Autism and IQ have a funny old relationship – with many autistic people (no matter their place on the spectrum) being labelled as intellectually disabled. This is frustrating because it immediately puts autistic people on the back foot; where those who pursue intellectually challenging fields will be written off as ‘not that autistic’, while those who have an encyclopaedic knowledge of one single topic will be overlooked for their challenges.
But, what if I told you that IQ doesn’t really mean anything in the eyes of autism? And, what if I told you that all those IQ tests aren’t even worth the paper they’re written on? Well, buckle up, because in today’s autism and IQ article the answers to these two questions are sure to shake up the status quo.
What is IQ?
It’s a commonly held belief that those who score an IQ of under 70 are intellectually disabled, while anyone who holds a mark of over 140 is a modern-day Einstein. However, intelligence quotient or IQ wasn’t always this cutting.
With origins in 1905s Binet-Simon test (which yes, means we use an over 100-year old test to monitor intelligence and, no, it isn’t very intelligent), the IQ test was devised as a method of measuring a person’s capability to learn and adapt through a range of different tests – which included:
- Baseline knowledge (the general knowledge round)
- Basic Maths (or math for people who abuse the English language)
- Visual objects in space (how you imagine the information that is shared)
- Fluid reasonability (to tell the difference between those who call tech support and those who throw a shoe at the problem)
- Working memory (the ability to recall important stuff when it really matters)
Depending on how a person answered or solved these questions, they would end up with a score. This mark was then divided by a person’s age and ‘hey presto’ you had your IQ.
Now, of course, it would be easy for me to sit here and criticise a century old test for the complications we have in the present. So, to give credit where credit is due, this original idea was actually pretty smart as it meant that a student attending school could be put with people of similar ability, rather than of identical birth years.
However, if history has taught us one thing, it’s that all good things must come to an end and, this progressive step was sent a bit pear-shaped when, around 1916, IQ results were changed (they no longer reflected how a person scored in relation to their age, but how they measured up against the rest of society – meaning that we now live in competition where if one person rises others must fall).
Should we use IQ to define Autism?
In my experience, autistic learning is like starting a lawnmower. You don’t always get there on the 1st, 2nd or even 3rd try but, once we do start, we’re unstoppable. In many areas, this is somewhat of a strength. However, where IQ is concerned it is anything but, as IQ rewards those who can adapt over those who can excel.
The subsequently means that we autistic people are penalised for our inability to make immediate decisions, only to be further kicked when we are down, as we realise that the test favours those who are a jack of all trades, over someone who is king of one topic (something autistic people specialise in).
That’s not to say that the IQ test wasn’t pure rubbish for autistic people to begin with though, as before the questions even begin we are set up to be let down. This is due to the social challenges which most autistic people face, wherein having a complete stranger, ask irrelevant questions, in an unknown environment results in responses that incorrectly reflect our true potential.
The saying goes that ‘if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid’ and this couldn’t be more fitting for autistic people and IQ tests.
Intelligence isn’t everything
While no one wants to push the idea that ‘ignorance is bliss’, the reality is, this couldn’t be truer. This can be seen in many of the recent surveys which have found that those with the highest IQs are often the ones who struggle the most with mental health illness and, although that’s not to say all smart people are sad (nor are those with low IQs immune to mental health illness), it does prove that intelligence and happiness are not mutually dependent.
Furthermore, while IQ may be one of the best predictors of intelligence we currently have, unless you’re planning a trip to the quantum realm, predictions don’t always come true – this can be seen in that, while some are born with a greater retention for knowledge, even the most capable mind can spoil when not nourished with education and accurate information (while, conversely, those with a low IQ can excel in the right environment).
So, what does this mean for the autistic community? Well, nothing (or at least it should mean nothing). No one is going to deny that having a high IQ can be a huge asset in life. However, all the brains in the world can’t compete with having a life full of things you enjoy and people who want to see you succeed.
While IQ is a great measure of potential its tests make even this questionable and, no matter how it is configured, a list of questions will never capture what makes our community so remarkable. Remember this next time you hear someone brag about having a high IQ, or criticising someone’s for theirs being low because, more often than not, it’s that person who doesn’t really have a clue.
Carry on the Conversation
Can you think of a better way to message someone’s capability? Let me know in the comments below. And, if you would like to hear about more autistic celebrities, like Albert Einstein, then head over to ‘fact 23’ in my article: 25 Autism Facts I’ve Learned After 25 Years Being Autistic
As always, I can also be found on Twitter @AutismRevised and via my email: AutisticandUnapologetic@gmail.com.
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Thank you for reading and I will see you next Saturday for more thoughts from across the spectrum.
