Some autistic people talk about autism as their superpower. This does not mean that I have x-ray vision, super speed, nor can I jump large buildings with a single fart. But there is some truth here.

Autism diagnosis is negative. It is about looking for things we need help with, which is how it should be. Nobody needs extra help in areas in which they excel. It has been observed that alongside our challenges there are often also talents and strengths beyond the range experienced by neurotypicals which enable us to make unique contributions to society.

I used to work in quality control QC). My ability to concentrate deeply without distraction was good here. But that was the easy part of the job. QC is not so much about seeing something wrong but about why it is incorrect and working out what can be done to put it right. To that end, my ability to see patterns in things helped. Hyper-systemising and hyper-focus really helped me in that job.

These unusually good aspects are what some call their superpowers.

But I also have my Kryptonite. These are things that make life difficult. Oddly enough, mine comes from the list of supposed superpowers. Some autistic people generally have heightened visual perception which enables them to read tiny text and amazing abilities in visual tasks. In me, this hypersensitivity to light means that being in bright sunlight is physically painful. I’m the one wearing sunglasses, or at least a peaked cap, in the supermarket. Just why it has to be so bright is beyond me. I have tried, where I am able, to turn down the brightness in a room and find that people can still read comfortably. There’s no need for that brightness and you could save a little on your electricity bills.

It’s part of the spiky skill sets of autism. One autistic may have a high tolerance to something and another avoids it. For instance, someone may go hyperactive after drinking caffeinated drinks others, like me, are hardly affected by caffeine.

Autistic superpowers are a myth. Really exceptional abilities do exist in autistics but are rare. Abilities above that of neurotypicals are, however, common. I can work out the cube root of a two-digit number mentally. There’s a trick in this, but I discovered that myself. It was down to pattern recognition rather than arithmetic.

Here are some of the areas where we can excel:

• Learning to read at a very early age (known as hyperlexia).
• Memorising and learning information quickly.
• Thinking and learning visually.
• Logical thinking ability.
• May excel in academic areas such as science and mathematics. They do not heavily rely on social interaction.
• Having an extraordinarily good memory (can remember facts for a long period).
• Being precise and detail-orientated.
• Exceptional honesty and reliability.
• Being dependable in regards to schedules and routines.
• Having an excellent sense of direction.
• Be very punctual.
• Able to concentrate for long periods when motivated.
• A drive for perfection and order.
• A capability for alternate problem-solving.

No autistic will exhibit all of these and often the opposite (such as dyslexia, the opposite of hyperlexia) can be found.