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Intellectual people and ASD

I think the idea that 'people with ASD are really good at something' is both a stereotype and myth. Some are, some aren't, but probably no different in proportion then NTs. Being very interested/focused on specific things is a symptom, but not all with ASD have all symptoms and even if they do, it is no guarentee they will necessarily be 'good at it' as compared to the general population. You also have to remember the spectrum covers many degrees, aspects and presence of co-morbids. People with ASD 2 and 3 might have great favorites subjects but very limited knowledge and aptitude for it.
 
I am strong academically, but what made me a good Accountant are highly developed pattern recognition and perceptual abilities. Skills that are not taught or learned in school. Additionally, I have always been able to commit and achieve goals without distraction. Basically hyper focusing on tasks, and blocking out distractions. I am not sure if this is what you were suggesting, but most people perceive me to be “good” at whatever I do.
 
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Tom said:
I think the idea that 'people with ASD are really good at something' is both a stereotype and myth.
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It is likely that most of us have hyper-focus, but our particular perseverations may not be marketable or valued by general society.
Even for those that are, it seems like one has to be at the right place at the right time.
Right Place, Wrong Time; Dr. John (1973)
 
danjustlovescoffee said:
It is said that people with ASD are really good at something. Why would ASD make us extremely good at something?
I have heard that it is mostly something "intelectual" that we are supposed to be good at if we have diagnosis such as ASD level 1 or AS. What is this supposed to mean? They say that we do physical stuff in an intelectual way? Well, maybe not always but I am talking about doing tasks. Are we good at being intellectuall (which is not the same as academic of course)?
I am confused! So all the physical tasks we do ate intelectual tasks for us?
Even showing emotions is an intellectual task for us? Perhaps not extreme emotions as it will just come out anyway and in a non-social accepted way, I guess.
I don't remember exactly who said it but I have heard a lot about it and it seems true. People missunderstand me a lot because of this.
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Lots of things are said about ASD. Many are not true. Why would intelligence distribution be any different among the neurodiverse than the neurotypical?

ASD people get a reputation as savants because those are the ones who get all the publicity. The rest of us do not found vast corporate empires or revolutionize science. Elon Musk's brilliance is then credited to his autism. My own mediocrity is not.

What can happen is that when an autistic person gets latched onto a special interest they can become very good at it because it is the focus of their life. As long as you're talking about the special interest, the autistic kid may be a genius but move away from it and everything else in life may get shortchanged.
 
Tom said:
I think the idea that 'people with ASD are really good at something' is both a stereotype and myth. Some are, some aren't, but probably no different in proportion then NTs. Being very interested/focused on specific things is a symptom, but not all with ASD have all symptoms and even if they do, it is no guarentee they will necessarily be 'good at it' as compared to the general population. You also have to remember the spectrum covers many degrees, aspects and presence of co-morbids. People with ASD 2 and 3 might have great favorites subjects but very limited knowledge and aptitude for it.
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Focusing a lot on something will not automatically make you better at something. I mean, it can even give you problems. You need the right kind of practice in order to be good at something and you can practice in such a way that you will get real bad habits.
It is more complex than some say it is.
Also, a lot pf people with ASD find concentration difficult sometimes. I, myself, find certain things tough to focus on as it is so concrete and I sometimes cannot focus on it for mor than two minutes at a time.
 
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Rasputin said:
I am strong academically, but what made me a good auditor are highly developed pattern recognition and perceptual abilities. Skills that are not taught or learned in school. Additionally, I have always been able to commit and achieve goals without distraction. Basically hyper focusing on tasks, and blocking out distractions. I am not sure if this is what you were suggesting, but most people perceive me to be “good” at whatever I do.
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Auditor? You write as if everyone knows what that is. Should people know what it is?
 
danjustlovescoffee said:
Focusing a lot on something will not automatically make you better at something.
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For most people it does (though not necessarily to a professional level).

Etymology of amateur,
1784, "one who has a taste for some art, study, or pursuit, but does not practice it," from French amateur "one who loves, lover" (16c., restored from Old French ameour), from Latin amatorem (nominative amator) "lover, friend," agent noun from amatus, past participle of amare "to love."

Meaning "one who cultivates and participates (in something) but does not pursue it professionally or with an eye to gain" (as opposed to professional) is from 1786, often with disparaging shades, "dabbler, dilettante," except in athletics, where the tinge formerly shaded the professional. As an adjective, by 1838.
 
Intellectually oriented even in physical endeavours to me always meant I live in my mind.
I always feel that if anything needs to be done or solved, it will be done with my mind.

