Mind-Blindness, Theory of Mind, and Fiction

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07 Dec 2015, 6:02 pm

mori_pastel wrote:
(NOTES: For the TL;DR version, skip to the numbered questions at the bottom and then use my giant hunk of text as a reference if needed. In text block, key text is presented in bold print for easy reading.)

I'm a self-diagnosed Aspie, and as such I am constantly second-guessing myself with hopes of arriving at a more definitive answer than "maybe I have it, maybe I don't." Asperger’s fits me better than anything I’ve come across, including every differential diagnosis that could possibly exist to Asperger’s. I hand-flap, I fail “reading the mind in the eyes” tests, I struggle in social situations in a way that can’t be contributed to social anxiety, I have sensitivities to lights and food textures, I’m incredibly resistant to changes in my routine and environment, etc., etc. But that said, it’s not a perfect fit. There are some “typical Aspie” traits that don’t apply to me. And the ill-fitting criteria I’m obsessing over today is fiction.

I am an avid reader of fiction. While I’m aware that there is some debate on this topic, that’s one of the questions you frequently see on tests like the AQ test. And when you do hear about things Aspies “typically” read, its sci-fi or historical fiction, something than connects back to a “typical” special interest. For awhile now, I’ve taken that criteria (or should I say characteristic?) at face value, but today I started wondering just what is it about fiction that Aspies aren’t supposed to like or have trouble with?

The most obvious answer would be to say that it comes from our difficulties understanding how other people think, but where does that difficulty stem? To the best of my knowledge, it is supposed to be only the difficulties in reading other people’s non-verbal communications and literal interpretations of figurative language. In other words, it theoretically isn’t that Aspies are incapable of understanding others, but that we’re not “hearing” all they’re “saying” which leads to the misunderstanding.

You could also point to the fact that Aspies tend to like socializing and the company of others in much smaller quantities than neurotypicals, but I don’ think this is a particularly valid characteristic when looking at fiction. If this were the root of the problem, than it would make more sense for Aspies to be drawn to fiction, not less. A book can substitute human relationships without making the same demands that people place on us. (In a sense, of course. I’m sure therapists have several reasons why books don’t make good substitutes for people.) That’s one of the reasons I’m so drawn to fiction. You can put down a book without it complaining that you’re neglecting it. A book doesn’t expect you to say hello to it every time you pick it up and it doesn’t expect you to buy it thoughtful gifts on its birthday. It doesn’t need you to consol it when it’s feeling bad. Yet at the same time books can provide us with the emotional experiences that human connection is all about. So why are Aspies rumored to hate fiction?

Does the answer lie in the elusive, indefinable empathy? Do Aspies pick up a work of fiction and simply fail to understand it? I find this answer both hard to believe and hard to reject. Firstly, how exactly impaired is empathy said to be in Aspies? Knowing what little I do of psychology, I find it impossible to believe that Aspies are simply incapable of empathy, an argument I’ve also seen from several others. To lack empathy completely is to be an individual with antisocial personality disorder.
If I ignore the issues previously stated and make an attempt to consider the idea, we get to the reasons why I find the possibility hard to reject. Not being a diagnosed Aspie, I can’t say for certain what Aspies think or feel. Is a person with Asperger’s simply incapable of reading a work of fiction and understanding it? I’m not asking if they pick up the latest romance novel and understand all the little nuances or comprehend all the subtilities displayed in great works of literature, I’m asking if you can pick up a Goosebumps book or an Anne Rice novel or just any old piece of regular fiction you could pick up at a local bookstore and simply fail to comprehend the interactions between the characters on a very basic level. To me, that is simply incomprehensible. But the thing of it is, for Aspies to have a general distaste for fictional works, it would have to be not because they personally disliked it but because they had actual difficulties with it, and if you take out mind-blindness and the sensory issues, the only difficulty that could present would be one in which the reader simply failed to comprehend. When you read a book, you don’t have to be good at “putting yourself in another person’s shoes.” To say the right thing to an upset friend, you have to be able to put yourself in their shoes and realize what would comfort them best. When you’re reading a book, you don’t have to make that intuitive connection. Especially not with modern literature. Today’s literature is so focused on the psychological aspects of characterization (for instance, today our villains were all horribly abused and have a great reason to be horrible people, while only a couple of centuries ago it was just enough to say that the wicked witch was wicked; nobody cared why) that you don’t have to be good at putting yourself in the character’s shoes because all of the character’s inner workings are laid out for you on the page. You don’t have to make any intuitive leaps because all of the character’s emotional workings are explained in detail. So where exactly is it that Aspies struggle?

