David Feldman and Martha Morelock once complained—only somewhat facetiously—that “divine inspiration, reincarnation, or magical incantation” were the best explanations for child prodigies that science had to offer. From the day Joanne met Garrett James and his cousin Patrick, she has been tackling one particular piece of the prodigy puzzle: Does the cousin’s autism have something to do with the prodigy’s talent? The answer seems to be yes. Many of the prodigies have autistic relatives. Brothers. Sisters. Uncles. Grandmothers. Some have autism in every twig and branch of the family tree. The prodigies themselves—all of them—have autistic characteristics, such as extraordinary attention to detail and a tendency toward obsession. They draw on these traits to rocket to the top of their fields; these attributes are essential to their success. Prodigies and autists may even have a genetic link in common, a mutation on chromosome 1 that some prodigies and autists (but not their non-prodigious, non-autistic relatives) share.
