Autistic/Aspie Stereotypes You Don't Display?

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There are many generalizations and stereotypes about autistic and aspergers people, with many of them originating from the Internet. On the Internet, you will often find autistic/aspergers people making complete fools of themselves and then using their autism/aspergers as a "get-away-with-everything" card, something which creates stereotypes and gives us all a bad name. With that said, what are some autism spectrum stereotypes that you DON'T display? They could be generally-accepted clinical characteristics (lack of empathy, lack of emotion, ect.) or they could be general stereotypes (obsessed with trains, overweight, and so forth).

Here are some that I do not display:

1. I avoid anything furry like the plague.

2. I don't go around telling people that I have aspergers syndrome, and I certainly don't use it as an excuse to be an as*hole.

3. I'm not fat.

4. I'm not obsessed with trains or Sonic the Hedgehog.

5. I don't incessantly whine about NTs or "cyber-bullying".

6. I hate math.

7. I'm not bigoted or intolerant.

8. I don't flap my hands (although, admittedly, I do hit my hands on my ears when frustrated).

9. I don't draw fan art or write fanfiction.

10. I don't take everything literally.

11. I understand figurative language.

12. I don't create solipsistic neologisms.

What are some autistic/aspie stereotypes that you don't display?

Last edited by MoonMetropolis on 10 Oct 2011, 3:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.

My top ten:

1. I suck at math.

2. I like technology, but I am not a "techno-whiz." I am also not obsessed with gadgets or mechanisms. I'd rather contemplate the meaning of life than how an internal combustion engine works.

3. I am not a black/white thinker. In fact, I have the opposite problem. I see far too many nuances and possibilities.

4. I suck at math.

5. I am an artist, but I am NOT an "emotional person." My best subjects in school are word-based. NOTE: the notion that "artist = emotional" is HORSEPLOP!! !

6. I score low on both emphasizing AND systemizing.

7. I suck at math.

8. My imagination is HUGE and I did little else besides "pretend play" as a kid.

9. My ability to interpret symbolism and abstract concepts is just fine, thank you.

10. I suck at math.

That is all.

Last edited by XFilesGeek on 10 Oct 2011, 2:58 pm, edited 3 times in total.

I might as well add my voice to the long list of people who will surely say, "I understand figurative language just fine, thank you."

I also diverge from the stereotype in being quite altruistic, but in that respect the stereotype doesn't even have a glimmer of truth to it--autistic people are just as altruistic (though probably also just as cruel) as NTs.

Doesn't fit: I get sarcasm.

Does fit: Generally, I don't like sarcasm.

Doesn't fit: I do like sarcasm if it's witty enough to put some outright a-hole in his/her place, yet flies right over their heads.

Does fit: I disdain sarcasm that belittles those who don't deserve it, and only goes over their heads because they lack the mental capacity to understand they are being slammed.

The imagination thing is something that seems to vary from aspie to aspie. Some aspies lack imagination, but others have it in profuse amounts. I was always highly imaginative.

I don't draw fan art or write fanfiction either.

I don't speak like a robot, though the way I speak is weird.

I don't flap my hands, and don't do excessive fiddling with my limbs/body, though I do weird body movements.

I'm not fat.

I don't have an eidetic memory or any kind of good long-term memory to store heaps of factual information.

My short-time memory is only mediocre, not bad.

I am not a black/white thinker either, or at least I've developed a thinking pattern that counteracts my natural tendency to think in B/W, sometimes too well.

I crave for being close to people, especially the one I love. I always needed more physical contact with my gfs so far than what they preferred.

I don't have that hyper-focusing ability, though I can focus on something for many hours, without much productivity.

I don't need hours of alone-time or extra sleep-time after exhaustive socialization to unwind.