The final point (which I admit seems most likely), is simply that Aspies are more “male-brained” or “left-brained” than your average neurotypical. After all, didn’t Hans Asperger first describe Aspies as “extreme maleness”? When you take the average neurotypical male (note: I’m speaking from an American perspective), they will probably not read even a single fiction book a year. And when they do read, they’re more likely to read books that are very action-packed, such as mystery and thriller novels. On the more intellectual end, you see more sci-fi readers. It’s not until you take an “intellectual” type of man that you’d typically see him reading any sort of general fiction on a regular basis. Where exactly does this stem from? I think that chances are, if we could find the answer to this, we could find the root of why Aspies are said to hate fiction.

To get more into this last point, I’d like to share something I found after a Google search that brought up some really good points for me, which you can find here:

Quote:
I think 'mind blindness' is misunderstood a little. Since our minds work differently than non-Aspergers people we have a hard time understanding them, just as they have a hard time understanding us. If there were more of us and less of you, we could describe you as mind blind for not understanding us. You assume others think like you and you are right. Before I knew I was Aspergers I would say things that I assumed others were thinking as well, such as 'this group of people is too big, I can't remember everyones' name and keep track of everyone, it is too overwhelming', assuming others would feel that way too--if it's too big to me, it must be so to everyone else. But others would get a puzzled look on their face and say they didn't think it was too big. (Incidentally, if non-Aspergers were in the minority we would say they have a remarkable skill in social relations). Non-verbal cues that you have from childhood, from other children and adults and in the rules and systems of the world, teach you in ways that you take for granted, that you learn/absorb automatically that we don't 'get'--it takes us actual learning and focusing and analysis to learn. We're also described as not having empathy, but this is the same thing as with mind blindness, empathy must be learned by everyone, you just get the benefit of most others and a world geared toward you, so that empathy is picked up by you without your being aware of learning it. There have been several studies that show that empathy must be learned, it is not automatic. As an example, I have frail health and I have found that super healthy people cannot have empathy for me. I could say they are unkind or deliberately being difficult, but they literally don't understand poor health so they can't be empathetic. Whether or not they are sympathetic or compassionate depends on whether or not they are humble and can concede there is another understanding then the one they have and their willingness to care, but the actual empathy is not there. I try to appear well all the time as I try to appear socially adept and non-Aspergers, to relieve them of the burden of having to deal with an empathy or understanding of something that doesn't come easily to them.

In a good book, the writer is usually skilled at characterization, helping the readers to get into the mind of the main character(s) and to a lesser extent, other characters. Often I'll ask my non-Aspergers husband to explain how he feels or understands something. Often he can't, he says, 'I don't know, it just is.' He is not a writer (and never would be!). Alas, the general public isn't skilled in the ways writers are, including descriptions and the use of illustrations, which is very instrumental in teaching something that is hard to understand in the way that can be understood by the person you're teaching.

Our love of science fiction is usually due the new ideas, imagination and philosophy expressed. Science fiction, besides having great imaginary worlds and people contained therein which is just plain fun, is full of allegory and ideas that are mind expanding. Sometimes questions are raised and by taking you outside the real world you can look objectively at issues, many philosophical. Sometimes it is a fight between good and evil and since many Aspergers have strong sense of justice, this appeals to us. Many non-Aspergers want stories about real life but we have to live real life why read about it? We care about people and their problems but don't want to read stories that go on and on about the problems. We would rather sympathise, then try to come up with a solutions (the male brain). I've been told by several people that I am better than the average person at perceiving intentions. I prefer science fiction with a good character (hero) that I can root for, which is the best of both.