That really has nothing to do with IQ, genius, or any level of intelligence.
It just means if I can't solve something with my thoughts, then it won't get done.
An example could be something like dancing, which is physical.
Some people just seem to let something in them flow and it is more of an internal feeling
or emotion which is expressed through the art form.
They don't feel the need to solve the dance like a physic's equation.
This could apply to any physical action or even sports.

Of course if you don't have the physical body strength for such, that is a different thing.
Still, even when watching as a spectator something I like and would love to have the
physical ability to do, (like tennis), I watch and become very involved with the movements
and angles and positions, etc. More than just watching for pleasure or the grace of the actions.

On the subject of mental matters, as others have mentioned, if it is a subject of interest
I get very deeply into it with my mind and questions.
Always the need to know.
If it is not one of my interests, I get bored and can't learn a thing on the subject.

An example of this happened two nights ago while watching TV with my house partner.
I mentioned how most movies/shows will go black and white when it is a memory of the person.
Then I ask him if he noticed it and is it true?
Do you think in black and white when you have a memory?
And dreams...are they black and white or in colour? Just had to ask.
He blew up with the answer that he didn't know!
I said, "Well, you think, don't you? And I'm curious."

He became angry saying he doesn't remember his dreams and he had never though about thoughts.
I knew to shut up. :(
 
SusanLR said:
I mentioned how most movies/shows will go black and white when it is a memory of the person.
Then I ask him if he noticed it and is it true?
Do you think in black and white when you have a memory?
And dreams...are they black and white or in colour? Just had to ask.
He blew up with the answer that he didn't know!
I said, "Well, you think, don't you? And I'm curious."
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I'll answer you instead, as if you had asked me.

My memories and dreams are in colour, as far as I can tell, and I suspect that is because I experience reality in colour. I've never heard of someone thinking or dreaming in black and white, but I assume it may happen. It would be interesting to hear what the dreams of someone who is blind are like, especially those who were born that way.
 
@Crossbreed, I am referring to someone who attests to the truthfulness of financial statements and financial disclosures, discovers financial fraud or makes recommendations to strengthen controls, etc. An example is in the movie “The Accountant” played by Ben Affleck.

I removed the word auditor from my comment to eliminate confusion.
 
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Crossbreed said:
For most people it does (though not necessarily to a professional level).

Etymology of amateur,
1784, "one who has a taste for some art, study, or pursuit, but does not practice it," from French amateur "one who loves, lover" (16c., restored from Old French ameour), from Latin amatorem (nominative amator) "lover, friend," agent noun from amatus, past participle of amare "to love."

Meaning "one who cultivates and participates (in something) but does not pursue it professionally or with an eye to gain" (as opposed to professional) is from 1786, often with disparaging shades, "dabbler, dilettante," except in athletics, where the tinge formerly shaded the professional. As an adjective, by 1838.
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Well, you can get stuck or learn do something that is not good at all.
Focusing is not helpful in itself.
This is what I have to say.
This is one reason why people who are very interested in something don't always learn something. Being interested and focusing ia not enough! Just having a special interest won't make you good at something.
 
I dream and think in color too but I have known people to say they do not and flat refused to believe color, in dreams especially, is real.
Once I dreampt about Raymond Burr and he was in black and white but everything else in the dream was in color.
 
Many years ago, I once had a dream that was all shades of blue and indigo, like my avatar.
I never understood the meaning behind that one. It's never happened again.

I think in pictures most of the time and, if I want it to be, it is like photographic memory.
That's how I pass questions in tests. If someone says remember the words Nickel, Apple, Table
for example, then procede to talk about something and ask what the three words were 20 mins.
later, the reason I can remember is when they tell me the words, I form a photo in my mind
of each piece. Then I can remember, because I look at the picture in my mind.
If I just listened to the words, I probably could not remember.
 
Sometimes I think there is too much focus and emphasis on math in schools. I get that it’s an important thing to know but I also think that kids who struggle with the subject shouldn’t be forced to take more math classes in high school if they have enough credits to graduate. I think with kids like us a year of Algebra and a year of Geometry should be enough and if we want to take another math class then that’s okay. Just don’t force kids into taking a class they don’t even want to take or even are good at by making threats to them and refusing to let them leave your office until they only agree to do so to get you to stop harassing them. That is exactly what my guidance counselor did to me and I purposely refused to do the homework or even make an effort in class because I was told that I would never be accepted by any college or even hired if I didn’t take Algebra II and that I would be forced to take it whether or not I wanted to. I even skipped classes by pretending to do my assignments for other classes in the special education class that I “didn’t notice” that my study hall ended and it was the next period. I still am bitter with that witch because she did threaten me and it was unfair because I could have used that time for another study hall my senior year and there were kids that year in my grade that didn’t have to take a math class and weren’t in AP courses.
 
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