ABSTRACT
This chapter presents evidence that child prodigies and individuals with autism have strikingly similar phenotypes, as well as family and potentially a genetic link. It argues that both prodigies and savants rely on similar cognitive and neurological underpinnings to develop their special abilities, and that establishing a better understanding of child prodigies may increase understanding of both talent and autism. The idea that child prodigies' abilities might stem from a link with autism was born of chance encounter with a music prodigy's autistic cousin. Studies have revealed that child prodigies have elevated attention to detail, a trait linked to autism. The child prodigies' family members reported greater attention to detail than family members of non-prodigious children. The resulting analysis identified significant peak on chromosome, indicating shared genetic etiology for autism and child prodigies. Jacob Barnett's story, and those of other children who were diagnosed with autism and then became highly prodigious, suggest a significant link between autism and prodigious abilities.