So, here’s the TL;DR version:

1. Where do you think the rumor that Aspies hate reading stems from: difficulties tolerating as much socialization as NTs, are Aspies simply incapable of understanding fiction books because of a lack of empathy, or is this rumor simply the end result of Aspies being more “male-brained”/”left brain” than the average neurotypical? Why?

2. If you are a diagnosed Aspie, do you have difficulties understanding things like motivation in works of fiction? Where do you think this trouble stems from? What kind of things strike you as difficult or frustrating? (Note: A good example would NOT be something you read in your English class; those books are designed to be challenging reads. A good example would be something one of your friends/siblings/peers would pick up and read for fun.)

3. [b]In general, what are your thoughts on empathy and Asperger’s? How would you define empathy? Do you think Aspies lack empathy?
What do you think of the author’s opinion in the quote provided that NTs seem to lack empathy just as much as Aspies do, that we both have problems relating to one another, and that Aspies are only labeled empathetically challenged because we can’t relate to the majority of people (NTs)?[/b]

Finally, just wanted to thank everyone who put up with this super-long post. Asperger’s has become something of my special interest for the past six months, and I still feel like there’s just so much I don’t understand. I would really like to move forward soon and find some professional certainty, but thank you all for putting up with my anxious doubts in the meantime. : )



Must be a work of great fiction or just pure genius to post all that, some have fallen short of the empathy over the years another Mark Anthony trait I guess.


Goosebumps was something I used to read when I was twelve years old. I could establish the main differences between characters, and I still enjoy non fictional detail with the description intact.
I’m going to take on more reading as I get older as I’m bound to it.
You don’t need to be a scientist or historian to have traits of any ASD, like you I’m self diagnosed and hope to discuss this in further detail sometime.

If you've left, then its a shame, W.P could do with some more women and maybe men who can attribute a focus by contributing more of their own sensory perceptive natures.

Most of these discussions have left because of long explanations which I can discuss at length but have failed to find the latest bookworm to 'shop' with. All part of the aging process.

Putting the reality of these traits into words, defines a persons human ability to read and write, most aspies use a grid map or person, but human experiences balances the mind of reason and view.

Actually, this is starting to turn into the late late show for church goers, but defining a positive outcome comes from the person. Not persons.. 8) I've used up my current thinking time.



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08 Dec 2015, 8:22 am

mori_pastel wrote:
1. Where do you think the rumor that Aspies hate reading stems from: difficulties tolerating as much socialization as NTs, are Aspies simply incapable of understanding fiction books because of a lack of empathy, or is this rumor simply the end result of Aspies being more “male-brained”/”left brain” than the average neurotypical? Why?


It's supposed to be that the character's motivation and actions make less sense and are less interesting, so Aspies are supposed to prefer books that are less character-driven. Plus, some Aspies are described as being so literal that anything fictional is confusing because it's not real. It may be true for a subset of the spectrum, especially for young children.

mori_pastel wrote:
2. If you are a diagnosed Aspie, do you have difficulties understanding things like motivation in works of fiction? Where do you think this trouble stems from? What kind of things strike you as difficult or frustrating? (Note: A good example would NOT be something you read in your English class; those books are designed to be challenging reads. A good example would be something one of your friends/siblings/peers would pick up and read for fun.)


Not really. I do have a bit more trouble understanding some characters' motivation than others do, but not enough to seriously impact my ability to follow the story. In most cases, fictional characters are easier to understand than real people, because I can see their thoughts and the authors explicitly describe the relevant nonverbal cues.

Live action movies and TV shows are a lot tougher than books to understand. Difficulty reading facial expressions combined with prosopagnosia can make some shows pretty much unwatchable for me.

