Autism and giftedness
Summary
Can a person with autism be gifted? How are the two conditions similar and different? Does the coexistence of both conditions represent an advantage or a greater risk of exclusion?
In recent years, there has been an increased interest in answering these questions, both in the educational and clinical fields, in order to obtain accurate diagnoses that allow access to appropriate support.
With an integrative and respectful approach, the following article explores both conditions—autism and high intellectual abilities—seeking their points of convergence and their differences, which can sometimes coexist and even mask each other . When both converge in the same person, we speak of twice-exceptionality (2e), a condition that is still little known but of great clinical, educational, and emotional relevance.
Autism, a different way of processing the world
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects communication and reciprocal social interaction, cognitive and behavioral flexibility, and sensory processing, from early childhood and throughout life. Autism is not an illness, but a different way of processing the world .
Autism and high intellectual abilities can coexist and even mask each other. This is known as twice-exceptionality, a condition of great clinical, educational, and emotional significance.
Its expression is as complex as it is heterogeneous: from individuals with significant support needs to others with functional autonomy and high cognitive abilities. Historically, in the 1970s, it was estimated that 70–75% of children with autism had intellectual disability (Russel et al., 2019); today, these figures have reversed and are around 33% (Zeidan, 2022). This change reflects greater diagnostic accuracy and a broader recognition of the spectrum's heterogeneity. Diagnosis is based on clinical criteria and requires specialized evaluation that considers both behavioral aspects and each individual's sensory and emotional profile.
Dr. David G. Amaral
What are high intellectual abilities?
High intellectual abilities (HAA) refers to a cognitive potential above average (traditionally IQ ≥ 130), which can be expressed in different ways. This term encompasses various profiles:
- Giftedness , when a person shows high performance in several areas of knowledge.
- Simple or specific talent , when it stands out remarkably in a specific field, such as music, mathematics or language.
- Complex talent , when it combines several talents at once.
- Intellectual precocity , when cognitive development is ahead of chronological age.
In summary: every gifted person has high abilities, but not all people with high abilities are gifted.
Gifted individuals often exhibit constant curiosity, deep and abstract thinking , and great emotional or moral sensitivity. However, they can also face challenges : discrepancies between their intellectual and emotional development, a lack of understanding in the educational environment, or difficulty connecting with their peers , which can sometimes lead to frustration or isolation.
Understanding these nuances is essential to recognizing that high abilities do not guarantee well-being or success on their own, and that, when combined with other neurodevelopmental conditions—such as autism—they require a sensitive, flexible, and truly inclusive educational and clinical approach .
Similarities between autism and giftedness
Although autism and giftedness are distinct conditions, they can share certain traits that make them difficult to differentiate and lead to diagnostic confusion . These traits frequently include:
- Advanced or precocious use of language.
- Advanced logical, analytical, and abstract thinking.
- Deep and intense interests.
- High emotional sensitivity.
High abilities do not guarantee well-being or success on their own, and when combined with autism, they require a sensitive educational and clinical approach, and truly inclusive.
In practice, this overlap of characteristics can lead to misinterpretations. An autistic person may be perceived as "intellectually brilliant but unsociable," while a gifted child may be seen as "eccentric" or "rigid," without considering a possible autistic profile. In both cases, a lack of understanding of how they process information can prevent them from receiving the appropriate support , both to enhance their strengths and to address their challenges.
The origin of the term "double exceptionality"
The concept of "twice exceptionality," also known as the 2e profile (Twice Exceptional), was introduced by Dr. James J. Gallagher , a leading international authority on special education and the support of gifted students. Gallagher used this term to describe students who, in addition to having a disability or neurodevelopmental condition, also exhibited traits associated with giftedness.
During the 1990s and 2000s, her work spurred inclusive policies and programs in the United States, laying the foundation for modern special education and comprehensive support for gifted students. Gallagher emphasized the importance of simultaneously recognizing students' strengths and weaknesses , warning of the risks of partial or inaccurate diagnoses.
Common errors in identifying students with double exceptionality
When both conditions—either autism or giftedness—are not correctly identified, the three scenarios described by Baldwin et al. (2015) can occur:
- Identifying only as gifted: intellectual talent hides difficulties or challenges, so the student does not receive support in their areas of need.
- Identifying only the disability or neurodevelopmental condition: cognitive strengths are made invisible and the person's potential goes unnoticed, without opportunities for development in their areas of excellence.
- No identification of any condition: The person is considered to be of average performance, without specific support or stimuli that promote their growth or attention to their difficulties.
In all cases, the consequence is the same: a loss of educational, personal, and emotional opportunities . Recognizing twice-exceptionality not only allows for adjusting support and expectations but also for understanding the complexity and richness of these profiles, where high abilities and autism can coexist in a unique and complementary way.
