I've done volunteer work with handicapped children for almost 35 years, and so often the parents of the clearly autistic kids I meet are scientists or researchers or statisticians and jobs like that. Its a strange correlation.
Being on the autism spectrum myself, I can tell you that a lot of what we see today is a result of “feeding the beast”. When I was very young, I had all the classic traits. But I wasn’t able to feed them because my entertainment consisted of reading and playing outdoors.
Today’s aspies get a steady diet of neuron stimulation. Every aspie I know is using a tablet or a phone or a game system or a computer to keep them quiet as opposed the belt my father used. So they never get a chance to “grow out of autism”. They actually grow into the reclusive, addictive world of technology/gaming.
I work in a cubicle farm full of people just like me. There’s a vast difference between the older guys and the younger guys.
And just to clarify, I am at the 8th Prestige level of Call of Duty World at War so I am not a good role model.
I wasn’t really talking about intelligent kids, but the children of intelligent people (physicsts, mathematicians, etc.) having autism.
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That sounds like you are saying the children you work with are not intelligent, even though their parents are.
As a former teacher, I would say that children of intelligent parents are more often intelligent than not. Successful physicists, mathematicians, scientists etc. are often more intelligent than the average person.
There are several books that explain the misdiagnosis of children, if you are really interested in an answer to your question. Feel free to explore the subject or not.
Having offered the info, I am done with the discussion.
Here's a weird one for you. My husband has a friend/colleague. He's an engineer. Super quirky, weird guy. I have always believed he is some level of autistic.
I just recently found out, he has a brother who is autistic.