Is anyone else here a former child prodigy and at what? I just recently did the AQ50 and AQ10. I'm now on the waiting list for an official assessment. My dad wants to know if it's it the IQ that makes someone gifted or does being someone with Asperger's syndrome make you more likely to be gifted.
To me the expression "gifted" is a loaded one, it likely only means excelling at something that the majority of people find extraordinary. Seeing as autistic people are already removed from the ordinary, if they can apply themselves differently from ordinary people they are performing at an extraordinary level.
It's also a lot about the company you keep, I used to play "Magic the Gathering". At some point I was in the top ten competitors in the country, but because my play group typically included those in the top 50 I didn't feel that I excelled. It wasn't until I was among more average players that the differences began to show through.
IQ testing in my opinion is a flawed concept, if you are exposed to the problem sets and style of questioning inherent in IQ tests you will perform well. It's why people that do lots and lots of IQ tests tend to score highly. It's not that they are more intelligent, it's because they are gaming the system.
I'm likely on the spectrum, but don't have a formal diagnosis, I've jumped on here to find out how I can accelerate the process.
I see this as your ASD strengths, not as being gifted per say. But that’s just my interpretation, so please don’t take offence. It’s just that I don’t feel I’m very special, as I’ve always been able to do certain things well. It’s my normal.
I was able to play violin and clarinet through school just by hearing it and replicating it. Piano and keyboard too in later years, though not as well. I have the problem of not being able to read music, so it’s just as well I can play by ear! I also have perfect pitch.
My father is a self taught lead guitarist, and taught himself the keyboard too.
My uncle is a self taught classical acoustic guitarist. Incidentally, he is also a published poet and artist. I myself can write poetry and fiction with ease. (I don’t anymore, as I don’t have motivation or inclination)
My daughter played piano through school, and progressed quickly. She is a self taught bassist too, and writes her own songs etc. I don’t know if this music skill is inherited from family, or is an ASD thing.
My son was found to be gifted with his writing in high school. I didn’t notice him being extraordinary, because I was exactly the same at school, as was his sister.
We all can draw, sketch and illustrate well. But now I think about it, all of us that can, are likely autistic. Some don’t know it yet, and others over 70 don’t care lol.
Thats so impressive! I get a lot of pleasure and therapy out of playing the piano, but my very rudimentary skill would probably offend your ears given your very high proficiency. I do have two relatives who are extremely accomplished musicians, and one of them went to the Yehudi Menuin school and has played in orchestras the world over. A very hard act to follow at childhood family gatherings where dreaded ‘party pieces’ were demanded
Piano - I could play diploma level pieces (university student 1st year) by the age of 13 by self-teaching. I found that I pick up musical instruments really easily. A few years ago, I learned guitar for 9 months and was already writing my own songs and at grade 3 level by the end. I also wrote 300 songs of lyrics only in the space of two years. And a poetry book of 100 poems in the space of one month. I seemed to already have the whole book inside my head and didn't need to think when writing the poems. Same with the songs.
To my knowledge, you can simply be gifted, where you have a special ability, like in mathematics or music. Then you can have someone with a severe mental disability, who may be lacking in most areas, but is a savant, with an exceptional skill.
ND and NT people can both have high IQs. It isn’t correct to assume that if you are autistic, you will have a special skill, as many don’t. What you might have instead of a special interest that makes you better at it than others. But you will most definitely be better at one thing, and bad with others, if that makes sense?
I am not gifted. My IQ is in the normal range, and my visual processing IQ is above average. I do have certain skills and ability’s that I’m sure most NT people don’t.
Hi, welcome to the community.
I believe people with autism can be gifted at certain things. Especially if it's a special interest. For me it was singing which I started at 6 and finished a few years ago. I was in a small group and did a choir before anxiety and mental health crumbled.
