A place where parents can gather knowledge and ask for personalised advice on preparing and supporting their children throughout their educational journey.
The Minnesota Council for the gifted and talented, has published an excellent table setting out the similarities and differences between a gifted child and a child with Asperger’s syndrome. It is worth remembering that the two are sometimes intertwined and it is often difficult to distinguish one from the other. This table goes someway towards helping identify those traits that may be particular to each group. If you feel your child falls into either of these groups, it may be worth contacting either Potential Plus, or your GP/Paediatrician to ask to be referred to a specialist.
GIFTED
ASPERGER’S SYNDROME
Memory and Attention
Excellent memory for facts and information about a variety of topics
Typically accurate recall for names and faces
Dislikes rote memorization tasks although he/she may do it well
Intense focus on topics of interest
If distracted, is likely to return to a task quickly with or without redirection
Superb memory for facts and detailed information related to selected topics of special interest
Poor recall for names and faces
Enjoys thinking about and remembering details, facts, and figures
Intense focus on primary topic of interest
If distracted by internal thoughts, redirecting to task at hand may be difficult
Speech and Language Therapy
Extensive, advanced vocabulary
Communicates understandings of abstract ideas
Rich and interesting verbal style
Engages others in interests
Asks challenging questions
Expressive language/speech pattern of an older child
Elaborates with or without prompts
Understands and engages in sophisticated and/or socially reciprocal humor, irony, and sarcasm
Understands cause/effect or give and take of conversation Able to communicate distress verbally
Advanced use of words with lack of comprehension for all language used
Thinks and communicates in concrete and literal terms with less abstraction
Uninviting verbal style
Style or content lacks reciprocity and engagement of others in their personal interests
Repeats questions and information
Pedantic and seamless speech
Little or no elaboration with run-on speech
Misunderstands jokes involving social reciprocity
Has difficulty understanding give and take of conversation
Communicates distress with actions rather than words
Social and Emotional
Able to identify and name friends; enjoys high social status in some circles
Aware of social norms
Keenly aware that he/she is different from peers
Spontaneous sharing of enjoyment, activities, interests, or accomplishments
Engages others in conversation
Aware of another’s perspective and able to take and understand others’ viewpoint
Follows unwritten rules of social interactions
Shows keen social insight and an intuitive nature
Usually demonstrates appropriate emotions
Aware of others’ emotions and recognizes others’ feelings easily
Able to read social situations and respond to social cues
Shows empathy for others and able to comfort a friend in need
Demonstrates significant difficulty and lacks understanding of how to establish and keep friends
Indifferent to social norms of dress and behavior
Limited recognition of differences with peers
Little or no interest in spontaneous sharing of enjoyment, activities, interests, or accomplishments
Shows significant difficulty initiating or engaging others in conversation
Assume others share his/her personal views
Unaware of social conventions or the reasons behind them
Lacks social insight
Demonstrates inappropriate or immature emotions and flat or restricted affect
Limited recognition of others’ emotions
Misreads social situations and may not respond (or even know how to respond) to social cues
Does not typically show empathy or concern for someone in need
Behavioral
May passively resist but will often go along with change Questions rules and structure
Stereotypical behaviors (e.g., hand or finger flapping, twisting, or complex body movements) not present
When problems arise, he/she is typically distressed by them
Actively or aggressively resists change; rigid
Adheres strictly to rules and needs structure
Stereotypical behaviors (e.g., hand or finger flapping, twisting, or complex body movements) are present
When problems arise, parents or teachers are distressed by them while student may be unaware of distressing situation unless personally affected
Motor Skills
Well-coordinated
Interested in team sports
Demonstrates appropriate development of self-help skills
