Individuals differ in their ability to draw realistically and these differences can be seen in early childhood, prior to any formal instruction. Some children, considered precocious realists, are able to draw far more realistically than their peers, even if they have never received formal instruction. In this article, the authors describe some of the characteristics of drawings by precocious realists and then present some new findings about the perceptual strengths exhibited by such children. Surprisingly, the authors see these same perceptual strengths in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder who are able to draw in a hyper-realistic fashion.