I do tend to prefer sci fi and fantasy, but I think it's more because I like characters who aren't normal humans. The realistic fiction I tend to enjoy most features people with disabilities or weird psychological quirks.

mori_pastel wrote:
3. In general, what are your thoughts on empathy and Asperger’s? How would you define empathy? Do you think Aspies lack empathy? What do you think of the author’s opinion in the quote provided that NTs seem to lack empathy just as much as Aspies do, that we both have problems relating to one another, and that Aspies are only labeled empathetically challenged because we can’t relate to the majority of people (NTs)?


I think empathy is the wrong word for it. They should only use empathy to describe an emotional reaction, not some vaguely-related cognitive abilities as well.

I think some Aspies are only impaired at understanding NTs and not impaired with other Aspies. (I fall into that category myself.) If your only social issues are linked to nonverbal cues or situations where others react differently from how you'd react, then you'd do just fine interacting with someone like you. But other Aspies show delays in things like understanding that other people don't know what they know, which can make interacting with a similarly-impaired person harder than interacting with an NT. (Ever seen two 3 year olds having a conversation?)

I don't know what makes the difference between these two categories. It's not clearly linked to cognitive ability, since I've met cognitively delayed autistics who relate more easily to autistics than NTs. (I even saw two LFA kids engaged in a nonverbal back-and-forth interaction over a piano, and both of them seemed to understand the other even though their body language was extremely atypical.) Meanwhile, I know an autistic adult who I'd guess has normal or mildly impaired IQ, but who has a lot of trouble reading my social cues even though I'm also autistic.

It might be a difference in the specific form of social impairment, or it might be due to early experiences. Deaf of Deaf kids have normal social skills while Deaf kids with hearing parents have delays in social skills, especially if they aren't exposed to sign early enough. So maybe autistics who have an autistic or BAP parent do better at interacting with other autistics because their earliest experiences with interaction were with someone they could learn to relate to easily. (I know I have an autistic Dad and a BAP Mom, and I'm doing a lot better than similar kids I've met with NT parents.) However, it would be tough to separate out the effects of early experience from the effects of different etiology, because autistics with BAP/autistic parents would usually have the polygenetic form of autism while autistics with two NT parents would more often have single gene etiologies or non-genetic etiologies. However, you could look at differences in functioning among autistics with known etiology - for example, do Fragile X children with full-mutation mothers differ from Fragile X children with premutation mothers?



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08 Dec 2015, 8:32 am

OJani wrote:
About empathy. This question still hits me with puzzled-mind. Though I had been thinking about it, I still lack comprehension. I'm sure I can feel empathy in some cases, when the situation is simple, e.g. a child cries in my presence. On cognitive levels, it is much more difficult to me. One example for a strange and appalling behaviour of mine I experienced in my life was "the lack of empathy" when my grandmother died after a series of suffering. I felt relieved when I was supposed to show pain...


That's normal. When a loved one is dying slowly, many people get their grieving done while the person is still alive and therefore don't grieve much when they finally die. And since she was suffering, feeling relief that she's no longer suffering is an empathetic reaction. Meanwhile, other family members may have been in denial, thinking to themselves that she would get better rather than die, and so they didn't start grieving until the actual death.

Were you criticized for not grieving then? Keep in mind that a person in emotional pain can sometimes be irrational and cruel because their own pain impedes their ability to see someone else's perspective.



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08 Dec 2015, 12:26 pm

mori_pastel wrote:
I'm a self-diagnosed Aspie, and as such I am constantly second-guessing myself with hopes of arriving at a more definitive answer than "maybe I have it, maybe I don't." Asperger’s fits me better than anything I’ve come across, including every differential diagnosis that could possibly exist to Asperger’s.

