why do people with autism or aspergers have great memory?

Well let's get this right to start with, there are 3 types of memory; Long-term, Working memory (attention) and Short-term.

Aspergers usually have brilliant Long-term and Working Memory, but awful short-term. Asperger's definitely causes you to have better performance in the first 2, but also causes the deficit in short-term.

**While I'm employed as a dis/Ability Advocate, I'm not a Neurologist so I hope this makes sense.**

Think of the wiring of the brain being like telephone lines, these lines are called Neural Pathways. For an Asperger to access their Long-term from their Working memory is like calling their neighbour, a short distance to travel. But their short-term memory (let's say they live in New York City) is like calling Berlin, a far greater distance to travel with many different telephone exchanges (brain processes) along the way. A short distance is fine, but the further you travel some things just get distracted or lost along the way. But there is a way for an Asperger to improve their short term memory, and that's by talking to themselves.

The receptive auditory centres in an Asperger's brain are close to where short term memory is located - well perhaps not any closer in physical distance, but with less clutter along the way. By talking to themselves (these are not auditory hallucinations as someone with Schizophrenia 'might' have) whether they understand how this works or not, they are bypassing the clutter and greatly shortening the distance between their Working and Short-term memories. This is one of the reasons Aspergers hate to be interrupted when they're speaking, they just lose contact with their short-term memory and forget.

So the key to an Asperger's brilliant long-term memory is just the way their brain is wired, they have very short neural pathways between long-term and working memory, a far shorter distance than in NT's (Neurotypicals or non-Aspergers/Autistics). To access their long-term is like looking at their watch...it's right there in front of them, whereas for NT's it's often like searching the garage for something you haven't seen in 20 years.

Aspergers Memory

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RE:

why do people with autism or aspergers have great memory?

I was just wondering because I have aspergers and I can remember a little more than other people I know who don't have it. I also noticed that other kids I know or have heard about who also have aspergers or autism have also have better memory than the average person. So I'm wondering why...

I believe it could be because a person with Autism pays more attention to the detail of things for example looking at a carpet pattern and looking beyond of what a nuerotypical would see. Although I believe it's all down to stimulation, motivation etc.

I have watched a few documentarys about Austic people and thier giftedness in things. For example

Steven wiltshire who draws from memory as a result of strong eidetic memory.

And these twins, (can't remember thier names), they could remember the exact day when they first met somone.

I wouldnt say they had good memory, but good memory with certain things, like is a person had a fascination with weather, they would remember the days when it was raining, etc. Or someone with molecules, etc.

I have poor term short term memory as a result of Dyslexia, but good long term memory that's better then average.

Only for obsessions. When I am very interested in something I can remember lots about it. I also have a gift for remembering statistics and numbers but that is not standard amongst those with ASD. If I am not interested in something I can't remember it. I also forget to do things like eating and showering.

People with ASD usually have very poor short term memory but better than average long term memory.

All the students I know who have Asperger Syndrom are highly gifted, it is often the silver lining of the symptom.

The spectrum of autism is so broad that it is impossible to answer in a general manner.

Continue to advocate for yourself.

It's a stereotype that 'people' with aspergers and autism have great memory's. Its all down to the individual and their genes.

Some symptoms for aspergers can be obsessiveness in different things like obsessions in learning Jacob Barnett age of 12 who is self taught in algebra calculus and trigonometry and working on Einsteins theory of Relativity. some obsessions may manifest as Eidetic memory or just good memory

it is a stereotype not all have a great memory but those who its ussually mainly just a memory of what there obsession is

it's all down to the individual because i don't have a great memory.

as for why... because if one part of the brain is ****** up then more emphasis tends to go to other parts of the brain

Edit: Basically a road block in the brain... so these 'connections' have to go somewhere else