A new study of eight child prodigies suggests a possible
link between these children’s special skills and autism.
Of the eight prodigies studied, three had a diagnosis of
autism spectrum disorders. As a group, the prodigies also tended to have
slightly elevated scores on a test of autistic traits, when compared to a
control group.
In addition, half of the prodigies had a family member or a
first- or second-degree relative with an autism diagnosis.