Is autism a disorder caused by high IQ genes?

Post Reply New Topic

I can begin to discuss it by discussing what it's supposed to be.



I can, and have. I know "intelligence" is an abstract concept generally related to various cognitive abilities in the animal population.

The OP was asking a specific question; therefore, I require specifics.

What do you think I should think "intelligence" is, and why should I take your word for it?

Good question. Here is brief test for multiple intelligences to see where ones strong areas are. Multiple intelligences is somewhat of a controversial theory, but in real life it can make all the difference in the world, depending on what type of task one is required to do, or wants to do. It makes sense and puts intelligence talk into real life perspective.

Life is all about action. If one cannot complete the task they are assigned, they don't have the knowledge, skills, or abilities required. That's real life intelligence, influenced by genetics and environment.


http://literacyworks.org/mi/assessment/findyourstrengths.html

My top three ares of multiple intelligence were music, math, and nature.

Not surprising, that sounds alot like interests attributed to autistic individuals.

Kinesthetic and spatial intelligence were my two worst areas, that's probably not unusual either, considering issues with motor skills.

^^^^^^^^^^^^ This. ^^^^^^^^ 100% spot on.

Answer to the OP: not sure of the relationship between post title and poll (not to mention the daring speculation about the intelligence or otherwise of Ashkenazi Jews) but even so, the answer is basically, no.

I am increasingly dubious as to the meaning of "intelligence" and my understanding seems to be more and more that it's how people perceive those who agree with them.

IQ simply seems to measure a set of cognitive abilities that are valued by society (or at least supposedly valued) and labels them broadly as "intelligence," but with no particularly strong set of empirical standards that define it very rigorously. A professional psychiatrist I know (in a different context) said in an e-mail last night, "not that we really know WHAT intelligence is" while talking about how therapy can directly impact cognitive decline or lack thereof in her schizophrenic patients (in general terms, she didn't reveal anything confidential).

I tend to believe that perceptions of stupidity are often not related to actual patterns of behavior, but rather the cognitive bias everyone tends to have of viewing an action by someone else and attributing it to an enduring character trait rather than a transient emotional state - that is, fundamental attribution bias. If people tend to say others are smart for agreeing with them, and stupid for doing one thing in front of them that they find frustrating, what do these terms really mean? No idea.

I agree with Poke that most people have a general idea of what intelligence is. I do not believe, however, that this idea necessarily reflects a real thing.

One example of how people tend to define intelligence via cognitive bias is the idea that logic is superior to and inherently contradictory to emotion. That to be logical, one must deny and/or ignore emotions. However, as research finds, humans who do not feel emotions (due to brain damage) find it difficult to impossible to make decisions because they do not know which choice they want more.

Another example is how intelligence is viewed as a matter of merit, whereas not being intelligence is often referred to as a matter of obstinacy or stubbornness.

Last edited by Verdandi on 02 Jan 2012, 8:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.

You're a saint for saying this, because like me you have probably come accross many aspies who are essentially Spock wannabe's, they insist they are totally logical beings who try to ignore their emotions (while somehow coming off as smug and arrogant) and I always call them on their BS.

Anyhoo, IQ is only a score on paper, it is not an inherent part of our being, like callista said. Now here's an even bigger mystery: how can a lady that smart think we all need religion like some fundamentalist magpie?

MY definition of intelligence:

Intelligence is the skill that make us capable of

A) looking for a phenomenon / problem

B) suggesting an explanation / solution for the phenomenon / problem

C) testing if the explanation makes sense / the solution really works

Then, the better you are in this process, the more intelligent you are.

Intelligence is simply the mental ability to adapt; to take whatever problem you have and figure out a way to solve it.

This is too oversimplified, and I think most people don't have an even cognitive profile using this definition. Not that the goal should be that most people have an even cognitive profile. What I mean is you're referring to intelligence as a single thing, and give it an overly broad definition when most people are good at some things and bad at some things. And many default to "you're intelligent if you're good at problem solving in fields that are valued" while problem solving outside those areas is routinely ignored.

This definition is insufficient.

Well when you talk about intelligence, there are so many different parts to it, but ultimately you're intelligent if you can figure out a way to adapt; to use whatever environment you're in to your advantage. Yes different people are good at different things, but intelligent people figure out how to maximize their strengths and minimize their weaknesses.