I have sensitivities to lights and food textures, I’m incredibly resistant to changes in my routine and environment, etc., etc. But that said, it’s not a perfect fit. tend to like socializing and the company of others in much smaller quantities than neurotypicals, but I don’ think this is a particularly valid characteristic when looking at fiction. If this were the root of the problem, than it would make more sense for Aspies to be drawn to fiction, not less. A book can substitute human relationships without making the same demands that people place on us.


(note: I’m speaking from an American perspective),. On the more intellectual end, you see more sci-fi readers. It’s not until you take an “intellectual” type of man that you’d typically see him reading any sort of general fiction on a regular basis. Where exactly does this stem from? I think that chances are, if we could find the answer to this, we could find the root of why Aspies are said to hate fiction.



Quote:
I think 'mind blindness' is misunderstood a little. Since our minds work differently than non-Aspergers (Incidentally, if non-Aspergers were in the minority we would say they have a remarkable skill in social relations). Non-verbal cues that you have from childhood, from other children and adults and in the rules and systems of the world, teach you in ways that you take for granted, that you learn.There have been several studies that show that empathy must be learned, it is not automatic. As an example, I have frail health and I have found that super healthy people cannot have empathy for me. I could say they are unkind or deliberately being difficult, but they literally don't understand poor health so they can't be empathetic. Whether or not they are sympathetic or compassionate depends on whether or not they are humble and can concede there is another understanding then the one they have and their willingness to care, but the actual empathy is not there. I try to appear well all the time as I try to appear socially adept and non-Aspergers, to relieve them of the burden of having to deal with an empathy or understanding of something that doesn't come easily to them.



Our love of science fiction is usually due the new ideas, imagination and philosophy expressed. Science fiction, besides having great imaginary worlds and people contained therein which is just plain fun, is full of allegory and ideas that are mind expanding. Sometimes questions are raised and by taking you outside the real world you can look objectively at issues, many philosophical. Sometimes it is a fight between good and evil and since many Aspergers have strong sense of justice, this appeals to us. Many non-Aspergers want stories about real life but we have to live real life why read about it? We care about people and their problems but don't want to read stories that go on and on about the problems. We would rather sympathise, then try to come up with a solutions (the male brain). I've been told by several people that I am better than the average person at perceiving intentions. I prefer science fiction with a good character (hero) that I can root for, which is the best of both.




Finally, just wanted to thank everyone who put up with this super-long post. Asperger’s has become something of my special interest for the past six months, and I still feel like there’s just so much I don’t understand. I would really like to move forward soon and find some professional certainty, but thank you all for putting up with my anxious doubts in the meantime. : )

OJani wrote:



About empathy. This question still hits me with puzzled-mind. Though I had been thinking about it, I still lack comprehension. I'm sure I can feel empathy in some cases, when the situation is simple, e.g. a child cries in my presence. On cognitive levels, it is much more difficult to me. One example for a strange and appalling behaviour of mine I experienced in my life was "the lack of empathy" when my grandmother died after a series of suffering. I felt relieved when I was supposed to show pain...



Picking up on all the first points the OP made, that shows character strength and maturity when a post like that delivers precise answers we all seek and who most, would 'emphasise' with.
Not all aspies have a lack of these skills, but growing awareness is key.

"Empathy must be learned it is not automatic". Good one. Shows true character building.

Secondly,

Unlike fiction, there is definitely more than one type of death. I’m picking up that you were unable to feel any grief when your relative died, but I am not going to ask how she came to that point, because being alive whilst dying inside, is a slow death and long healing process for anyone, which you can only account for because you may have been that close.
I know many people on the spectrum, feel a lot of pain when people they’ve loved have passed on, and although it may not be anyone's fault, its grief that can either overwhelm or destroy.. (or both)

So, from a non typical, non judgemental point of view that relies on physical and emotional strength, you are more than just an anatomy of science fiction, more a bigger part of the jigsaw of life.



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16 Oct 2016, 11:54 pm

OP you made the mistake in thinking that anti-social people and sociopaths lack empathy. A lot of the time anti-social people (especially sociopaths) tend to have very good empathy and thus they are able to control and manipulate others easily. You don't see Autistic people doing this because our empathy is poor.



