Definition of Autism and Behavioral Characteristics of Individuals with ASD

Autism thought to be mental retardation or insanity was proved organic. When it comes to the Autism/Asperger spectrum it is an interesting disorder to learn and understand. Autism which is a neurological deficit gets out shadowed by the negatives that come with its diagnosis. With Asperger’s some exceptionally gifted qualities can be seen that sometimes they are deemed genius like.

Aspergers Syndrome, one form of autism, while having major deficits such as pervasive disabilities in communication and social developments, is the more workable one than its counterpart Kanners. Treffert’s, one of the researchers on autism states that there are levels that correlate to each feature of being a ‘savant’. He stated that the term “ ‘Savant’ is derived from the French word meaning “to know” and was first used by J. Langdon Down in 1887 to describe mentally retarded persons with special capabilities that are or appear to be contradictory to their handicapping condition.

The term “idiot savant” is used to describe persons with generalized mental deficits who exhibit outstanding but idiosyncratic abilities. In contrast, the term “autistic savant” refers to individuals with autism who are above average in general intelligence and who manifest gifted abilities and subtest scores on standardized intelligence test within the gifted range” (Donnelly & Altman, 1994).

It is known that 25 to 30% of the 300,000 or more persons with autism in America are not mentally retarded, and are evaluated to have average to above average intelligence (Donnelly & Altman, 1994). Increasingly, researchers are becoming aware that these high-functioning individuals with autism are also identified as gifted and talented. Temple Grandin (1995), a gifted individual with autism and a researcher in her own right, believes that 'People labeled autistic have an extreme form of traits found in normal people' (p. 176). Her research also indicates that the genes that cause schizophrenia, manic depression, and autism 'may confer advantages in a milder form' (p. 187).

In citing work done on autism by Robin Clark in 1993 she explains: The disorder may occur if a person receives too big a dose of genetic traits which are only beneficial in smaller amounts. For example, a slight tendency to fixate on a single subject can enable a person to focus and accomplish a great deal, whereas a stronger tendency to fixate prevents normal social interaction (Grandin, 1995, p. 177).

There are exceptional gifts that come with being a gifted autistic such as exceptional memory. Treffert describes this as “eidetic or Photographic”. Rimland & Fein another of Donnelly and Altman’s sources, quoted that memorization of statistics, dates, telephone numbers or similar types of data and the ability to recall such details for years is typical. One extraordinary skill a gifted autistic can do is called calendar calculating. If any date, whether in the far past or in the coming future, a savant is able to tell on which day of the week that particular day fell or will fall on. They have early and rapid mental computation skills that are excellent in subjects such as science, mathematics, and computers.

There are some autistic children who are gifted with auditory memory and able to play musical note after hearing them only once. It is quite frequent that you hear reports of how an autistic person has perfect pitch. According to Donnelly and Altman’s research there where even reports of one child who learned to hum complex arias. Art is another curriculum area in which autistic children may exhibit degrees of excellence. Some begin drawing at an early age and reproduce objects in remarkable detail (Rimland & Hill, 1983).

Dr. Temple Grandin, who was diagnosed as having autism, describes her thinking as totally visual. She reports holding the image of what she wants to draw in her mind and then reproducing it on paper (Grandin, 1992). It is to this ability that she credits her success in developing a national reputation in architectural design.