All the same and a little bit different – my problem with intelligence

I just had my Sunday NDIS worker come over. I have had her every Sunday for almost two years. She takes me to the laundromat and then grocery shopping. I love this worker, and we get along very well. Today she said something which got me thinking. Apparently, the other NDIS support workers in her office say they don’t want to work with me because I am too intelligent an accomplished and they feel they can’t make conversation with me. This came as a bit of a surprise and a disappointment. I certainly don’t want to intimidate people out of wanting to work with me!

This got me thinking about intelligence and why I don’t really like it as a concept. I want to unpack thoughts on intelligence – whatever that means – and viewing other people through the lens of a hierarchy with some people apparently ‘better’ or ‘more’ or whatever. I have had this issue in the past and it is strange. Firstly, yes, I am accomplished in the transitional sense of the word. I am definitely an overachiever too. However, this is not really all that meaningful in terms of my character or how I experience life. I would rather be kind, respectful and inclusive and able to navigate life with minimal stress and mental health dramas if I was picking personal tributes than intelligent and accomplished!

The whole concept of intelligence is highly fraught as well. It is measured through some unhelpful and confusing methods like IQ tests. ‘Intelligence’ is a loaded and often weaponised term used against people deemed to have ‘low’ intelligence. Intelligence, like disability, is one of those things that is measured as a deviation from a ‘norm’ of being human and as such often results in ableism and discrimination. Plus, it is largely meaningless.

I always think that IQ tests, exams and job interviews are similar in that they only really measure proficiency at the test itself. If you test as having a high IQ then you probably do but if you test as having a low IQ it doesn’t necessarily mean you have a ‘lower’ level of intellect, just that IQ tests are not your ‘thing’! IQ tests are often culturally biased and gendered as well so if you are a white cis gender man you are likely to score higher than others. The whole thing is unhelpful and ableist and when it comes down to it intellect is a poor measure of a person anyway!

I am sad that my previous NDIS workers don’t want to have me on their books due to my intellect and accomplishments. I really am. I never go into a conversation or relationship reflecting on those characteristics and to me it is just being me. I don’t wander around reflecting on how intelligent I am or how accomplished I am. As I mentioned, these things are part of me but they don’t make me better or worse than anyone else. My life can be extremely stressful, and I can struggle to get through every day. My accomplishments don’t really stop that happening. Intellect is a fraught notion along with success and accomplishment. It is better I think to focus more on a person’s character and personality as a measure of their character –  or just to respond to people as you find them.

I want to finish with a story from a friend who passed away a couple of years back. This friend ran an organisation supporting non-speech communication. People – usually children – who did not use verbal speech, attended this service.  My friend worked with a lot of kids who didn’t speak and who had been given a very low IQ score. However, when my friend re-tested these kids using an assessment tool designed for non-speakers, not only did the kids often score an average IQ but many of them scored above average or very high. This illustrates the issues with IQ tests and the concept of intelligence. How many other kids and adults miss out on accessing what life has to offer due to a test which isn’t tailored to their needs and as such doesn’t accurately measure what it intended to measure – and then what is being measured if not meaningful or helpful?  Be very careful when thinking and talking about intellect. It is a concept which is frequently based in a deep level of ableism and is more often than not quite meaningless, not to mention damaging.