Is it medically possible for an autistic child to excel in a particular endeavour like chess, music etc?

Question

By excel, I mean being blessed with the ability to trounce even non autistic children in the same endeavour

Answer 1

it is intellectually possible-

Many people with autism have average or above avergae intelligence to begin with-they just have trouble accessing it.

I have always heard the term as IdioSavant (not idiot)

Answer 2

Yes. There have been several cases where highly functional autistic kids have excelled in specific areas.

Answer 3

Yes, it is.

Have you ever heard of the term "Idiot Savant"? There was a movie back in the day called "Rain Man." The guy that Dustin Hoffman portrayed was autistic and an Idiot Savant. That is a really harsh sounding term, I know, but that is actually what it is. I am not just making this up.

Answer 4

yes. But it not medically possible it is mentally possible.Autism is not a physical disability but a mental disorder that makes our kids socially disabled.

Answer 5

Absolutely, my son is autistic. He's only 3 years old. He does puzzle for children over 5 years. He can write his name, numbers from 1 -9. He learned the alphabet when he was 28 months old. He's starting reading even though he doesn't speak yet... Autism is a very complex syndrome. People under this syndrome are able to excel in a particular thing since they are very obsessive. There is an Autistic pianist teenage who has recordered several CDs already. He's considered being the new Mozart. He learned to play piano by himself when he was 6 years old, by 9, he was playing in the New England Conservatory. He has a trio & play jazz music. His name is Matt Savage...

Answer 6

Yes it is, but not every child with autism has this ability. My daughter has Aperger syndrome and other conditions but she is a maths genius. She is so far ahead of her classmates and is on extension work continually at school, all this she does on her own because she will not let anyone help her. In all her other subjects at school she is failing miserably and takes no interest in them at all. She has no friends at school as she does not want to socialise with the other children. All she wants to do is maths. She likes maths because the answer should always be the same and really there are no variables involved.

Answer 7

Yes, it is possible. It is called a "Splinter Skill".  

Look up these terms on the Internet:

1. Splinter Skills

2. Talented Savant  

3. Prodigious Savant

4. Autistic Savant

5. Idiot Savant

6. Savant Syndrome

The term "Idiot Savant" is falling out of favor in usage and the term "Savant Syndrome" is gaining in favor in usage.

Answer 8

There is nothing 'medical' about it.  Some children who suffer autism have specific functions where they operate at a higher level than normal, indeed at such a high level, it would be considered extraordinary.

However, these children are the exception, not the rule.  Most children with autism suffer learning difficulties and we should not forget that.

hope this helps.

http://www.snowdrop