There have been a number of times where I tell someone that I am on the spectrum, and the response is: "Does that mean you're really smart?" or "So what are you good at?" These questions perpetuate unrealistic stereotypes that all people on the spectrum have what's known as Savant Syndrome, which is a condition where a neurodiverse individual has an unusually exceptional ability or talent. It affects not only people on the spectrum but also people across many different developmental disorders. In reality, this is not a common condition. There are many talented people on the spectrum, of course! The difference is the talent of a savant is rare and extreme. Speaking as an autistic individual, I have many talents--I'm an accomplished martial artist, I play various musical instruments, and more. But none of these skills are what would be considered prodigious. However, my mom had a friend when she was younger who could tell you the weather on any given day over the past few decades. Unusually incredible memory is one of the many skills someone with savant syndrome may exhibit. This particular case would be known as a "splinter skill", which summarizes is the ability to do a specific task that does not generalize to other tasks. In other words, it is a exaggeratedly amazing skill but isn't necessarily a skill one could apply to other situations in life. Some with savant syndrome don't exhibit these splinter skills but rather skills that may be more general and applicable in other circumstances. All in all, this is one of the endless reasons why autism is a spectrum. We all live with different characteristics and skill sets, all completely valid in their own right.
~Anonymous Writer
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