being smart also apply to NTs. It leads to isolation and frustration.

I tested 131. I categorize that as the "subgenius" range. Not a genius by any stretch of the imagination, but clearly smarter than the average bob.

Its a very complex subject, there are no easy answers.

A high IQ was more commonly associated with Aspergers. Now that Aspergers has been thrown into the miscellaneous category of Autism, it is less identifiable.

If one considers Aspergers to be a neurological variant involving greater neurological sensitivity, processing speed, or complexity (or any combination), one might expect to see a diversity in manifestation configurations. This would also include the neurology that contributes to what is measured with an IQ test.

The stereotype of the absent minded professor could be a recognition of this association from previous eras.

This can be further complicated by the variation in the different things that are measure by "IQ". For example, memory, speed, pattern recognition, language, spatial cognition, and even previous skill in test taking all contribute to what is measured. Even within this group there are measurable differences that also indicate neurological variety.

I would expect one survival advantage of "intelligence" to be a better ability to adapt. So, wouldn't increased intelligence be useful in adapting to an NT world? (For instance, improving the nonNT's ability to develop masking and coping skills.)

Masking - yes; coping - not so much.

Wouldn't intelligence be useful in finding ways to work around the gaps in your capabilities?

Are you referring more to people who are regarded as Savant.
People who have super powers in one or more area.

People who are born with amazing talent, like the guy who has a photographic memory with regards to what he sees, and who is able to remember complex landscapes and then draw them in accurate proportion and high detail, some times several months after witnessing the site.

Stephen Wiltshire

In short run - yes. My husband even claims my workarounds for dyspraxia are achievement of my intelligence.
In long run - at the cost of mental health. You're navigating a minefield every waking hour of your life.

Using IQ to substitute for EQ uses up all the IQ and then produces the answer far too late for it to be useful. IQ can be used to "game the system" but that conflicts with the honesty and integrity that come from being confused and assuming that people would not further confuse the issues with lies, just mistakes. Instead, IQ can do what it does best, to enjoy life in private, and just minimize attempts to communicate. Glen Gould could be an example - he gave up playing concerts to focus on studio masterpieces.

Individuals with ASD cover the full IQ statistical range. Individuals with Aspergers tend to have average to above average IQ.
As far as actual real-world intellectual performance goes, individuals with ASD tend to have an uneven profile of abilities, meaning individual tasks will be hit or miss. This is definitely very true of me. I'm either very good at something or I can't do something, and not a lot in between.

A major difference between logical reactions and emotional reactions is that there are a limited number of logical reactions.

how do i tag people? @Dear_one @ r00tb33r @magz @madbutnotmad @Double Retired @timf @theprisoner
@aquafelix @QuantumChemist @1986

THANK YOU FOR YOUR RESPONSES

I think I may have confused myself by asking this question, as I asked on a facebook group, and they seemed to help me realize similar things - that the masking becomes very excellent and hard to pull apart from what is going on underneath

Also, I experience SO MUCH ABUSE and bullying and manipulation
It;s just been so difficult to understand

Thank you again!