The link between Autism and Extraordinary Talent | Joanne Ruthsatz | TEDxColumbusWomen

Do child prodigies have a form of autism? In the Prodigy's Cousin, Joanne Ruthsatz and Kimberly Stephens propose a startling possibility: what if child prodigies' abilities stem from a connection with autism? Drawing on Ruthsatz's years of original research, they trace this long-hidden connection from shared cognitive traits, like heightened attention to detail, to a true genetic link.
This inspiring story of extraordinary children, determined parents, and a researcher's unorthodox hunch is essential reading for anyone interested in brain and human potential.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx

[@georginam824]

The "good gene" "the one without autism" ? if autism and high g and savant skills are correlational, we should be respectful of autism and consider that development is not a race. maybe the autistic cousin will be profoundly brilliant at something when she is 35. In any case, it seems like a cruel thing to want to cherry pick the great from the perceived damaged - all within the same unique and exceptional gene pool.

[@JasmineTea127]

I agree this is messed up

[@JustHowItIs]

I am female, not male, but I have ASD and I code software, websites, databases, fix vehicles, play piano, sing, and I have above average IQ scores (I had many IQ tests dome throughout my life).

[@AlecFortescue]

Autism is associated with levels of testosterone, so there you go.

[@animerecords7953]

Nice 👍

[@martin19]

I'm the same but male. I play loads of musical instruments and love to fix and build all sorts. Love to fly paragliders too 😄I learned from a KZbin vid and jumped off the mountain 🤣

[@sbsman4998]

"Success is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration", Albert Einstein

[@chaseburns8418]

I can relate to this.

[@New_Zealand_Music]

That's why a lot of people like Einstein get completely misunderstood. Because he did make a lot of mistakes like a lot of academics et al. you have to make mistakes to find the pathway to the truth. Unless sometimes you just see a pattern and it connects. I do have a masters degree. And, but mostly I'm a compulsive autodidact. Both my brother and I work and high level jobs. He works in one of the world's biggest digital media companies. Completely self-trained. And apart from my masters degree which I'm still finishing, my double major (part time). So am I, and proud. Not arrogant, that condition does not exist in my body. I just get Syntax error messages, if I'm ever put in that situation.

[@ApterousAngel08]

Thomas said that, not Einstein.

[@euanelliott3613]

I have a gift for the written word: lyrics, poems and fiction. I'm also quite a good singer.

[@New_Zealand_Music]

Completely concur I'm a songwriter, and a poet an unadulterated philosopher. I'm very pedantic about the words I use. But I also like writing nonsense verse, so very funny what you can do with language.

[@I_C_StupidPeople]

Autism is a gift from God. We are wired to see problems and offer solutions maybe even fix the problem. 🧐

[@suzannebryant3107]

Yes ❤️ Autism is a gift from God, We are also blessed to have a child, even to know a child with Autism ❤️ For me being a GiGi & my grandson being my blessing, ALL IS TRUE...he is teaching me to learn about him❤️ I/we need to accommodate them🙏 We need to learn to live in their world, in my opinion it's the solution❤️ I'm not going to change ANYTHING for him/about him to adapt in this crazy "times" world we live in. He is who he is & that's the way it is❤️ whether we play on the floor at a restaurant & line his cars up, or we run through the mall without a care in the world, if we stand in front of the automatic doors at Lowe's & open & close them...WE DO NOT CARE....We are who God made us to be❤️I'm his Ying to his YANG❤️ GiGi & Me🙏 I get him & he gets me🙏 Together We Will Be 🙏

[@JustHowItIs]

I have ASD and code software, websites, databases, fix vehicles, play piano, sing, and above average IQ scores (I had many IQ tests dome throughout my life).

[@shawnscorpion6602]

I have High Functioning Autism (Asperger’s Syndrome). I can remember passwords, codes. Also, solve numerical, geometrical, algebraical measurements and word problems.

[@yuviyuvi6573]

@@shawnscorpion6602 sir my child is also diagnosed with asd just, he is 5 now He can talk but not in context He knows alphabet number Will he became normal sir I m so worried about him

[@shawnscorpion6602]

@@yuviyuvi6573, Your son is his own person. With Consistent therapeutic and educational services, your son will surprise you. Be Patient and Supportive of him. I informing you do to my personal experiences. Continue to keep updating me on your son’s journey.

[@ema3852]

my son also 4 he undrstand everything but hard to communicate for him but he is smart i reading and numbers..hopfully he will be like you am always worried but God is great.

[@New_Zealand_Music]

I'm approximately in the middle of the spectrum. And work as a forensic psychologist at my local hospital. Currently on respite due to dislocating both my knees. I'm not going to say what my score was, cos it's, basically no point. The course was about the pros and cons of doing an IQ test, and part of it was you could have a professional one done. I find a acombination of autism and a higher IQ, can make you more capable of being far too critical of yourself, because you feel isolated, alone and misunderstood. That's why I love working with affected people. I feel like I'm home. I mean I've never once been arrested. But being taken away by the police simply because I couldn't stop talking. And it's very sad about what the statistics about how police deal with people with autism are. Unless you're very lucky they just don't have a clue, and you just get taken away for assessment. Just because you simply can't stop talking, and you're not saying anything offensive. And I'm definitely not a savant. And would not pretend to be. God bless.😪

[@gisellebluavai5129]

I have asd: I can draw, sing, paint, bake, do photography, dance, sew, do makeup and nails, do cosplay, write music, poetry, stories, fanfiction hehe, a scientist etccc

[@ZenSkechbook]

I have ASD . I if my obsession takes hold I'm abile to become a supercomputer and know anything in a short time . But I can't control it . And depends on mental health at the time

[@protrahere]

Absolutely brilliant.