- I'm terrible at math
- I can understand figures of speech pretty well
- I'm not an atheist
- I'm not obsessed with modes of transportation, objects, video games, science, math, comics, sci-fi or fantasy
- I'm not a savant
- I'm not desperate to find a mate

-I don't like studying

-I'm no good at maths or science

-I'm quite obsessed with society, and people interest me

-I'm not obsessed with video games and boring films like Star Trek (never watched it in my life)

-I don't take everything literally, and I'm average with reading body language and etc

-I don't know really what Pi is

-I don't flap my hands or rock backwards and forwards, never have done

-I never showed any visible traits of AS when I was under 4 years old (I don't consider lining things up as an Autistic trait in small children because I see children doing that sort of thing all the time. I used to work at a nursery)

-I don't wear glasses and carry books under my arms

-I'm not fat (didn't know that was an Autistic stereotype anyway)

-I'm not asexual, bi-sexual, homosexual, or bi-curious. I'm straight

-I don't remember numbers or other logical things like that

-I feel emotions and can express them (even love and hate)

-I don't live in the library

-I had a big imagination when I was a child, which faded away around the age of 13

-I'm not socially immature (in fact I get along more with people much older than me)

Can't think of any more. If I do, it'd probably be when the 9999 minutes are up and I'd have to start a new post, which would be a pain up the arse.

Last edited by Joe90 on 11 Oct 2011, 3:56 am, edited 1 time in total.

While many autistics are very childish and immature, it seems that teenage aspies tend to get along a lot better with adults rather than other teenagers.

1) I make eye contact, I do read body language now...however, now sure how much that counts?

2) I know when someones kidding(except when its online). I can identify sarcasm and I like and use sarcasm.

3) Im not those video/computer game, anime freaks.

4) Im not ugly or fat.

5) I rarely stim unless Im drunk.

6) I rarely get meltdowns.

7) I have a huge imagination and sometimes my imagination gets me into trouble in weird ways. Ive had this since I was a kid.

Im not clumsy and uncoordinated. In fact I used to be a dancer.

That is just another mystery of Autism, don't know about a stereotype.

I think it's because most aspie teenagers would much rather converse with an intelligent adult rather than a barbaric, ignorant NT teenager whose primary concerns are partying, using drugs, and f*****g anything that moves. I'm not saying all NT teenagers are like that, but many of them are. Aspie teenagers generally have a lot more in common with adults.

Either older or younger. My two best friends are 7 and 16 years older than me, though I had a friend who is 5 years younger.

They are called stereotypes for a reason, I'm sure the majority of aspies do not have the majority of those stereotypes.

1. I'm very thin

2. I have a great imagination

3. I understand figurative language

4. I enjoy humor

5. I like math, but I hate doing math, if that makes any sense. I really only like discovering things in math, I like figuring out how to solve problems, but I abhor actually solving problems. I think it was my boredom with elementary math that ended up getting me skyrocked a head in math to the point where I now do college level math, and I still find solving problems tedious and boring for the most part.

6. I've only told people I've had Asperger's syndrome a few times, and thats because the topic of conversation was directly related to Aspergers, and offline I've only told people once, and that's because I was cornered

7. I don't speak in a monotone

8. I'm not a bigot, and I abhor bigotry with every ounce of my being

9. I'm not obsessed with trains or sonic the hedgehog either, and of all the people with Aspergers or Autism that I know in person only one is obsessed with either (trains)

10. I write lots of original works, though I do admit I've wrote one fanfiction (actually it was a sequel to a fanfiction) and it was only so I could connect the ending of that fanfiction to the canon. Also, I've written a few things related to Danball, but I don't think they qualify as fanfiction. I don't draw fan art, I create my own original artwork.

11. I don't flap my hands.

12. I'm pretty altruistic

13. I'm not an atheist

14. I'm straight

15. I have emotions

The list goes on and on, but I think 15 is enough for now. Stereotypes are stupid stereotypes.

Autistic stereotypes that are NOT me:
- Lack of imagination.
- Doesn't understand sarcasm.
- Incapable of telling a lie.
- Takes everything literally.
- Does not enjoy fiction.
- Blames everything on AS.
- A savant.
- Lacks a sense of humor.

I do not have a lack of imagination
I do not flap my hands, though i do have a particular style of movement, bouncy walk, and strange posture.
i am clumsy but at the same time my athletic abilities amaze people
i do prefer nonfiction, but have no distaste for fiction, as long as it doesn't claim to be true
i am not obsessed with trains, or the parts of objects
i do not try to force eye contact
i am not mute towards certain people, though i would prefer not to speak to some
i understand sarcasm, and use it more frequently than i probably should
i understand more than just literal meanings
i am slightly hyperactive, but i rarely obsess
i do not have a lack of empathy, just alot of trouble conveying it