31% of children with ASD have an intellectual disability (intelligence quotient [IQ] <70), 25% are in the borderline range (IQ 71–85), and 44% have IQ scores in the average to above average range (i.e., IQ >85).
The intelligence levels of autistic people, in general, are highly polarized, with many autistic people scoring average to above-average; compared to the general public, more autistic people score in the gifted range (140+ IQ).
Nevertheless, one clinical study with slightly more precise information on IQ in ASD reported that 23% of the participants had an IQ < 85, while 45% had an average IQ, and 32% had an IQ above average (10).
Autistic Individuals Require Specialized IQ Tests
It's not surprising that IQ testing for individuals with ASD is even more complex and controversial. Since verbal skills deficits are one of the key symptoms of autism, IQ testing that relies heavily on those skills for the assessment normally falls flat.
Like any other child, children with autism are able to learn and gain significantly in IQ through numerous ways. Intelligence Quotient (IQ) is a broad term that is used to measure many mental capabilities, such as linguistic, spatial, musical, bodily kinesthetic, and interpersonal intelligence.
They're just as smart as other folks, but they have more trouble with social skills. They also tend to have an obsessive focus on one topic or perform the same behaviors again and again.
Does ADHD affect IQ? A popular misconception is that all children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are naturally smarter and have a higher IQ than children without ADHD. However, there is no correlation between this condition and intelligence.
However, epidemiological data from different countries indicate a high prevalence of low intelligence quotient (IQ) scores in children with ASD. According to the most recent ASD surveillance estimates in the US, 35% of 8‐year‐old children with ASD have Intellectual Disability (ID) (IQ < 70, Maenner et al., 2021).
Coplan recommends the comprehensive Test of Non-Verbal Intelligence (TONI), saying that children who do poorly on typical intelligence tests may do very well on the TONI. 4 The test looks more directly at what children know than other tests—not at how well children can use language to communicate what they know.
Those with Asperger's syndrome, in contrast, must by definition have suffered no cognitive delay during their first 3 years of life. This means that they will usually have at least a “normal” IQ. In some cases, their IQ may be very high, even in the genius range. There are, however, different kinds of smarts.
Like, is Elon Musk a genius? It answered, Elon Musk's IQ is reported to be 155, which is very high compared to the average of 100.
The researchers found that of 890 individuals who met the inclusive definition of autism and had IQ scores available, 59 percent had an average or higher IQ score. Of the 453 individuals who met the narrow criteria, 51 percent had an average or higher IQ score.
It's a common misconception that autistic people are unaware of their condition. The truth is, many autistic people are very much aware of their autism and how it affects them. In fact, some say that it's through understanding and acceptance of their autism that they've been able to lead fulfilling lives.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs) of healthy volunteers and individuals with autism show differences in the volumes of multiple brain regions including: The frontal cortex, which is involved in social and cognitive (intellectual) functions tends to be thicker.
The Aspie Quiz is a self-administered questionnaire to measure autistic traits in adults (age 16+) with an IQ in the normal range (IQ >=80). In fact, it measures both autistic and neurotypical traits in five domains: talent, perception, communication, relationship, and social.
The Intelligent Quotient is obtained by dividing the mental age (MA) by the chronological age (CA) so that children of different chronological age can be compared. To remove the decimal point, the result is multiplied by 100. Therefore, IQ = MA/CA X 100.
However, a much higher percentage of individuals on the autism spectrum have Intellectual Disability . As of the most recent prevalence study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), which studied records from 2008, 38% of children with ASD had Intellectual Disability .
Though autistic people may respond to emotions and social cues differently than neurotypical people, this does not mean they lack empathy. Just like neurotypical people, levels of empathy vary between autistic individuals.
IQ ("Intelligence Quotient") measures a child's learning and problem solving skills. A normal IQ score is around 100. Children with ID have a low IQ score–most score between 70 and 55 or lower.
The mean IQ test scores were 61.8 ± 5.4 for the ADHD + ID group and 87.8 ± 11.4 for the ADHD-only group; the range of scores was 50-69 for the ADHD + ID group and 70-139 for the ADHD-only group. The scores were normally distributed for the sample as a whole.
While ADHD may mask a child's academic abilities, the opposite may be true as well. Very bright children may hide symptoms of ADHD. They generally do better in school than those children with average or low IQ who also struggle with ADHD.