Aspergers with Abstract Thinking?

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Is this possible? Is tending to think very abstractly an automatic indication of not being on the spectrum?

No, sometimes those with Asperger's can be extremely good in areas that require abstract thinking say Maths.

What made you think they would struggle with it?

I wondered if the 'literal thinking' that a lot of people experience might rule out proficiency with abstractions. But on reflection it seems like literalness is not incompatible with abstraction.

I sometimes think that an idea like that might have arisen due to Aspies finding it hard to understand emotions.

Quite a few aspies are "systems-thinkers" who live naturally in a world of abstraction. A lot are INTJs and are found in the sciences, among other fields.

It's just another generalization that cannot be made. Some people assume that fiction and figurative language are too abstract for anyone on the spectrum. Like so many other things, though, it is true for some people, but not others.

I can do analog finite element analysis in my head, as well as structural analysis and linkages. Tesla could design a whole machine in his head, run it, and then check for wear. Isn't science mostly about discovering an abstract idea that connects known data points?

I got diagnosed with ASD (though I am still suspicious of the diagnosis), but I am pretty good at math and other courses that require abstract thinking. I have won math awards in math competitions in high school, and I suspect several people who are really good at abstract math theory in my university have ASD.

Whoever told you that needs you to give them a firm ass-kicking.

That's like saying "I cant be a homosexual because I am attracted to people of the same sex as me", or "I cant join alchoholics anonymous because I have a drinking problem", "is it possible for an atheist to doubt young earth creationism?".

Tangible thinking is the problem for many aspies. And "being lost in your own world" of abstract thought is the norm.

It is true that if you look elsewhere on the autism spectrum you will find SOME low functioning autistics who are incapable of abstract thought. A NT lady friend who was caretaker of an autistic boy testified to us about that. The kid couldn't grasp basic things like "money" (and therefore couldn't grasp the concept of earning money in the future as an adult). But that's a different kind of autism than aspergers.

Aspie children are "little professors" who are (if anything) too wrapped up in the abstract.

I think that "literal thinking" thing refers to the way many Aspies don't get sarcasm, irony, humor, idioms, etc. where the stated meaning is opposite of the actual meaning. It's the difference between literal and figurative, not the difference between concrete and abstract--Aspies can be very, very abstract indeed.

I think one of the most obvious things about us is that we can think in unusual ways, due to our different brain wiring. We have problem solving brains and can focus much more than NT's, often to the exclusion of mundane matters. We can live in our heads, without being distracted by everyday things. I used to mix in academia a lot and there we are the majority. There were a few NT Professors, but in a minority. The history Professors I used to see everyday had such a collection of AS traits, stims etc., they were almost caricatures. One old guy I knew was continuously involved in a routine of filling his pipe with tobacco, whilst lecturing, without actually smoking it. He was quite brilliant as a historian.We do a lot of abstract thinking.

I'm the opposite. When I hear someone speak, my brain automatically gives me the different meanings of words, phrases etc. It's often funny and sometimes even awkward. I also think I'm using figures of speech, idioms and stock phrases more than an average person. It might even sound a bit funny.

I was very concrete when I was a kid.

When they say people with ASD do concrete thinking, I think they are talking about taking things literally, have a hard time understanding feelings, troubles with figures of speech and getting jokes, problems with social imagination and problems with pretend play and spontaneous pretend play. While everyone says small children are concrete they can still do abstraction but it's very limited. They can still do pretend play and understand emotions and feelings and my six year old son told his first joke, a real joke than a mosquito joke that makes no sense. He finally figured out a meaning of a joke and finally understands how a joke works, not something I got until around middle school. I am sure ASD people can still do abstraction but it could still be limited if theirs is at a level of a child. Also my son is very creative and I see how he builds with his Legos and how he uses his imagination, something I didn't do at that age so my play was more concrete.

The irony thing is when I was in middle school, I had a hard time in math and science and I was told it was too abstract for me and it was part of AS. I become an adult and find the opposite to be true. I don't know where that misinformation came from. Maybe I had that different kind of autism.