Expert: Ettina - 9/9/2008

Question
Hi, my name's BJ, and I'm currently 14 years old and am a freshman in HS, and I was just wondering, I have been diagnoses with Asperger's Syndrome, ADHD, AND OCD, yet I'm in the International Bacholariat(IB) program. What are the odds of that happening?

Answer
I don't know any actual numbers, but I do know that giftedness and the autistic spectrum seem to be associated. More severely autistic people sometimes show 'savant skills' - extreme talents in specific areas, such as music - while higher functioning autistic people such as yourself often have overall high intelligence. Studies in highly gifted children have also shown a high rate of autistic traits, especially obsessiveness and sensory sensitivity. It seems to me that even though Asperger Syndrome is called a disability, there are a lot of areas in which it's exactly the opposite.