"Cognitive Development"- Single point of Origin, or Multiple Intelligences?

Something crossed my mind as we've been learning Piaget's Cognitive Development Theory. Charles Spearman developed his theory of intelligence being derived from one particular point of origin. He called this general intelligence or "g". Later, Howard Gardner rejected this theory and introduced his theory of multiple intelligences. He proposed this idea through testing of stroke victims. How can they be perfectly functioning in some areas after a stroke and not others?? If this "g" existed, a stroke would leave the victim quite disabled in all areas. Not to mention the curious mental processes of those with autism. So, I thought it was interesting to think of these as we review cognitive development. Are different forms of our eventual intelligence developing through these stages, or just a single "g"??