Need of sameness and predictability

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Need of sameness, predictability, having rigid routines are among the traits of typical autism.

Do people from this forum have these traits? I have not "bookish" ASD, in my case need of sameness is rather not present, I have no need of doing things in the same way (such as going the same way to school). "Total" sameness look just boring for me.

I am diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome since 2008, but I do not fit to the picture of classic ASD. I suppose that in USA or Canada I would be diagnosed with NVLD (nonverbal learning disorder) instead of AS/PDD/ASD.

In most cases, no. I wouldn't say I seek out new experiences, but I can handle changes and unexpected events much better than most aspies. However, I find travelling to foreign places very hard to deal with. My interests are also somewhat restricted.

I am somewhere between "definitely yes" and "rather yes", but definitely closer to "definitely". Sameness, predictability, set routines, regularity and consistency all constitute my comfort zone, but I can venture out of it a bit without too much trouble as long as I first have a little time to investigate and analyze possible outcomes.

I always need like a general predictable "scaffolding" to each day - little routine actions throughout the whole day and they are set in stone, but what's in-between them can be varied as long as it's comfortable for me to do it.
Idea of a surprise trip/party/visit is horrible to me... just so stressful to even think about it.

If I have to deal with a childcare emergency while at work that stresses me to a point I want to cry. Any kind of sudden change of plans is extremely stressful, people turning up late - I really have to stop myself from shouting at them sometimes, it's so frustrating.

On the other hand I do like aimless wandering around town or parks and I can do it for hours without a plan, as long as I can go home at a specific time. I'm always so freaked out that I might miss the last train from somewhere and it comes back in my nightmares.

I prefer it, but I can survive without (just not happy about it).

It's hard to say for me. I do sometimes crave some change in tasks and routine. But it depends. If I know a change will make me anxious, I don't like it, but not because it's change as such, it just depends on what the change is. For instance, if at work I am usually working on a certain area and that certain area suits me, then I get changed on to another area, I won't mind if the altered area suits me too, but if I know it's a task that I really don't like, I will be stressed. If I have never been on a certain area before, I still won't mind the change because I don't know if I will hate it or not.

Predictability is important to me - I'm somewhere up between rather and definitely. I can handle new experiences if they're planned and I know what to expect and when, but I hate being lost in other people's indecision - I often find other people have pretty flexible attitudes to doing things, where I would definitly prefer an itinerary.

I do not need life-laws; I like them; what I did not answer the question-choice.

I definitely do like sameness and predictability. However, I'm okay with sometimes mixing it up and doing something different, like going to see a friend or going out to the library or the bookstore. Most of the time, I like a routine though.

With me, it's a mix of routine and variation. I like to have things planned out but I can allow for some last minute changes or things having to change for legitimate reasons, as long as there's also a decent backup plan. For example, I stream the TV shows I like, and I prefer to set aside a few hours to catch up on episodes of a certain show, and I don't want to have to stop in the middle of an episode. So I plan my evening but if there's a storm coming that might cause a power outage, I just wait until the next evening and do some reading. Where I run into trouble is trying to stay on track with something important if there's too many details to keep track of, or when I have to take care of something that might be necessary but really hard to focus on. Big reason housecleaning is challenging for me- it's not being lazy, it's because it's hard for me to see that work as anything else but a waste of time and me being thrown off track of whatever bigger thing it was I was doing. I pick a block of time and do it that way- can't stand taking a break from something else to clean the floor in the apartment or clean the kitchen.

I like a bit of variation and free time, but I need something predicable to structure my life around.

I'm very particular about some things (which may seem silly to most people). I like variety in other things. I always like to make plans.

Oh my god yes I suffer from this. If one little thing is different than it usually is. It throws me off. It might be a little change but freaks me out.

I'm just starting to experiment with imposing a daily schedule on myself. I used to sleep 3 or 4 times a week, and now it is 14 - 20. However, I don't do well with changes in my neighbourhood.

I voted for rather no. I'm not diagnosed with ASD yet but I suspect it.

I'm wondering if this could be related to MBTI personality types. Is it possible you are an INTP or other XXXP type?

I'm an INTP. INTPs stereotypically are bad at routines. (Other INTPs and XXXPs here with ASD, is this true for you too?)

As for me, I find it difficult to impose a routine on my day. I'm too much a fan of reassessing things. I find it hard to keep thinking about what time of day it is. Tying myself to the day takes too much energy.

The things the throw me most seem more long-term. I like to plan long range things well in advance, like for example what subjects I'll be doing next semester, and next year, the year after... (I start worrying if I'll be able to do all the reading way ahead of time, lol). I get stressed out when they change things at my university, e.g. at the end of 2015 they made the timetable available for the whole of 2016. Then at the end of 2016, they only gave us the timetable for semester 1 of 2017. So I couldn't know for sure if I would be able to take the subjects I was planning on (I want to be able to plan my week so I'll be able to have a break between classes and hopefully a break between days) Because of the change in how they organise the timetable, I was super worried and had problems doing the exam I still had to do. And I was having these mood swings and got really whiney and melodramatic ("they don't care about education anymore" boo hoo hoo )

I can always put of doing things today, in order to worry about some problem that might happen next year (or to reassess some problem I'm having so to understand it "fully"). Maybe that's just generalised anxiety though, I don't know.