Do people who are intellectually gifted develop obsessions the same way that people with autism do?

[Mark Smith]

Considering that I have been tested to be intellectually gifted but I haven’t been tested for autism, I need to know.

 

[Judge]

Perhaps what you should be considering first and foremost is not necessarily autism per se, but rather a potentially comorbid condition of autism. One that can independently transcend both the Neurodiverse and Neurotypicals.

- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

See how you score on the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale:

Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale

 

[Mark Smith]

Perhaps what you should be considering first and foremost is not necessarily autism per se, but rather a potentially comorbid condition of autism. One that can independently transcend both the Neurodiverse and Neurotypicals.

- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

See how you score on the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale:

Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale

I know I have some OCD traits as well, but I don’t mean intrusive thoughts, I mean obsessive interests with things like science or video games.

 

[Judge]

I know I have some OCD traits as well, but what I mean is obsessions with topics such as video games or science.

If your intent is to determine whether or not you are on the spectrum of autism, you must consider a multitude of autistic traits and behaviors rather than any one trait or behavior in itself.

 

[Mr Allen]

I had an official IQ test last year, turned out that contrary to popular belief I am NOT retarded, however I still don't know my actual official IQ score.

 

[Mark Smith]

If your intent is to determine whether or not you are on the spectrum of autism, you must consider a multitude of autistic traits and behaviors rather than any one trait or behavior in itself.

I made this thread so I could better understand if the obsessions symptoms is exclusive to people with Asperger’s. Right here, I list other traits:

I’m 17, and I think I may have autism/aspergers.

 

[onlything]

I would say no.

Although I'm no NT. Still, from what I see my NT colleagues don't behave like me in this. They don't forget to sleep, eat, change sitting positions so that their limbs wouldn't hurt during their work on a project. They aren't as interested in knowing everything there is about some detail or other and they don't get stuck on little things trying to solve some small problem. From what they told me, they also don't feel like they're 'waking up' after a longer period of extended focus. So I'd say no. Although, as I said, I'm no NT.

On the other hand, if we're talking about other types of obsessions(not 'special interests=obsessions') like obsessive thoughts etc. - then yes, for example with OCD.

 

[Judge]

I made this thread so I could better understand if the obsessions symptoms is exclusive to people with Asperger’s. Right here, I list other traits:

I’m 17, and I think I may have autism/aspergers.

What I'm trying to tell you is that obsessions are not exclusive to ASD. You can have OCD or not and still be quite Neurotypical.

You may have a few other autistic traits and behaviors, but not enough IMO to definitively suspect ASD as such. Perhaps others may disagree. Of course nearly all of us here are not medically qualified to make that call either.

I'd say keep researching. Not only here but elsewhere relative to medical sites which outline many traits and behaviors as opposed to just a few. Consider other traits and behaviors unrelated to obsessions and highly focused interests.

NIMH » Autism Spectrum Disorder

 

[Catana]

I don't think what he's asking about necessarily has anything to do with OCD. I spent several years researching giftedness for a possible book on intellectual giftedness, so I think I understand what he's trying to get at.

In general, I'd say that the obsessions of the intellectually gifted differ from the type that are considered typical of autism in that they tend to be productive. That's a first thought, so thanks for the light bulb moment, Mark. Intellectual obsessions are usually about a question of some kind, one that you're driven to research and find an answer for. It isn't about collecting objects or data, with no end product in mind.

And, unlike most people on the spectrum, who want to claim every creative person as potentially autistic, I don't think there's any proof that the link exists. Certainly, some highly creative people, even in the past, might have been autistic/Asperger's but they would still have to possess the other required characteristics. And we have no way of knowing that's always true.

Mark, you might be interested in a book by Dean Keith Simonton, a psychology professor and scholar: Origins of Genius - Darwinian Perspectives on Creativity. The most interesting chapter, for me, was Variation, on how different kinds of brains work and why some of capable of coming up with new and creative ideas or products.

 

[Judge]

I don't think what he's asking about necessarily has anything to do with OCD.

Perhaps. However with OCD it does transcend both the Neurotypicals and the Neurodiverse. Personally I'd just be reticent to believe that autistic people and non-autistic intellectually gifted people experience such things on a similar level.

That the answer lies elsewhere, whether involving OCD or something else entirely.

But yeah, I liked your response better.

 

[Crossbreed]

@Mark Smith , in my experience, there is considerable overlap between geeks* & auties.

Geeks are are almost always the result of asynchronous development. That means that some of our traits have developed faster than expected, while others were as expected or slower.

Autism is a pervasive development disorder. All of us exhibit under-developed social instincts, though there can be under-development in other areas, too.

In that sense, both can be considered neuro-diverse conditions.

If one is asynchronous [gifted] AND has under-developed social instincts, they may be both. This is known as twice exceptional or 2E.

The difference between 2E and gifted (alone) is that 2Es are social illiterates, where gifteds can grasp social mores (even if they don't always value them excessively).

*geeks < G.K.s, gifted kids [alternate etymology, mine];
nerd < neuro-diverse [also my alternate etymology]

 

[Progster]

It depends really how you define 'obsession', but I think that yes, intellectually gifted people can develop 'special interests' and obsessions. For example, I am a private tutor and I had a student who talked non-stop about zombies. His mum suspected Asperger's and had him tested, but it turned out that he did not have Asperger's, but was 'gifted'. My partner also has these 'obsessions' - the latest is about natural remedies and collecting herbs and mushrooms, etc. I've seen him sit in front of YouTube for hours on end watching videos about mushrooms and footage of people collecting mushrooms, etc. NTs also become experts in their field, and to do that, they need to amass a lot of data and study hard, often to the point of it becoming an obsession, so no, one doesn't need to have ASD to have these 'special interests' or obsessions.

 

[Bolletje]

You know people on the autism spectrum can be intellectually gifted too, right? Your first post seems to hint at this, but the title of this topic sorta rubs me the wrong way.