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10 Aug 2018, 10:38 pm

Quote:
Must be a work of great fiction or just pure genius to post all that, some have fallen short of the empathy over the years another Mark Anthony trait I guess.

Goosebumps was something I used to read when I was twelve years old. I could establish the main differences between characters, and I still enjoy non fictional detail with the description intact.
I’m going to take on more reading as I get older as I’m bound to it.
You don’t need to be a scientist or historian to have traits of any ASD, like you I’m self diagnosed and hope to discuss this in further detail sometime.

If you've left, then its a shame, W.P could do with some more women and maybe men who can attribute a focus by contributing more of their own sensory perceptive natures.

Most of these discussions have left because of long explanations which I can discuss at length but have failed to find the latest bookworm to 'shop' with. All part of the aging process.

Putting the reality of these traits into words, defines a persons human ability to read and write, most aspies use a grid map or person, but human experiences balances the mind of reason and view.

Actually, this is starting to turn into the late late show for church goers, but defining a positive outcome comes from the person. Not persons.. 8) I've used up my current thinking time.



I've been absent from Wrong Planet for quite a long time. Years. I only returned yesterday and I'm having trouble navigating, but have confidence that it will come back to me. I find this subject very interesting, relevant and relatable. I offer my own human experience in the form of a journal entry I made back in 2009 (on another ASD Forum) on the subject of a session with my psycho therapist and my own AS diagnosis. It is entertaining, I think, if nothing else.
*****************
Private Journal Entry
Tue Nov 24, 2009 5:06 pm
Went to see my doctor today. Since it's always up to me to start the session, after taking my usual seat in the black leather Ikea type recliner which I never recline in, I said "I don't have anything to talk about today. Can't think of anything at all to say. Haven't had any dreams lately either.

He shrugged his shoulders. A minute or two of silence. I told him things were going pretty good and my stomach hasn't been acting up. He made note of that in my file. At least I think he did. More silence. He peered at me as he always does Then I remembered something that might be worth discussing. My foot rash.

Me: Oh yeah. I just thought of something to talk about. I got a really ugly rash on my left foot. Couldn't imagine where it came from, and since I've never had a rash like that on my foot or anywhere else I got worried. I've always been afraid of getting a foot fungus. So anyway, my daughter and I looked up foot rashes on the internet but we couldn't find any that looked like mine. I was so alarmed about the rash that I decided I better call the dermatologist the next day and make an appointment as soon as possible. Then I started thinking how I could have gotten such a rash and I came up with a couple of very bizarre scenarios.

Remember the dream I had about my boots? The one where I am flying over a highway, afraid that I'll crash, and then to my amazement I land smoothly and safely in the parking lot on the other side and look down at my feet and realize I am wearing my boots and my boots are responsible for my safe landing, that they are magical boots and I'm so happy that I wore my special boots and didn't make a crash landing?

Well, I really love those boots. It's hard to find the perfect pair of boots. But my boots were getting old, I've been wearing them for about 3 years and the heels were worn down pretty bad but I couldn't bear to part with them because I might never find another pair like them. So anyway, after one of our sessions I dropped my boots off at the shoemaker's shop next door for new heels and then picked them up the following week. So, as I was saying, in wondering about the rash, I started thinking that it must have come from my boots and that my boots must have become infected while they were at the shoemaker's shop because two days after I got my boots back the rash appeared. Well, it was a rather weird place, that shoemaker's shop, with two very strange characters in it. They seemed to be a mother and a son, the mother didn't speak English, she didn't speak at all as a matter of fact, and the son kept his eyes averted the entire time I was there. He never looked at me once but just kept looking down all the while he was talking to me and getting my information. So I got to thinking that this son was probably wearing my boots around the shop at night because he likes to wear women's shoes and got his kicks that way, and that he had a foot fungus and by cramming his bare feet into my boots he left the fungus there for me to contract; or else it was the mother, she liked my boots and was wearing them now and then during the week they were in the shop and it was she that left her fungus in my boots. But then I thought, no, no, no, that's just too far out. Which means I have a good grip on reality I think. But then again, the morning after I got my boots back I did put them on without any socks and wore them around the house that way for about an hour, plenty of time to catch the fungus which appeared on my left foot the next evening. So it must have been the boots. It had to have been the boots. Then I got another more sensible idea. Those forms that the shoemakers put your shoes on while they're working on them, shaped just like a foot, sometimes it's wooden, sometimes it's metal, but they probably don't disinfect them after each use and hundreds of fungus infected shoes may have been on that form leaving it crawling with bacteria and fungi which found its way into my boot. Even the pharmacist where my husband went to get me some foot spray said that it was entirely possible that I got the rash that way.

