[mum850]

Screening on abc 2 now.

What is the relationship between asperger's and genius?

What is primary? Do you have asperger's cos your brain is so brilliant and you think/communicate in a different way?
Do you have genius (in this case maths) as a 'splinter skill' to do with having asperger's?

Have I just got it totally wrong?

Help me BMJ!

[katrina24]

Hi, I'm not an expert but I think that they (Aspergers and giftedness) are separate things which sometimes co-occur. I think a splinter skill is different to genius. To me, a splinter skill is something that is out of step with development and general cognition. If someone has a very superior IQ (whether that is verbal, performance or overall) I wouldn't refer to that as a splinter skill.

[mum850]

I am so not an expert either but I personally 'know' (mostly online it has to be said) a lot of highly gifted kids with aspergers. But also in real life, adults and children.
Of course I also know kids with aspergers who are NOT gifted, and kids with intellectual impairment and autistic spectrum disorders.

[pundelina]

They do occur together, just as brown hair co-occurs with blue eyes.

Not always, not often really, so it's unusual enough to be noticed when it does.

[EBeditor]

It's a great show, I'm watching it now. What a lovely kid.

[mum850]

You are saying that the incidence of high or very high IQ is NOT higher in those with Asperger's?

Argh this has been bugging me for years. I would like to understand it better.

I am saying Aspergers because I know that autism is not associated with higher IQ.

Very interesting program. His parents seem lovely.

OK I can verbalise this question better. Does the IQ of people with Aspergers follow a normal distribution.

[katrina24]

Hi again, my understanding is that, in the DSM IV, to qualify for a diagnosis of Aspergers you can't have cognitive impairments. From this I infer that the distribution of IQ would not follow a 'normal' bell curve (because the bottom half of the curve is missing). I also believe that in the DSM V Aspergers will no longer be a diagnosis. Happy to have my understanding corrected by someone more knowledgeable though.

[mum850]

Hi again, my understanding is that, in the DSM IV, to qualify for a diagnosis of Aspergers you can't have cognitive impairments. From this I infer that the distribution of IQ would not follow a 'normal' bell curve (because the bottom half of the curve is missing). I also believe that in the DSM V Aspergers will no longer be a diagnosis. Happy to have my understanding corrected by someone more knowledgeable though.

Ha yes I did know the bit about the bottom of the curve, cos if you have intellectual impairment you are excluded from the diagnosis. But it made my question less neat. Sorry.
I will redo.....

Does the distribution of IQs among people with Asperger's follow a normal distribution apart from at the lower range? I am sure if I actually knew some stats I could say that in a nicer way!

[Sinister Bonnet]

The diagnostic criteria for Aspergers is a normal or higher IQ. Not everyone with an Aspergers diagnosis is gifted or has splinter skills. Some people with Aspergers have high IQs but the majority do not. The majority of people with Aspergers also do not have splinter skills (it actually really irks me that this is even a thing for people with Aspergers as I think splinter skills are people like Stephen Wiltshire).

Another very real issue for kids with Aspergers is that often they will be really bright (doesn't mean genius) but will have learning issues which impact on how they can demonstrate their intelligence. If you have a handwriting disorder or executive functioning disorder, you're going to struggle to take notes and to show what you know in an exam situation.

Oh and as of next year it gets more interesting as Aspergers is disappearing as a stand alone diagnosis under the DSM V

[pundelina]

Yes.

Right now there are three 'labels' we attach to people diagnosed as being on the Autism Spectrum.

Autistic Disorder (including High-function Autistic Disorder where IQ >70 ... HFA does not mean above average intelligence, merely not intellectually impaired).
Aspergers - same traits as AD but no significant general language delay or cognitive delay.

This will all change next year with the DSM-5, whereupon there will be no more Aspergers and instead a general Autism Spectrum Disorder to catch all. Which has good and bad sides and is another discussion altogether.