What Autistic Traits Pass as High Intelligence in an NT?

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Though I'm diagnosed, I'm curious what others have to say. What autism traits can mimic or be mistaken for high intelligence in an NT or someone who nobody would think "He's autistic" but instead, "Oh, he/she is just very smart."

I'm going to guess actual high intelligence.

Attention to detail, precision in thought and speech, deep knowledge on the topic at hand... I could go on.

For me I have a general interest and ability in 'bookish stuff' and specialist knowledge, so I think this meant that many of my family and friends at school may have overestimated my intelligence due to the comparative ease I had with my school work (up to a certain point). All that may just have been various aspects of my Autism which made school work relatively easier for me.

Also specialist knowledge about interests. For example, at one point I was super interested in drugs (as in not just taking them but learning lots about them too) and I spent so much time on drug forums etc discussing drugs that I think that my drug workers overs-estimated my intelligence as "highly intelligent". I guess most of the drug users they met weren't as well informed and knowledgeable about the subject as me, and had not put such huge amounts of thought and research into the subject.

When I then 'returned to the world' after my recovery it took me a while to figure out that I'm definitely not highly intelligent across all aspects of life, and it was a few quite hard social lessons that taught me this.

The right side of the brain is very different then the dominant left side. For me it provided a high skill in mathematics and extremely strong analytical thinking. But in general the right side of the brain can also be very exceptional on singing, music, poetry, literature. Once I learned how to read from the inside out (speed reading), it opened my ability to written communications. I went to college majoring in nuclear physics but when I graduated, positions in this field had disappeared so I became a engineer. Back in the old days, one could do this rather easily. And I spent 40 years gravitating through various field of engineering and then management.

Because my mind works very differently than most NTs, I could easily spot the mistakes they were making and make very good decisions, almost effortlessly and with great speed. I am still very much a young child inside, not an adult. So you might say I am a 74 year old child who is WELL EDUCATED.

Before I finished college, the Vietnam war began an I drew lottery number one in the draft. That meant I would be the first in line to be drafted. So as I was in my last year of college, I had to decide what was next. I could choose to join the Navy or Air Force but that would add several years to my military service time. I applied to the Air National Guards. Back in those days, the Guards were a type of side set of reserves. Generally one needed to be a high member of society to get in such as the son of a Senator, Governor, etc. But I applied even though I knew it was a long shot. I went in to be tested. It was a very strange test. After I left, they told me that they would see how each person scored and then in the next month they would contact me and let me know if my score was high enough. If I passed they would call me in again and see if I could pass the physical portion of the test. (It was a long shot.) Well I had just got home from taking the test and I received a phone call. They asked if I would like to come back and sign up. I was very confused. I had not even done the second part. But they said YOU CAN SIGN UP. Well I may be slow but not that slow. I was back at the National Guard Office as quick as my legs could carry me and I SIGNED UP.

So Aspies have skills. A very strange set of skills. My brain works very different than most NTs. It allows me to see right through the terrible mistakes that most NTs endure that causes chaos to run rampant in this world.

I was really good at reading, writing, and drawing as a kid which made some of my teachers and other people believe I was really smart and talented. But anyone can be good at reading and writing unless they have dyslexia or just don't like to read or write. It takes real intelligence to be good at solving math and puzzles, and thanks to my undiagnosed dyscalculia/nonverbal learning disorder I was virtually hopeless at such things.