[@gageharmath-sovie5646]

Why does everything with a disability got to medicine? It is just like the world wants to mute the people with disabilities with medication.

[@New_Zealand_Music]

@gage. Well said, 100% agreed

[@New_Zealand_Music]

@Midnight Movie Man Me to, not much. Just enough to help. And I Know It interrupts REM, which prevents me from having ridiculously bad lucid nightmares ( I can be so lucid in my dreams it's like I'm in a movie), which I'm prone to having, and waking dreams which are terrifying. Like my grandmother appeared in my room behind my bed, she passed away last year. And I turned around and had to focus, because she was young again. I'm not quite sure what to make of that. 🤔

[@New_Zealand_Music]

@Midnight Movie Man but sadly some people with highly dysfunctional autism at the top of the spectrum. May need something to help. But I really have no idea what that could be at the moment. Psychiatric drugs do not treat neurological conditions, but of course they can help control symptoms. And of course some but not all autistic people may have a But it's the sad truth a lot of autistic people have a comorbid diagnosis as well. Schizophrenia is an associated with it as much anymore. And we simply don't know enough about long-term effects of psychiatric drugs, most importantly on younger developing brains, we don't know how we can alter their cognitive ability, neural plasticity and pathways, hemisphere development, it is a long list, so I will leave it there. And someone with nothing wrong with them could be turned into a mental health patient. I've seen it happen. I think the common is attributed to Freud or Jung I'm not 100% sure. A psychotherapist once said they could see a completely functional schizophrenic man on the street. And said that they were functional enough in life. It if they were treated they would become sick. And one more comment from I think he might be a Japanese American physicist I can't remember his name. He said the Cosmos might infinite and fascinating. But there is nothing more mystical misunderstood, and possibly won't ever be, than the human brain. And this is coming from a man who works with numbers. I think I've written far too much so I should cease and desist. I hope everybody is well and happy where they are. 🙏

[@Empoweredwoman1234]

@@New_Zealand_Music this is not a bad thing. Your grandmother is probably looking out for you. If your consciousness is aware when dreaming, you can ask questions and control things. You may be a spiritual person with a gift.

[@moodybassist]

they're looking for it... I'm so relieved, thank you!

[@New_Zealand_Music]

It's nice to find a channel when nobody is getting attacked

[@rksmiths2773]

Great talk.

[@siyabongamkhonza7287]

I'm undiagnosed but really meet the criteria.. I'm gifted with words. I can rap, write poetry, music and public speaking... I can sing too

[@ilma311]

Thank You for this!!

[@biscuitapocalypse5883]

Spoiler - the "prodigies" were also autistic. FFS, we're not all Rainman. Prodigy OR autistic? JFC 🤷‍♂️

[@danielsac6316]

I wonder if that gene was discovered. Because to me, an autistic and intellectually gifted person (what is now called twice exceptional or 2e), what actually hides my autism is camouflaging it with my giftedness (masking and compensation). It's not that giftedness “lowers” my autism. It is still there and stays strong. Giftedness just hides it in front of other people. There is NO “good” gene to talk about. My giftedness isn't inherently good, my autism isn't inherently bad. Sometimes I wish I weren't gifted, because it's quite challenging sometimes. Both conditions are neither good not bad, they just are. And neither of the two conditions need medication. What we really need is proper accommodations, education and acceptance of birth conditions.

[@stevenporter7065]

Hope this medicen comes soon

[@New_Zealand_Music]

This is just my opinion and we're all allowed to disagree. Perhaps people with high needs autism may need something. But I want no medication, I want to be me

[@stevenporter7065]

@@New_Zealand_Music that would be ideal

[@andriphirus4390]

THERE IS NO NEED TO CURE PEOPLE FROM AUTISM.

[@20Jandy10]

100 % agree.

[@witchkore]

Autism is not a disorder or a disability. It's a difference.

[@leonglyefoon7076]

I am

[@jimplummer4879]

i DON'T NEED ANY MEDICINE !

[@Thrivinginthespotlight]

This is an interesting subject to be sure but the lady took most of the time of this talk to talk about everything but the subject. She should probably rethink Her speech. Although the topic is very interesting I don't think it will Garner very much attention because of how off topic she is from the beginning and how poorly explained everything else is afterwards.

[@whereaboutsify]

this is terrible

[@New_Zealand_Music]

Hi there, do you have any context to which would help me understand your comment please. Because I haven't actually watch the video and maybe it's about medication. I just saw a lot of nice people that I wanted to talk to. 😊

[@ayotundeoluyeye6016]

This is just awful. Labeling kids as prodigies or deficient (autism) and then medicating them

[@shyrose2466]

Franch?? LMAO

[@evak2215]

That was the worst dressed scientist. strappy shoes and white tights and peachy dress omg.going in a suit would be a safer bet.

[@1chipchap]

are you serious? she can wear what she wants.

[@alexipoo3973]

Eva K Wow. Typical to focus on what she wears rather than what comes out of her mouth.

[@GirthQuake47]

Eva K who cares? she looks fine! shut up! she is smart and that is what matters!

[@tomjovan3927]

Your point? Is that why you attempted to watch this?

[@brainseason850]

People are very wrongly judged by individuals like you by what matters to them rather than their character. 🍑😮👈😂