Intelligence

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Forgive me for some of my questions if they seem a bit novice. I am still new to this as I've lived 22 years not knowing I have Asperger's.
Also forgive me if my questions seem almost insensitive or seem to generalize some things.

So I have heard a lot of times that people with Asperger's are often above average intelligent, to me I don't quite understand that. I myself am not that intelligent, I did mediocre in school, I have a tad trouble learning stuff, and my common sense can be somewhat a tad lower than others. I don't have a particular interest in any kind of field that is practical like accounting or business. Only stuff I really take much of a interest in learning is stuff about movies and videogames( I love being critical of them and reviewing them). I also like learning about and watching stuff involving space such as Black holes or the edge of the universe. However I don't really apply myself too much to those as they are impractical and not good career choices. Besides astronomy is a lot of math and science, things I take a minimal interest in.

My question I guess is, what makes aspies so intelligent? Not just what makes other aspies smart but maybe me?

Aren't the majority of individuals diagnosed with either Asperger's or HFA said to be of average intelligence? I think I read that online somewhere but admittedly the source may not be the most legitimate.

I think our tendency to hyper-focus on one subject can make us 'experts' at that subject. You seem to have a talent for analyzing what makes movies and video games work - which could be a useful skill in the gaming industry!

I like games and movies too - some more than others - but I would have trouble pinpointing exactly what makes it 'fun' vs. 'not fun'. So that is not an ability everyone has!

I hear you about not having talents relating to jobs that are actually in demand. I guess it's just a matter of figuring out which jobs you could do, and try for the ones that seem the most interesting. Some people are lucky enough to be passionate about their work, but it's certainly not the norm, so don't beat yourself up if that's not the case!

If you manage to hold down any kind of job at all, and find enjoyable activities to do in your free time, then you're doing better than a lot of people in this world, and that's something to be proud of.

My question I guess is, what makes aspies so intelligent?

It may be that the neurological characteristics of some of those who have heightened sensations (touch, sound, smell, taste, lights) may also have heightened processing ability.

I have people who tell me I am smart often but I never really get why. If I was so smart why did I only do mediocre in school? Why did I end in the position I am now? Less than living wage, student debts, and bad car.

Most of us are extremely intelligent in our fields of interests, which often leads people to thinking we're smarter than we actually are. That happens in my case, anyway; multiple people have said I should be on "Jeopardy!" simply because I'm very good at geography. In many other subjects, my intelligence is only average (and in the case of math, profoundly below average). I guess it's better than people thinking you're stupider than you are.

Academically I wouldn't really consider myself intelligent at all (I'm especially bad at maths) but when it comes to things such as working on cars and fixing stuff I'd say I'm pretty good at it, I guess everyone has their own things that they're good at.

Im also able to name the make and model of every single vehicle I see (but I guess that's just me being obsessed with cars haha)

I think it's pretty typical of people with Asperger's, because our intelligence is uneven. We can be really good in certain areas, but extremely bad in others, especially in socializing and functional areas like paying our bills or managing multiple tasks at work. Intelligence doesn't always lead to financial success: Nicola Tesla was certainly a genius, but his functional skills were so bad, he died a pauper (partly because his naiveté allowed Thomas Edison to rip him off for the royalties he was owed on his inventions).

Many Aspergians do poorly in school if there are areas that we don't do well, or if we have trouble understanding the teacher or tend to tune them out (like me). John Elder Robison pretty much flunked out of school but later went on to become an engineer, over what was a pretty challenging journey. Remember that school is just a measure of how well you take tests, not a true measure of intelligence.

I recommend you try to improve your social skills and functional skills if possible--those were what always were a struggle for me (especially managing a budget). You might try a social skills class, get a job coach or mentor, get software to help you manage a budget or taxes, or other things that help you manage your weak areas. Then focus on what skills you do have--like movies and games? maybe you could write reviews? Learn some aspect of the industry like art design or coding? Think about other assets--are you good at writing, art, music, organization, math, mechanical things, cooking, working with plants or animals, etc.? Astronomy could be related to a career choice--as a teacher or making documentaries, working in a planetarium.

If you are still in college, you might want to see if you can get some sort of support--do you need a tutor or a note-taker in class? With a diagnosis of ASD, you are entitled to support. Would a study buddy help you practice for tests?

My brother had a learning disability and did pretty badly in high school (I think he was probably a bit dyslexic). He worked as a laborer for years and finally decided he was going to go to college. He got some help in school and managed to get good enough grades to get a scholarship for his graduate work in geology. You might want to get tested for learning disabilities. My brother was a really smart guy--he just needed some help to get started.

I think there are different kinds of intelligence--you might be the Car Genius. I can't even change my oil. Or do much of anything in the real world without breaking it or setting it on fire. As you can imagine, my wife does not allow me in the kitchen unsupervised.

NTs commonly associate fast visual processing with intelligence. They also make the same association with memory recall.

But, it is my opinion that most Aspies, due to their poor social development, actually avoid making their talents useful--they study the obscure rather than the popular. This leads to poor economic opportunities as the Aspie becomes and adult. I'm an exception in that both my father and my wife were unusually gifted when it comes to socializing--I gleaned a lot of stuff that the average NT is unlikely to understand.

Ideally, for an Aspie, you want to be the think tank that supports a leader. Or in a lot of organizations, middle management. Few managers are stupid enough to risk losing the goose that lays the golden eggs. I've learned how to get my ideas out without having to go to meetings.

I score relatively high on IQ tests but struggle with academics. I think the reason is that IQ tests tend to be multiple choice questions which require very short term logical reasoning. I can do that but when it comes to sustained and subtle analysis and communication (other than ticking A, B, C, or D) its much harder.

I don't think Aspies are necessarily that intelligent. They are intensely focused on specific areas of interest, and in those areas, are very knowledgeable. It can give the impression of a high general intelligence, when that's not necessarily the case.

From what I've read, Aspies as a whole only have average to slightly above average IQs. I've seen some Aspies on here though that are obviously very highly intelligent. It varies. My IQ is high, but I'm no genius.

Keep in mind that the diagnosis of "Asperger's syndrome" as a category separate from "classic autism" included normal language development and average to above average intelligence. So, by definition, people with Asperger's are at least average, or else they would have been classified as Kannerian or classic autistics.

I think the whole question of intelligence is one that can be very misleading. Who is more intelligent, the person who is successful financially and in relationships but has a 100 IQ, or the person who scores 150 on IQ tests but unable to get work because of social deficits and disorganized thinking? What if a person scores low on school and IQ tests but shows a high degree of knowledge and reasoning ability? Tests in school and IQ tests are only guidelines, meant to show where a person may have aptitude or need help. They are not the final word on a person's potential, and should not be seen as destiny.

I read somewhere that a higher IQ, up to 125, is associated with increased success. After that, it didn't make any difference.

Yes, there are many things IQ doesn't measure. Common sense. Musical aptitude. Artistic talent. Interpersonal intelligence. Intrapersonal intelligence. Kinetic ability/proprioception. Executive functioning.

I concur, relate, and feel the same way about everything you said.

I feel like people calling me smart is a way for them to politely say that I am not normal. I have very intense unusual interests and it may come off as me being very intelligent.