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Talk to other parents about parenting a gifted child on this forum.

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Talk to other parents about parenting a gifted child on this forum.

Gifted and talented

Is there a link between children that are gifted and talented and Aspergers?

55 replies

Blossomhill · 07/11/2006 16:40

I am just wondering if there is such a link.

The majority of children I know with AS (including my own dd) are extremely bright and share some of the characteristics.

I am actually looking into G & T for my nearly 9 yr old but he doesn't fit any of the catergories except he is very sensitive but has lots of friends etc and definitely is not on the autistic spectrum. My ds is a high acheiever but everything else is the same as his peers.

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Blossomhill · 07/11/2006 17:21

.

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coppertop · 07/11/2006 18:54

I'm fairly sure that a lot (no idea of % though) of children with AS would also be classed as gifted. I remember ds1&2's Paed saying the same thing a while ago.

IIRC a lot of the signs of having AS are similar to the signs of being gifted IYSWIM.

Blossomhill · 07/11/2006 19:25

Yes that's what I thought Coppertop. It must be fairly common.

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sorrell · 07/11/2006 19:29

I think so. My son has Aspergers and is clever. When he was dx the paediatrician said, 'he'll be fine when he gets to university, but he may have problems at school and you need to be very careful where he goes'

I thought that was a good thing to say!

Blossomhill · 07/11/2006 19:45

Sorrell ~ yes I can see my my dd going to uni!

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Whizzz · 07/11/2006 19:47

The year 7 pupil I support is certainly very clever, in that he knows a lot of facts but can't really apply them very well

soph28 · 07/11/2006 19:51

lots of children with asperger's have amazing memories, really good vocabularies and can be quite articulate. Often they are advanced readers too.

Blossomhill · 07/11/2006 20:06

soph28 ~ my dd's memory is scary and she could read at 3

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themoon66 · 07/11/2006 20:49

My DS fits this picture too. Although he only has ever had one or two friends at school. He is not at all sociable. He never calls friends or invites them around. They have to do all the organising.

He is now in last year of GCSEs and top of the class in most things. Am thinking of moving him to grammar school for A-levels. Am even more convinced this is the right thing to after reading Sorrell's comments.

The thought of him at university worries the hell out of me. He will never cope with the social side or even managing to feed himself.

Blossomhill · 07/11/2006 21:25

themoon66 ~ does your ds have AS too? Just not seen you around before

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themoon66 · 07/11/2006 21:44

Not officially he doesn't, no. But I've had many friends and aquaintences who say he shows so many features of it. And some of these friends are psychologists and psychiatrists and other mums with AS or kids on autistic spectrum.

I try not to worry about it too much. Although, as I said, I do worry about how he will cope at uni, away from home .

Its difficult when you see a kid who is so sharp at picking up new information and retaining it, but has such poor social skills. He doesn't seem to be able to relate to others of his own age at all. His teachers have put this in his school report too... 'he has no friends in his peer group, but seems unworried by this'... to quote his last school report.

DD said she thought he was being bullied at one point, so she followed him around at break times. The bullies comments went completely over his head... he was so unaware of what was going on, it meant nothing to him, so the bullies gave up very quickly!

sorrell · 07/11/2006 21:53

Would your son respond to being taught social skills do you think? Does he want friends at all? Does he have any interests he could share? My son is pretty dreadful but he's learning and his school is helping - even getting him a speech therapist to work on his social communication and I work very hard with him too. I can only hope things will improve!

themoon66 · 08/11/2006 09:15

Sorrell... I think your suggestions would work if he had been worked on at a younger age. He has now reached the horrible teenage years, where he would probably just use grunts for communication anyway. It makes it hard to work out what is 'him' and what is a 'normal teenager' IYSWIM.

He has two friends at school he says. They sit in the labs with the teachers at lunchtimes and breaks, working on physics problems. Or in the computer room teaching themselves programming. DS's bedtime reading at the moment is 'teach yourself java script'. He is also heavily into ancient chinese and japanese books.

Blossomhill... I haven't been around on this thread at all... I'm mostly found on chat, or the teenage threads. I'm fairly new to MN and sussed out in the early days that the G&T threads get slagged off a lot!

Blossomhill · 08/11/2006 09:15

themoon66 ~ does your son have a statement?

I know it's not the case for everyone but finally getting a dx for dd (after 5 years) has really opened doors and made life so much better.

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themoon66 · 08/11/2006 09:50

No he doesn't have a statement. I've never gone down that route with him because I tried with DD who, IMO, has dyslexia, and got nowhere. DD is now at university, where her dyslexia has been picked up and she gets special help.

With DS I've tried to just let him make his own way. Whether this was a bad decision or not I won't know until it is too late I guess.

Blossomhill · 08/11/2006 13:23

themoon66 ~ I think everyone mum knows what is "right" for their child

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NotAnOtter · 08/11/2006 13:33

i have been looking into this link for my ds - just 10.
He displays many aspergers characteristics but only midly.
He is also considered very bright....have you found any research?

Blossomhill · 08/11/2006 14:07

Notanotter ~ been trying to get through to G & T and there is no answer. Have school ever mentioned anything about your ds?

I have no worries with ds about AS although my 7 yr old dd does have it!

Will post when I find out.

I am just wondering how many people are walking around un dx to be honest!

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NotAnOtter · 08/11/2006 14:09

school are surprised at my worries - he is on g and t but i dont think that says much.
reading up on aspergers i just keep saying ' yes' out loud - it sounds so like him

Blossomhill · 08/11/2006 14:20

I think it is a very fine line in some cases IMO nao

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themoon66 · 08/11/2006 14:23

Yes, agree, a very fine line. I wouldn't want to label DS 'AS', but he certainly shows many symptoms, although only mild compared to most.

Little things, for example, we have fish for tea on fridays two weeks running... DS gets a strop if he doesn't get it on Friday the next week 'because we ALWAYS have fish on Fridays'.

suzywong · 08/11/2006 14:46

"lots of children with asperger's have amazing memories, really good vocabularies and can be quite articulate. Often they are advanced readers too"

this fits my mother, obviously she is an adult now but h as a startling memory and thrives on being thought of as clever and I ahve just (ie this month) deduced that she is on the asperger's spectrum. So much about her behaviour and the way she interacts with people is now explainable

(Is this a SN thread? I don't want to get in to trouble for posting out of turn so to speak [blush}

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Blossomhill · 08/11/2006 15:53

sw ~ it's a whatever you want it to be thread

I think anyone should feel comfortable posting on any thread!

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soph28 · 08/11/2006 15:57

i have a special interest in Asperger's/Autism- started off in uni when I had to write a 'Theory of Mind' paper on Autism. Have worked with hundreds of children and adults with autism and asperger's. The spectrum is SO huge and even severe Dyspraxia can seem like high end Asperger's.

One of my theories is that everyone is on the spectrum.

bluejelly · 08/11/2006 16:16

Don't mean to show off but i have an excellent memory, was a very advanced reader at an early age, v articulate etc. My dd is the same
But don't think either of us are the vaguest bit AS.
SO the two don't necessarily go hand in hand

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