Caring for autistic students in the educational environment
Key differences between autism and giftedness
Understanding the differences and commonalities is key to an accurate diagnosis. To this end, a comparative table has been created showing behavioral differences between gifted children, autistic children without intellectual disability (ASD without ID), and twice-exceptional children (gifted/ASD), based on the studies of Gallagher (2002):
Distinctions in behavior between gifted children (AACC), children with autism, and twice-exceptional children
| Characteristics | Gifted people | ASD without intellectual disability (ID) | Double exceptionality (ASD and gifted children) |
| Social interaction | They may be socially isolated at some stages due to a lack of shared interests, although aware of social norms. | Socially awkward; difficulty interpreting social cues. | They are unaware of how to establish friendships. |
| Peer relationships | Independent of their peers, but able to adapt. | Not very good with their peers. | Difficulty understanding social dynamics. |
| Interests | Highly focused interest, accompanied by broad curiosity. | Highly focused and restricted interest. | Intense but broader interests than in autism without ID. |
| Language and communication | Advanced and sophisticated vocabulary; good pragmatic use of language. | Hyperlexia (early and mechanical reading); pragmatic difficulties. | Advanced language but with problems of communicative reciprocity. |
| Cognition | Complex cognition; abstract and flexible thinking. | More concrete or literal cognition. | Advanced thinking but with cognitive rigidity. |
| Comprehension and memory | Advanced comprehension. | Advanced memorization without deep understanding. | Combination of great memory and uneven comprehension. |
| Routines | They usually follow routines without difficulty. | Low tolerance for change; need for routine. | Low tolerance for routine; anxiety in the face of novelty. |
| Social awareness | They know they are different and can reason why. | They know they are different, but with little awareness of why. | They recognize the difference without understanding its origin. |
| Sense of humor | They receive and express humor with flexibility. | They don't understand humor or its social timing . | Difficulty responding to humor or understanding irony. |
| Motor skills | Coordinated and safe. | Frequent motor clumsiness. | Mild to moderate motor clumsiness. |
| Insight | Great capacity for introspection and emotional understanding. | Lack of social acumen. | High cognitive insight, but limited in social skills. |
| Creativity | His ideas are creative and original. | Tendency towards concreteness. | His ideas are creative, original, and divergent. |
| Moral sense and empathy | Empathy towards others and towards abstract concepts. | Empathy towards abstract ideas or causes, but difficulty with people. | Theoretical empathy without adequate emotional resonance. |
| Knowledge base | Broad, deep and complex. | Broad, but often focused on restricted topics. | Broad, deep and sometimes obsessive. |
| Sensory processing | Greater sensory accuracy, without significant functional impact. | Hyper- or hyposensitivity with functional impact. | Hyper- or hyposensitivity with functional impact. |
| Emotional regulation | High emotional intensity, but affective identification. | Interoceptive difficulties and possible alexithymia. | Often high emotional intensity with interoceptive and emotional difficulties. |
Other common traits in twice-exceptionality include:
- Attention to detail and extreme systematization.
- Fidelity to rules and justice .
- The need for routines as a regulatory mechanism.
- Difficulty with transitions or unexpected changes.
- Great depth in the topics of interest.
- Stimling or self-regulation movements (more subtle with age).
As a result, diagnosis is often delayed, frequently following episodes of anxiety, depression, or academic failure. Many twice-exceptional individuals develop social camouflage strategies that allow them to "function," albeit at a high emotional cost.
Manifestations of double exceptionality throughout the life cycle
Manifestations in Childhood
In twice-exceptional children, the following may be observed:
- Early learning.
- Intense and specific interests from an early age.
- Difficulties relating to peers.
- Rejection of repetitive tasks.
- Need for structure.
- High emotional and sensory sensitivity.
They may be labeled as "weird", "rebellious" or "troublesome", when in reality they need an environment that understands their unique profile.
Adolescence and adult life
During adolescence, the double exceptionality may intensify:
- Greater awareness of the difference.
- Self-esteem and anxiety issues.
- Difficulties in social adaptation.
- Emotional overload due to constant masking.
In adulthood, many twice-exceptional individuals receive a diagnosis after years of frustration, unstable career paths, or mental health challenges. Recognizing their condition can be liberating and allow them to access appropriate support.
The adolescent with autism spectrum disorder
The importance of differential diagnosis
Confusing autism with high abilities —or vice versa— can have serious consequences: inadequate interventions, lack of specific support, invisibility of real needs, and risk of pathologization.
A comprehensive neuropsychological assessment, sensitive to neurodiversity, is key to identifying both profiles and their possible coexistence . This should include intelligence tests, language and communication assessment, observation of social behavior, and analysis of the sensory and emotional profile.
Keys to intervention
Support for people with double exceptionality should be individualized, flexible and comprehensive , addressing both their strengths and their support needs.
This requires close collaboration between family, school and professionals , and a neuro-affirmative approach that recognizes neurological diversity as a natural part of the human condition.
The goal is not to "correct" or "normalize," but to foster well-being, self-regulation, and full development . Nurturing their talents, offering real support, and allowing them to be who they are forms the basis of a respectful and effective intervention.
Recognizing double exceptionality not only allows for adjusting support and expectations, but also for understanding the complexity and richness of these profiles.
Thus, autism and high abilities are not opposites, but conditions that can coexist—double exceptionality—and reminds us that intelligence does not eliminate difficulties , and that differences do not negate potential.
Recognizing, understanding, and supporting these individuals is a matter of educational, clinical, and social justice. As healthcare professionals and families, we have a duty to look beyond labels, to listen attentively, and to build environments where each person can thrive without having to sacrifice any part of themselves.
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