How working memory gets you through the day
news.mit.edu
news.mit.edu
First of all, autism is better characterized as inability to cope with one's own emotions, which results in a state similar to permanent tension or stress (without being aware of it or knowing any better), which autistic people are trying to compensate with acquired/learned behavioral patterns that keeps them less tense (avoiding eye contact is the obvious example). This is why performance in some tests is lower - we have real difficulties with self-control, with concentration on the task. Working memory is OK, when we in the rare state of so-called flow we perform well. Usually above average.
Solitude and some meditation techniques (habitual return to state of being 100% idle) helps a lot.
I would say this is part of the so called "superpower" that autism provides. Once a subject becomes interesting enough to allow for flow, the associated hyperfocus facilitates hours of intense, deep work. The downside is that most subjects are not remotely engaging.
I liken autism to a very narrow, but large Q factor (resonance). Most subjects are uninteresting, but when something does resonate, the interest is engrossing and intense. So life can easily become a monotony punctuated by moments of passion. I also may be describing ADHD to some extent.