But people who score anywhere on the IQ scale can adapt. And some who have high scores can have extreme difficulty with adapting due to cognitive limitations that do not always play into IQ testing. Autistic people, for example, are known for having rigid routine and difficulties with change. My IQ score is in the genius range, I have - as I was told when I was diagnosed, "an extreme need for routine" - and unexpected change is one of the things that can still cause me to meltdown. I find it extremely difficult to adapt to my own cognitive weaknesses, as much as I would like to. I am, however, extremely good at multiple choice tests.

This.

I merely skimmed this thread....after responding to the poll..so I am not a part of any debate.
I have arguable "autistic" traits on both sides of my family. My dad's family is brimming with architects and engineers and there were some members who had distinct autistic and/or OCD traits, and some who are/were pronouncedly socially gregarious. My dad, while posessing high intelligence and some strong and repetitive obsessions, makes his living with his social gregariousness combined with encyclopedic knowledge regarding his line of work, (a high-end piano salesman) who has also in the past been a draftsmen (an engineering job).....There have been numerous patents held by people on my dad's side of the family..several architects.engineers....as well as some people with rather strong AS traits.
My mom has strong ASish tendencies and was the "black sheep" in a seemingly mostly "NT" family.

I take after my mom.....in terms of sensitivity and level of dysfunction...

She went to art school. The only jobs she has functionally been able to hold have been as "portrait artist" and "Art Supply Store Employee" She (like me) never learned to drive...My dad with all the architect/inventor/engineer blood in his family is definitely the more functionally "NT" of my parents.

I have a high aptitude regarding writing and reading comprehension (or did in school anyway)...but have rather severe dyscalculea, and although as as a child was interested in facts and scientific things, and I scored in the far upper percentile on standardized tests. my somewhat severe mathematical dysfunctions always got in the way....

I merely skimmed this thread....after responding to the poll..so I am not a part of any debate.
I have arguable "autistic" traits on both sides of my family. My dad's family is brimming with architects and engineers and there were some members who had distinct autistic and/or OCD traits, and some who are/were pronouncedly socially gregarious. My dad, while posessing high intelligence and some strong and repetitive obsessions, makes his living with his social gregariousness combined with encyclopedic knowledge regarding his line of work, (a high-end piano salesman) who has also in the past been a draftsmen (an engineering job).....There have been numerous patents held by people on my dad's side of the family..several architects.engineers....as well as some people with rather strong AS traits.
My mom has strong ASish tendencies and was the "black sheep" in a seemingly mostly "NT" family.

I take after my mom.....in terms of sensitivity and level of dysfunction...

She went to art school. The only jobs she has functionally been able to hold have been as "portrait artist" and "Art Supply Store Employee" She (like me) never learned to drive...My dad with all the architect/inventor/engineer blood in his family is definitely the more functionally "NT" of my parents.

I have a high aptitude regarding writing and reading comprehension (or did in school anyway)...but have rather severe dyscalculea, and although as as a child was interested in facts and scientific things, and I scored in the far upper percentile on standardized tests. my somewhat severe mathematical dysfunctions always got in the way....

Although when I was young, i fit the "little professor" stereotype, my "obesessions" are very typically art/music oriented.....and I am a "thing collector" (like my dad)....My mom is prone to lengthy and repeatitive diatribes...and I might sometimes be too...my dad has a bit more "tact" and EQ, I guess....

Well IQ tests probably overestimate the intelligence of autistics because they don't usually measure social cognition or executive functioning.

But autistics also have personality/emotional problems that neurotypicals don't have to cope with, so autistics might fail to adapt but not because they are less cognitively adaptable, but because they have more challenging emotional problems to adapt to such as compulsive obsessions, extreme anxiety etc.

I think it's more likely that intelligence isn't really understood to actually be anything, and autism is a processing disorder. That difference in neurological processing causes problems with emotional regulation, sensory processing, social cognition, and so on, and includes things like a need for routine and difficulty with change. The issue is very much cognitive adaptability.

Actually, IQ tests usually tend to underestimate the intelligience of Autists because IQ tests were made for NTs, people who think normally and are interested in normal things. Modern research shows the people with autistic disorder are probably a lot more intelligent than they appear from conventional IQ tests and looks. Also, while I do believe that social problems and executive function are neurological in nature, I do not believe it has anything to do with intelligience.

I think I have a definition of intelligience that we can all agree on: Intelligience is what intelligent people have a lot of. Can't go wrong there.