Ingenius Minds TV show has a bunch of auts/asps

Post Reply New Topic

So I got stuck watching this marathon of that show "Ingenius Minds" which is basically about savants and their abilities. After about two people who had apparently gained savant abilities through head injuries, the rest were a long list of aspergers and autistic individuals. Including John Elder Robinson, Temple Grandin, and a bunch of randoms who could draw, work calendars, and play pinball. Each episode was supposed to be about savants, but it basically turned into a public tv show about gifted autistics. I found this interesting, in that I liked that aspie/autistics were being portrayed in a positive manner, but I know not all aspies and autistics have abilities or really great abilities. Some of them have the potential for talent but are too discouraged to try, some tare too busy overcoming those negative aspects of aspergers/autism, and others just go nuts with their obsessions until they turn into savant abilities. So I'm curious what other people think? They depicted us as mainly intelligent, obsessive people with the price of social disability. I'm glad they're depicting us from an unbiased perspective, but mainly want to know what people think of the lack of attention they gave towards those without obsessions or abilities, or those with an apparently low IQ despite being aspies. I also wanted to just let people know what's going on with autism in the media.

That show is why I am here. I'm not a savant by any means, I found too much of what they said struck familiar tones for me. The way that several of them described their thoughts and all of them talked about lack of social skills. convinced me that I needed to look into Asperger's.

I enjoyed watching the half-hour documentaries on John Elder Robison and Temple Grandin because I had read about them. Many years ago I listened to an NPR program about Temple Grandin. That was before I knew anything about Asperger's.