super sharp memory

[Calally]

ds is 5.5 with sld, possibly autistic. i have been noticing more recently how sharp his memory is. with 1 of his obsessions ( carwashes, although he's physically terrified of them ) when we go out, if we pass 1, hell remember the next time were out that way, and will constantly tell me before n after we pass it.

he went to a summer scheme last year for 2 weeks, and became really attached to one of the helpers, he hasnt seen him since, but has recently started talking about him, and asking for him.

when he was younger, we used to go swimming all the time, and ds was rather obsessed with a clock they had on the wall. havent been swimming for a good year and a half. so i asked ds would he like to go swimming, and his response was " to see the clock ". i had to think about it before i could remember.

just wondering is type of behaviour common with sld or autism. or is it just ds?

We have it and DS is being assessed for ASD.

Mine remembers visual details that matter to him and is fantastic at remembering routes in the car.
It seems to be a common trait with people on the spectrum, and disconcerting to the NTs they are talking to.

oh yeah, forgot about routes in the car. and if theres more than 1 way to go, he wants to go a certain way.

Mine drew a picture of a painting he'd seen in the National Gallery that he'd really liked. A year later, because of a school topic. When I checked it against the original, he' replicated it exactly, some of the proportions were a little off, but the details and positions were all correct.

wow thats amazing. it never ceases to amaze me what ds remembers. and its nice to know he's not the only 1 :)

Ds is dyspraxic and he has a startling good memory for the irrelevant details! I think his is because he struggled to write, so remembered everything as he couldn't record it. Characters/names episodes/battles from Star Wars is encyclopaedic. Ask him if he's bought his lunchbox/homework/school jumper home and that's a different matter

yeah ds is like that. if it interests him, well and good. ask him where something is, or about something he has no interest in, and its a completely different story.

i used to work with a boy who had dyspraxia, he asked me and other members of staff our date/year of birth, I saw him in our village the other week and he recited off my exact birth date, hes 22 now and diagnosed with ASD also, he was 11 when i told him my birth date!

Gosh, brandy, that's impressive. My DS used to have a birthday obsession, and knew the birthday of every child in the class, the teachers etc. But it only lasted a couple of years and he's forgotten most of them now. He has rolling obsessions and only seems to remember stuff for as long as it still interests him. I wonder if that's a good thing or a bit of a shame?

He used to know the playlist for every David Bowie album (another obsession) plus the length of each track in minutes and seconds, along with the difference for tracks on original albums and compilations. (yawn)

Have a look at What aspects of autism predispose to talent? which one of many free full research papers that make up a special research Discussion Meeting Issue ?Autism and talent? organized by Francesca Happé and Uta Frith may be of some interest.

My son has a memory talent that is exceptional also.

He's 14 and his obsession is wikipedia. He scans a page..click.. remembers it.Scans another..click.. remembers it. Dates, lists etc.
He has a particular obsession with film and TV programme statistics, so for example, if you named your favourite TV programme, he could tell you when it was first broadcast, how many series/episodes in how many countries etc etc ... but he will never had watched it himself. Films include box office takings so I'm bracing myself for Harry Potter stats ..:D

In daily life he has MLD and ASD and attends a special school, and finds ordinary life pretty bewildering. His memory skills only 'work' for his obsessions! It would be lovely if we could find a way to use his skill for something in adulthood..