Autistic people may display a range of strengths and abilities that can be directly related to their diagnosis, including: Learning to read at a very early age (known as hyperlexia). Memorising and learning information quickly. Thinking and learning in a visual way.
Savants with autism typically show amazing skill within one or more general ability domains. Mathematical, artistic, musical, spatial and mechanical abilities are most common. Most savants have a single skills but some have been reported to have more than one.
Individuals with autism stand out in creative thinking
Autistic people have the ability to think in an abstract way, and they tend to provide solutions to problems in a different way than everyone else. Individuals on the spectrum are often described as people with the ability to think outside the box.
Advances in diagnostic capabilities and greater understanding and awareness of autism spectrum disorder seem to be largely driving the increase, the Rutgers researchers said. But there's probably more to the story: Genetic factors, and perhaps some environmental ones, too, might also be contributing to the trend.
About 70% of autistic people have an intellectual disability, which means they have an IQ lower than 70. The remaining 30% have intelligence that ranges from average to gifted. Autism and intelligence are two separate characteristics. A person can be autistic with any level of intelligence.
Results: Of the 75 children with ASD, 55% had an intellectual disability (IQ<70) but only 16% had moderate to severe intellectual disability (IQ<50); 28% had average intelligence (115>IQ>85) but only 3% were of above average intelligence (IQ>115).
Autism Prevalence
31% of children with ASD have an intellectual disability (intelligence quotient [IQ] <70), 25% are in the borderline range (IQ 71–85), and 44% have IQ scores in the average to above average range (i.e., IQ >85).
It is estimated that 1 in 100 people in Australia have Autism. In 2018 there were 205,200 Australians with Autism, a 25.1% increase from the 164,000 in 2015 (Source: ABS SDAC 2018– Autism in Australia). This means that if you have Autism you are not alone.
The country with the highest rate of diagnosed autism in the world is Qatar, and the country with the lowest rate is France. Around 4 times as many boys have autism as girls. The rate of autism in the U.S. went from 1 in 150 in 2000 to 1 in 100 in 2022.
Does The Father Or Mother Carry The Autism Gene? Autism was always thought to have a maternal inheritance component, however, research suggests that the rarer variants associated with the disorder are usually inherited from the father.
Autistic people may display a range of strengths and abilities that can be directly related to their diagnosis, including: Learning to read at a very early age (known as hyperlexia). Memorising and learning information quickly. Thinking and learning in a visual way.
Analytical Thinking: People with an autism spectrum disorder think in a logically consistent way that leads to quick decision making. These thinkers can make decisions without experiencing the framing effect that inhibits most neurotypicals from making decisions without bias.
Because logical thinking and superior pattern recognition can be a strength in autistic individuals, careers in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields may be a good fit.
Often, Autism parents telling their children they have a superpower is more for the parent's comfort than the child's. In reality, Autism is a neurological disorder and has disabling facets that vary per individual.
There are many other famous autistics including Alex Reid, Dan Ackroyd, Daryl Hannah, Susan Boyle, Courtney Love, Jessica Applegate and Wentworth Millar. There is speculation that historical figures such as Alan Turing, Mozart, Einstein and Sir Isaac Newton had autism.
Certain genetic variants are linked to a higher chance of a child being somewhere on the spectrum. Also, it takes fewer variants to predispose a boy to developing autism than it does a girl.
About 35% of autistic people are married, though such figures don't always take into account people that aren't diagnosed or have received a potential misdiagnosis.
Increased availability of services.
Over the years, services for autism have become more readily available. The availability of services has encouraged more people to seek a diagnosis in order to gain access to these services.
Centrelink. Centrelink, managed by the Australian Government Department of Human Services, delivers a range of payments for children or adults with autism, or caring for people with autism.
It is a disability that is considered to be on a spectrum – meaning no two individuals with ASD are alike and there is a range of severity and characteristics displayed by each person with an ASD diagnosis.
Risk Factors
Having a sibling with ASD. Having certain genetic or chromosomal conditions, such as fragile X syndrome or tuberous sclerosis. Experiencing complications at birth. Being born to older parents.
Savant syndrome is a rare, but extraordinary, condition in which persons with serious mental disabilities, including autistic disorder, have some 'island of genius' which stands in marked, incongruous contrast to overall handicap.
If you still hear people use some of the older terms, you'll want to know what they mean: Asperger's syndrome. This is on the milder end of the autism spectrum. A person with Asperger's may be very intelligent and able to handle their daily life.