There is indeed a connection between a high predisposition to autism and a high predisposition to giftedness, already proven by several studies.
By Dr. Fabiano de Abreu Agrela
Autism and giftedness are very different conditions, but they are often strongly associated. However, despite studies already indicating a genetic connection between the two, there is still much discussion about how this relationship manifests itself.
There is indeed a connection between a high predisposition to autism and a high predisposition to giftedness, already proven by several studies. This relationship arises from the investigation of the genes involved in the development of the conditions, which may be shared.
However, this connection does not imply that gifted people are necessarily autistic, or vice versa. This is because the genes and variants associated with autism and giftedness are many, there may be similarities in some, but there may be differences in several others, which must also be considered in this analysis.
Autism and intelligence are genetically correlated with each other, which indicates a shared genetic basis, to some extent, as well as phenotypic associations, among other characteristics. These patterns indicate that autism predisposition is modulated in part by prominent but also imbalanced components, such as intelligence.
Some recent findings suggest genetic correlations between autism and high intelligence through the overlap of autistic alleles with those of intelligence. The hypothesis is that autism involves unbalanced components of a more developed intelligence.
Precisely because of the almost paradoxical complexity of understanding the two conditions, it is important that more and more studies focus on analyzing the genetics behind autism and giftedness to reach more effective conclusions about the limits and interaction of this connection.
REFERENCES:
AUTISM As a Disorder of High Intelligence. Frontiers in Neuroscience, [sl], 2016. DOI 10.3389/fnins.2016.00300. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Autism-and-intelligence-are-genetically-correlated-with-one-another-indicative-of-a_fig3_304619662 . Accessed on: 18 Jan. 2024.
About Dr. Fabiano de Abreu Agrela
Dr. Fabiano de Abreu Agrela has a Post PhD in Neuroscience and is a biologist who is a member of the main scientific societies such as SFN – Society for Neuroscience in the United States, Sigma XI, a scientific society where members must be invited and which has more than 200 Nobel Prizes and the RSB – Royal Society of Biology, largest biology society based in the United Kingdom. He is a member of 10 high IQ societies, including Mensa, Intertel, ISPE, Triple Nine Society, Intertel Brazil coordinator, international director of the IIS Society and president of ISI and ePiq society, all societies restricted to people with high IQ proven in tests supervised. He created the first genetic report that estimates IQ scores through DNA testing and the GIP project – Genetic Intelligence Project with genetic and psychological studies on high IQ with volunteers. Author of more than 50 studies on intelligence, he volunteered in supervised IQ tests, genetic intelligence tests and neuroimaging studies as he achieved the maximum score in more than one IQ test in more than one country, corroborating the other genetic results and of neuroimaging.
