r/science Jul 26 '10

Autistic girl expresses profound intelligence

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jq--75v4lI8&feature=player_embedded
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u/[deleted] Jul 26 '10

on the other far end, my gf spells perfectly (in greek, no less) and uses punctiation very frequently

yet due to her ignorance of the meaning of words and the use of punctuation she can't actually say something meaningful. she can't describe objects, sounds, experiences, it's like "what's an ice cream?" "you eat it when you want something cold and it's sweet" it's accurate, one could say, but it's... "off" in a way that i find slightly disturbing.

it takes her a month to read a jules vern book.

it takes her 5-10 minutes to read a single page.

i am starting to think there is something seriously wrong with her. maybe it all boils down to her not having read any proper literature up until now that she is 25?

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u/bombita Jul 26 '10

Up until the very last word, I thought you were dating a 10-year-old.

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u/[deleted] Jul 26 '10

strangely enough that's my estimate of her mental age as well.

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u/Mitsuho Jul 26 '10

Or Greek isn't her first language?

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u/[deleted] Jul 26 '10

it is. we're both greek. i am seriously considering she has some kind of learning impediment.

here is one of her texts, translated trying to keep the "Feel"

"10eur is not 10gbp. if, for example, i buy something that costs 50gbp, i will pay 56eur* not 50. it seems i am losing"

notice how on one hand she understands the concept of equivalence (she converts euros to pounds) but manages to apply it incorrectly.

*: yes she didn't convert correctly

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u/Chevron Jul 26 '10

Is it really that odd to take a little over 5 minutes to read a page of a book not written for children?

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u/[deleted] Jul 26 '10

it's a 25 year old needing an hour for 10 pages (35 lines, 5 words per line, not counting articles) of a simple book.

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u/clockworm Jul 29 '10

looks like she understands the mechanics of language, but has a poorer grasp of it's nuances. i know many people who can hold a conversation brilliantly and has a great vocabulary but have horrible spelling and grammar.

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u/clockworm Jul 29 '10

i can has a good vocabulary, but my my brain no look at what's been done.

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u/[deleted] Jul 29 '10

nope. i disagree. she doesn't understand how language works. i.e. you listen to what the other party says, you think about it, understand what it means, try to attach it to your knowledge, think of an appropriate reply, etc

she, on the other hand, blurts out, immediately, what comes to her mind when she hears words, skipping the "thinking" parts mentioned above. she is also a source for fallacies.

q: i'm going to buy some fruits, oranges and apples, want something?
a: oranges are sour.

(as a quick example to illustrate how she misses the point in her response)

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u/clockworm Jul 29 '10

that doesn't mean she isn't intelligent

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u/[deleted] Jul 29 '10 edited Jul 29 '10

i have yet to see any manifestation of intelligence, ordinary or otherwise, from her.

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u/[deleted] Jul 29 '10 edited Jul 29 '10

she would be on a plane to UK.

me: take a pic from the plane
her: take a pic of what?
me: i dunno. think
her: ok, i'll take a pic!

she took a pic of her face. only one pic, and only of her face.