Welcome back to Reading the Research, where I trawl
the Internet to find noteworthy research on autism and related subjects,
then discuss it in brief with bits from my own life, research, and
observations.
What exactly is intelligence? How do we identify it when we see it? Today's research article sheds some light on the subject, and suggests an interesting alternative to the "intelligence is genetic" assumption. Many people on the autism spectrum have unusual intelligence, which may well be explained by this theory. (Some of us have Intellectual Disability, while others excel at IQ tests and formal schooling, to the point of genius-level IQs.)
When we say "smart," we tend to refer to "book smarts," or your ability to learn quickly and easily in a standard school setting. This is only one kind of intelligence, but it's the kind most focused on in childhood. (There is also emotional intelligence, street smarts, spatial intelligence, musical intelligence, and a lot more)
So long-held assumption about IQ intelligence is that it's genetic. Smart people tend to have smart kids. If you weren't lucky enough to be born into a family with smarts, you probably don't have them. That's the going assumption outside Academia, as far as I can tell.
But what if that's wrong? What if your IQ wasn't based on genetics, so much as how well your brain talks to itself? My experiences with LENS, and current research in general, suggests that brain connections can be altered. A poorly connected brain could be prodded to talk to itself better, over time, which would literally mean the person would become more intelligent. You could literally fine-tune someone's brain connections so they'll perform their best on assessments, in school, and in life in general.
Every two weeks, I go to a clinic that offers a form of passive neurofeedback called LENS. The theory in using it is that it changes the ways the brain is connected. There is no single "right way" for a brain to be connected, because even in neurotypical people, everyone's a bit different. But in some cases, the brain can be too strongly connected between some parts, and too weakly connected between others. The idea behind LENS is to prod those connections toward a more optimal configuration. This is done by selectively energizing small sections of the brain, always carefully to avoid any unpleasantness.
The result, after a few years, is a better working brain, as far as I can tell. I have less anxiety overall, and spend less time fighting that anxiety and the accompanying depression. I can smile at a camera or a baby, and expect that smile to not be hideous. Given these results, I'm well-inclined to believe this theory they've posited.
This new theory doesn't rule out genetics being a factor, by the way. Genetics basically set the stage for this sort of thing. I would guess that some people have naturally better or worse connected brains, to start with, and then environmental factors take their toll. People used to popularly theorize that African American people were somehow "dumber" than white people, and some people still do that despite the current findings: black people are just as smart as white people when you account for differences in the available educational systems. However, systemic racism limits the range of schools available to black children, curtails the wages of black workers (which further limits their options), and curbs the ambitions of black people who want to do better in life than their parents. Which I assume is why, two Christmases ago, I heard someone of color commenting on how the black people in my city didn't seem as smart as the ones they were used to at home.
I fervently hope we can figure out a safe, reliable, inexpensive way to make LENS-like therapy available to everyone, because I firmly believe in leveling the playing field as much as possible. There are too many talents and skills being lost to shoddy, under-funded education. In the meantime, though, I expect there are also optimal ways to raise your children so as to maximize their intelligence... but I frankly have no idea what they are. Even as someone whose IQ scores rank as well above average, the most I could say on the matter is this: being slightly curious about literally everything around you is helpful to learning how things work. And I guess, trying new things is good for you. But I dislike that latter bit, because I'm autistic and like things being predictable and the same, not new and confusing and different.
What exactly is intelligence? How do we identify it when we see it? Today's research article sheds some light on the subject, and suggests an interesting alternative to the "intelligence is genetic" assumption. Many people on the autism spectrum have unusual intelligence, which may well be explained by this theory. (Some of us have Intellectual Disability, while others excel at IQ tests and formal schooling, to the point of genius-level IQs.)
When we say "smart," we tend to refer to "book smarts," or your ability to learn quickly and easily in a standard school setting. This is only one kind of intelligence, but it's the kind most focused on in childhood. (There is also emotional intelligence, street smarts, spatial intelligence, musical intelligence, and a lot more)
So long-held assumption about IQ intelligence is that it's genetic. Smart people tend to have smart kids. If you weren't lucky enough to be born into a family with smarts, you probably don't have them. That's the going assumption outside Academia, as far as I can tell.
But what if that's wrong? What if your IQ wasn't based on genetics, so much as how well your brain talks to itself? My experiences with LENS, and current research in general, suggests that brain connections can be altered. A poorly connected brain could be prodded to talk to itself better, over time, which would literally mean the person would become more intelligent. You could literally fine-tune someone's brain connections so they'll perform their best on assessments, in school, and in life in general.
Every two weeks, I go to a clinic that offers a form of passive neurofeedback called LENS. The theory in using it is that it changes the ways the brain is connected. There is no single "right way" for a brain to be connected, because even in neurotypical people, everyone's a bit different. But in some cases, the brain can be too strongly connected between some parts, and too weakly connected between others. The idea behind LENS is to prod those connections toward a more optimal configuration. This is done by selectively energizing small sections of the brain, always carefully to avoid any unpleasantness.
The result, after a few years, is a better working brain, as far as I can tell. I have less anxiety overall, and spend less time fighting that anxiety and the accompanying depression. I can smile at a camera or a baby, and expect that smile to not be hideous. Given these results, I'm well-inclined to believe this theory they've posited.
This new theory doesn't rule out genetics being a factor, by the way. Genetics basically set the stage for this sort of thing. I would guess that some people have naturally better or worse connected brains, to start with, and then environmental factors take their toll. People used to popularly theorize that African American people were somehow "dumber" than white people, and some people still do that despite the current findings: black people are just as smart as white people when you account for differences in the available educational systems. However, systemic racism limits the range of schools available to black children, curtails the wages of black workers (which further limits their options), and curbs the ambitions of black people who want to do better in life than their parents. Which I assume is why, two Christmases ago, I heard someone of color commenting on how the black people in my city didn't seem as smart as the ones they were used to at home.
I fervently hope we can figure out a safe, reliable, inexpensive way to make LENS-like therapy available to everyone, because I firmly believe in leveling the playing field as much as possible. There are too many talents and skills being lost to shoddy, under-funded education. In the meantime, though, I expect there are also optimal ways to raise your children so as to maximize their intelligence... but I frankly have no idea what they are. Even as someone whose IQ scores rank as well above average, the most I could say on the matter is this: being slightly curious about literally everything around you is helpful to learning how things work. And I guess, trying new things is good for you. But I dislike that latter bit, because I'm autistic and like things being predictable and the same, not new and confusing and different.
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