While I don't know anybody with an autistic child, I have heard and read stories of how difficult it is for moms who have them. From their child having difficulties talking, playing, going to school or socializing to their own acceptance that he or she is different than those around him, an autism diagnosis can take a toll on all family members, not just the diagnosed child. Not to mention the stigma that still surrounds this condition due to the public's misconceptions.
But now a new in-depth study of eight child prodigies can hopefully help help dispel some of that stigma as it suggests that autism (or autism-related traits) might be responsible for some of these kids amazing achievements.
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Taking into consideration the fact that in the United States one out of 88 kids has been diagnosed with autism, the study should be of interest to a lot of parents. Published in the journal Intelligence, the study looked at eight children who had all been featured on national and international television because of their amazing abilities. Most of them had achieved professional level performance in their particular domain (music, art, math) by the age of 10.
Interestingly, half of the children in the study had family members who had an autism diagnosis or a first- or second-degree relative with autism. Furthermore, three of the eight children had been diagnosed with the condition themselves and all of them showed higher levels of autistic traits, such as attention to detail, which is undeniably neccesary in order to become a prodigy.
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Even though the majority of people with autism are not child prodigies, the results of this study suggest that there's a predominance of autism among prodigies, which I find absolutely fascinating.
What do you think about this study? Share your thoughts with us by leaving us a comment below.
Image via Juhansonin/flickr
