Autism is usually described as a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant differences in social communication and interaction, repetitive behavioral patterns, and over- or under-sensitivity to environmental stimuli. Autism is a neurotype — one way in which the human brain can work, if you like. A diagnosis of autism doesn't, however, say anything about a person's intelligence, as the disorder can be diagnosed with or without intellectual impairment, and people on the autism spectrum have the same possible range of cognitive abilities as those without.
How accurate are IQ tests in general?
IQ tests are everywhere and commonly accepted as a way to determine how intelligent a person is in relation to others of the same age. They've always been controversial, however, for many reasons.
Though some in the scientific community would argue that IQ tests is not biased against racial minorities, people of lower socioeconomic status, and people who have received less formal education, others strongly disagree. IQ tests don't measure all aspects of intelligence, but even without bringing "multiple intelligences" theories into it, let's consider some problems a professionally-administered IQ test can pose. People who feel uncomfortable around medical professionals or in psychologists' offices may not perform optimally, and research has also shown that people who are less motivated to do their best perform less well (big surprise there, right?).
Thus, while some would argue that IQ tests do an excellent job of measuring how well a person can perform on the tasks addressed within IQ tests, like mathematical, spatial, language, and reasoning skills, that is not necessarily the case. Some researchers have explored the idea of measuring intelligence with the help of an MRI scanner, but you may also say that observing how a person goes about managing problem-solving skills over a long period of time gives even bigger insights — if the person doing the observing is intelligent enough, of course.
Why might IQ tests pose a problem for autistic people?
Even assuming that you believe IQ tests are a completely accurate way to measure a person's intelligence, autism can affect a person's ability to concentrate and complete the test itself. This is because IQ tests are conducted in clinical environments the person isn't familiar with — something that can be a particular problem for autistic people — by someone they've quite possibly never met before. The environment itself is likely to feature distressing stimuli, whether in the form of bright lights, annoying smells, or even a thunderstorm outside. All of these factors can impair an autistic person's ability to "stay on task", and solve the problems IQ tests offer to the best of their actual abilities.
Then, there's the fact that some autistic people are either non-verbal or have limited verbal abilities. What such a person can convey to the person conducting the testing may lag far behind their true cognitive abilities, which will direct impact the test result in very clear ways. Augmentative and alternative communication devices can help minimize this problem, but not always completely overcome it.
Another potential problem can lie in the possibility that an autistic person performs really well on an IQ test, but is unable to translate this cognitive ability to everyday settings. While the struggles such a person may encounter in daily life don't in any way indicate that they are not intelligent, it would be a mistake to assume this means they can also function well in mainstream educational or work settings.
Anyone who has a go at attempting to determine how intelligent an autistic person — or anyone else, for that matter — is would ideally also look at their ability to put their smarts into action, in other words.
What does this mean?
An IQ test may offer valuable insights — they'll tell the tester how well an autistic person is able to manage in potentially stressful environments and how they've scored on the test. It cannot give a complete picture of their cognitive abilities, however, both because IQ tests don't really do that for anyone, and because the nature of autism means that an autistic person is likely to face mild to severe challenges with the testing process itself.
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