So anyway, I decided to wait and see if the rash got better on its own. If it got worse, I would go to see the dermatologist. And I also decided to give Christian Science a shot. Use the principles of Mary Baker Eddy to eliminate the rash by declaring that it does not really exist. I decided to just put a sock on it. Keep it out of sight and out of mind. Sure enough, the rash got better each day and it's now gone.

(I will spare you, my Gestalt friends, the next twenty minutes of free association that had to do with Christian Science, mind over matter, foot fetishes, my father's weird little foot trick, my father's ape walk, and other free floating gems that left my mind through my mouth. For someone who had nothing to say, I managed to cover a lot of territory today. Finally, though, my time was up.

My Doctor: So. You have Asperger's?
Me: (totally surprised by what I thought I heard him say) What?
My Doctor: And you believe you have Asperger’s?
Me: Yes. I do. Why?
My Doctor: You have all this emotion. People with Asperger’s don’t have a wide range of emotion.
Me: But that’s not true. Some people with Asperger’s do show emotion. (yeah for me. I was completely on auto pilot, so it wasn’t courage)
My Docter: Oh?
Me: Yes. It goes by degree.
My Doctor: And what degree would you say are you? Severe? Mild?
Me: I am mild. Perhaps very mild.
My Doctor: Very mild. I would agree.

It didn’t hit me till I left the office and was walking to my train. OMG. I have just been diagnosed as having a mild (okay - a very mild) degree of Autism. I have been validated. I have been on the right track all along for almost three years. I can’t wait to break it to the family at the Thanksgiving dinner table. I can’t wait to see the expression on the faces of all those who have been snickering and rolling their eyes and changing the subject every time I mention the “A” word.

Postscript: I may not be able to find my way back to this thread tomorrow because I have a terrible sense of direction. Have a good evening, morning, or afternoon, depending on where you are located on this planet.

:salut:



Last edited by cosmiccat on 10 Aug 2018, 10:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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17 Aug 2018, 5:00 am

in my own case my aspie self's distaste for most fictional works has nothing to do with mind blindness or TOM or any other such thing, but simply THIS- the events depicted in purely novelistic fictional works [those NOT based on a thread of actual happenstance] did NOT happen in this dimension at least, they are imaginings, and other people's imaginings generally don't interest me unless they lead in the direction of illumination regarding some topic which is important to me, such as in speculative fiction/sci-fi, and/or in morality tales based on human concerns in this present lifetime.



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17 Aug 2018, 5:15 am

auntblabby wrote:
in my own case my aspie self's distaste for most fictional works has nothing to do with mind blindness or TOM or any other such thing, but simply THIS- the events depicted in purely novelistic fictional works [those NOT based on a thread of actual happenstance] did NOT happen in this dimension at least, they are imaginings, and other people's imaginings generally don't interest me unless they lead in the direction of illumination regarding some topic which is important to me, such as in speculative fiction/sci-fi, and/or in morality tales based on human concerns in this present lifetime.


That is the point of fiction--to enlighten. Fiction is about emotional truths, not facts. Truth is much more valuable than fact.



