I've heard as autism being an evolutionary adoption to societal complexities - as tools, processes etc get more complex out of necessity, they cant outstrip the ability of people to comprehend and use them effectively. Its probably not a recent thing since evolution doesn't work within a generation or two, but a latent human property that has always been around and has helped with the big tech leaps at the historical points where these have occurred. Agriculture, systems of laws, water-wheels, construction techniques.
Some of say that it's actually the next step in human evolution. We are good at following rules, we like to help people, we almost never lie, we have interests we are super involved with, etc. Because of rules, we can't play politics at work. Also because of rules, we can memorize thousands of them so that we can appear normal most of the time. We've had to learn those rules the hard way, by making thousands of mistakes. Most of us do not act like Sheldon. I knew I was different by the time I was 7. Oddly enough, Einstein's IQ is only 10 or so points higher than mine, but no one outside my field has heard of me.
I've heard as autism being an evolutionary adoption to societal complexities - as tools, processes etc get more complex out of necessity, they cant outstrip the ability of people to comprehend and use them effectively. Its probably not a recent thing since evolution doesn't work within a generation or two, but a latent human property that has always been around and has helped with the big tech leaps at the historical points where these have occurred. Agriculture, systems of laws, water-wheels, construction techniques.
Some of say that it's actually the next step in human evolution. We are good at following rules, we like to help people, we almost never lie, we have interests we are super involved with, etc. Because of rules, we can't play politics at work. Also because of rules, we can memorize thousands of them so that we can appear normal most of the time. We've had to learn those rules the hard way, by making thousands of mistakes. Most of us do not act like Sheldon. I knew I was different by the time I was 7. Oddly enough, Einstein's IQ is only 10 or so points higher than mine, but no one outside my field has heard of me.
I'm one of those people who believe it's the next step in human evolution.
My kids are aspies; I'm probably borderline. We all have rather high IQs.
My memory has suffered over the past few years because of illness and I'm now rebuilding it.
I work my memory by learning multiple languages at once. I'm at about seven right now.