Giftedness and autism are something a lot of parents and individuals have mixed up. This has ended up with the ways we often fail gifted children.
We fail to provide children with the help they require to flourish and develop by misidentifying their experiences as giftedness.
The same holds for giftedness and autism. The distinction between giftedness and ADHD or OCD might be as hazy as the distinction between giftedness and autism.
Signs of autism can conceal giftedness, and giftedness can conceal autism.
Children who are dealing with their mental health, growth, or social interaction require an accurate diagnosis or therapy.
Again, doing this frequently necessitates a dual diagnosis that takes both giftedness and autism into account.
How Are Autism and Giftedness Misunderstood?
Gifted children exist in the common imagination in a well-defined box: they are both hyper-intelligent and eccentric. The two characteristics appear to be inextricably related.
Children on the autism spectrum inhabit the same box in some places: brilliant yet different from their peers.
In actuality, there are numerous misconceptions regarding brilliant children and who they should be. The same holds for autistic youngsters. These myths are not limited to how gifted children are portrayed on television and films.
They also exist among professionals, such as teachers and pediatricians. who are only now receiving the necessary training, information, and time to care for these youngsters.
These Children Exhibit Same Behaviors Like Autistic Children
Gifted children can exhibit some of the same behaviors as autistic children. Social oddities are every day in both intelligent and autistic children. Gifted children, like autistic children, have sharp memories and a strong command of the English language.
They can either become lost in their imaginations or think logically and critically to the point where creativity appears to be a distant memory. Both groups may struggle to manage social connections with their peers.
At the same time, these are broad behavioral generalizations. When you dig a little further, you’ll see some significant variances. A gifted child, for example, may have a large and sophisticated vocabulary and a rich verbal style.
A youngster on the autistic spectrum may have a large vocabulary but may not fully comprehend the language they use. They could also have a less appealing speech style that doesn’t engage others.
Another example of distinct behaviors is found in social norms. Gifted children are more conscious of social standards and recognize that they are different from their peers, which causes significant distress.
A youngster on the autism spectrum may be oblivious to social standards and may fail to recognize differences between themselves and their peers, which can cause them emotional distress.
One thing gifted children and autistic children have is that they are neurodivergent.
What exactly is Neurodivergence?
Neurodivergent children (and adults) have an unusual neurological structure. They could be suffering from developmental problems, such as autism or mental disease. They could also be gifted and have a high IQ if they don’t have one of these.
Those with an intermediate range of human neurology are classified as neurotypical. Neurodiversity does not only apply to autistic youngsters. In neurology, there is no such thing as a binary. You’re not neurotypical or autistic.
Neurodiversity, on the other hand, refers to the entire and diverse spectrum of neurology. Everyone falls somewhere in the neurological range. It acknowledges that everyone’s neurology is unique.
Neurodivergent children, who can be gifted, autistic, both, or neither, cannot be boxed in, but they require help that reflects their patterns of thinking and individual differences. As a result, assisting them necessitates determining the correct diagnosis – or a dual diagnosis.
Autistic, Giftedness, or Both? (Dual Diagnosis)
While giftedness and autism are two sorts of neurodivergent groupings frequently mixed up, a child can be both gifted and on the autism spectrum. This is where having a dual diagnosis comes in handy.
First, it is critical to recognize that obtaining a diagnosis is not the solution to a child’s emotional, social, developmental, or other difficulties.
Instead, a diagnosis opens the door to helping your child explain their inner life and interpret their experiences. It is easier for them to find tactics that promote their emotional and social growth when they can do so.
After all, a diagnosis is nothing if you cannot offer your children the assistance they require to make sense of their world and thrive within it.
As a result, a correct assessment is critical. A child on the autism spectrum, like other dual illnesses, gains the best from therapies that embrace their giftedness.
You need medical professionals that are well-versed in various disciplines. Professionals with developmental history to determine the underlying cause of a child’s behaviors.
You can distinguish between both by examining:
- Language usage
- Ability to comprehend other people’s points of view
- Reactions to interruptions
- Emotional expression
Without assistance, children with this diagnosis may feel alienated and misunderstood as they go through childhood.