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17 Aug 2018, 5:19 am

HighLlama wrote:
auntblabby wrote:
in my own case my aspie self's distaste for most fictional works has nothing to do with mind blindness or TOM or any other such thing, but simply THIS- the events depicted in purely novelistic fictional works [those NOT based on a thread of actual happenstance] did NOT happen in this dimension at least, they are imaginings, and other people's imaginings generally don't interest me unless they lead in the direction of illumination regarding some topic which is important to me, such as in speculative fiction/sci-fi, and/or in morality tales based on human concerns in this present lifetime.


That is the point of fiction--to enlighten. Fiction is about emotional truths, not facts. Truth is much more valuable than fact.

I would rather these "emotional truths" had at least a smidgeon of fact-based reality to them. that is just the way my brain works [or some would say "doesn't work"].



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17 Aug 2018, 11:47 pm

I don't hate fiction, it just doesn't really interest me. I've read several fictional novels in my life & enjoyed all of them. My reading comprehension of them and enjoyment of the stories & even visuals and dreams they brought to mind were all just fine. I believe it's simply as Dr. Tony Attwood described: Aspies tend to read for knowledge, to learn, not to be entertained. I'm like that. I read a LOT, but it's news, science, business, finance, real estate, technology etc etc not storybooks.


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18 Aug 2018, 4:29 am

goldfish21 wrote:
I don't hate fiction, it just doesn't really interest me. I've read several fictional novels in my life & enjoyed all of them. My reading comprehension of them and enjoyment of the stories & even visuals and dreams they brought to mind were all just fine. I believe it's simply as Dr. Tony Attwood described: Aspies tend to read for knowledge, to learn, not to be entertained. I'm like that. I read a LOT, but it's news, science, business, finance, real estate, technology etc etc not storybooks.


All the things you mentioned are fictions though. To take them so seriously is a danger.



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18 Aug 2018, 7:29 am

Loved children books when I was younger(Captain underpants and the like) but just lost interest in those


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18 Aug 2018, 9:13 am

I have always loved fiction. I am definitely not the type of aspie who reads to learn and gain knowledge, I read for entertainment and adventure. I tend to find non-fiction boring (the only exception being books about animals).

I have never understood the big deal about stories from reality, as my grandfather liked so much. They're true, so what?

I have read fiction books since I was old enough to read. Young books (like Ruffen the sea serpent), adventure (like Famous Five and the Five Find-Outers by Enid Blyton), funny books, exciting books, and some 'problem' books in my older childhood/teens, series like the Little Vampire, and so much more.

I definitely had my favorites as a kid, but I was still more of an all-rounder then than I became later.
In my adult life I used to have a strong preference for horror, sci-fi and fantasy. These days my preferences tend to be horror and thrillers, and then some dystopia, sci-fi and fantasy.

I have never taken the slightest interest in interpreting fiction. I'm all about the plot, not reading societal issues into them or anything like that.

The vast majority of what I read/ have read has not been linked to special interests or obsessions. Unless interesting fiction itself is one...


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18 Aug 2018, 9:06 pm

SZWell wrote:
Loved children books when I was younger(Captain underpants and the like) but just lost interest in those

this overgrown big kid useta love captain underpants :mrgreen: :oops:



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19 Aug 2018, 6:32 am

IMO it’s a myth that people with an ASD don’t like fiction. There may be a statistical leaning towards this, but I know several with an ASD who like fiction. Personally though I struggle reading fiction or stories in general as I struggle understanding what is going on. I used to collect comic books as a child but rarely read them, I used to love the art. I love marvel and D.C. and love the films but have similar issues understanding film plots. When I watch a film it’s more of a case of going to see a firework show.



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04 Mar 2021, 8:58 pm

perhaps off on a tangent but that's the way my mind works- i am reminded of the UK poet Adrian Mitchell when he said, "most people don't understand most poetry, because most poetry doesn't understand most people." fiction writes about stuff that is largely outside of my ability to grok it, as it is so far removed from my own area of comprehension.