Why Can'Aspies Be Bog Standard?

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Erm, what? In my experience it's quite the opposite: I feel like I feel a lot deeper than many of the NTs around me...I just have absolutely no clue how to convey those feelings to others.

As others have said, not every Aspie will have every symptom. For example my speech wasn't delayed and in fact I started talking early (I said my first word at six months). Aspies are stereotyped as having no sense of humor, but, while I can at times be astonishingly literal (mostly when following directions--my mom is endlessly amazed when I follow her directions to the letter...in ways she didn't intend ), my sense of humor and sarcasm detector are just fine. I also don't really have any trouble reading people; I do sometimes miss social cues but as far as reading people's faces or intentions I find it quite easy. Aspies are often portrayed as math geniuses who sit down to a piano at five and compose a concerto; math is my weakest subject and while I do play piano, "I don't play accurately--anyone can play accurately--but I play with marvelous expression." I do have keen special interests, I do have a near-eidetic memory (for facts...but not necessarily dates, conversations I had five minutes ago, or names :p ), I've never had a meltdown in public (not since I was a kid anyway) but I can freak out over stress or sensory input, I toe-walk, etc., but I doubt many people have all the same symptoms. They're really just a list of traits of which you might experience some.

It is a British expression but I'm not really sure where it cones from. I can only assume it's related to the fact that we call a toilet "the bog". I await correction.

Hello !

I have a few stereotypical "Aspie" traits. I also don't have all the common traits.

@Voxish: people, who haven't any special talents/skills, could be described as bog standard.

Well..thats friggin boring. Who wants to be that?

Where does the bog come into it?

You don't hear about the bog standard autistic people because there's nothing to note.
Of course the focus is going to be on the more outstanding traits.

There are many theories but noone knows for sure where it comes from or what "bog" relates to.

There's nothing standard about a bog.
It's a diverse ecosystem.

I can't remember the actual explanation of the expression 'bog standard', but I remember it was explained in one episode of one of those back-to-the-past reality shows. Most likely 'Victorian Farm'.

Well..I guess this makes me bog standard too. My memory is crap, details bore me, and I am an emotional wreck but I rarely cry though. Even though I see feelings as failure to think. I've got to admit that I do have emotions, in fact... more than I can handle.

I don't have any special skills either nor am I good at math or any abstract stuff. I don't have meltdowns either over smells and taste and I don't have any of those sensory issues. I also don't have autism hearing or smell. My systematize score was below average for NT women. I also know tone of voice and can recognize something is wrong just by their faces.

I have special interests, but no talents or skills (unless memorizing the entire Pokedex counts - I think the problem is that my special interests aren't anything that's actually useful in any way). I'm terrible at math and not good with technology. I used to have the stereotypical Aspie memory when I was a kid, but I think depression took that away from me - at least, I started having memory problems around the same time I first developed depression. Technically I'm more of a systemizer than an empathizer, according to online tests, but I don't score that highly on either. I'm decent at identifying tone of voice and facial expressions, and I'm actually more empathetic than the average person (I just don't express my emotions in the same way, and often don't know what to say to comfort someone or anything, which might give others the impression that I'm not). Seeing other people cry makes me cry too, and I will usually put other people's feelings ahead of my own, and often don't say anything for fear of saying the wrong thing and upsetting someone. I don't have meltdowns from eating food I don't like, but there are certain foods that I just can't force myself to swallow no matter how hard I try - I'll just end up gagging instead. I don't have meltdowns the instant I'm exposed to any sort of unpleasant sensory thing - it usually takes at least a few minutes, and oftentimes is the result of several things adding up over the course of a day. But in almost every other way (unless there's something else I'm forgetting), I'm pretty much a textbook Aspie, so I have no doubt that I really am on the spectrum.

Yes it just means ordinary, or maybe "ornery" would work better for Americans. The origin of the "bog" part is unknown, presumably the originator didn't like ordinary things and wanted to make the term pejorative.

To answer the OP's question, it's because ASD is atypical or unusual by definition, pretty much.

I think it's possible to have ASD without having "highly restricted, fixated interests that are abnormal in intensity or focus (e.g, strong attachment to or preoccupation with unusual objects, excessively circumscribed or perseverative interest)" (DSM-V), as long as you satisfy 2 of the other criteria from that section.

I've never heard of the term, bog standard before.

Update: I've looked up the term, bog standard and it means ordinary.

I don't want to be ordinary. I wasn't made to be ordinary. I was made to have fun and celebrate my special interests and differences. I was made to be colourful.

Either you fit the diagnostic criteria or you don't. If you don't, good for you. Have fun being a "Smeghead" (I hope that isn't related to smegma ) I feel your points of reference on what classifies someone as autistic could be broadened and refreshed. Best of luck and kind regards. Shark

Those on the spectrum are supposed to be bad drivers. That's one of the stereotypes.

Well, with me it all started when I was going on a ski trip with my dad and he asked me if I wanted to steer the car. He let me steer for like half a second and then took the wheel back. I kinda thought that was kinda cheesy because I didn't get a lot of time, but I acted happy. Anyway, mom and dad were divorced, so I went back to my mom's and told her my dad let me steer the car for like a second. This isn't what I intended, but my mom didn't like to be one upped and always wanted to be seen as this incredible parent, so when we were on the road she let me steer the car for like two minutes.

Overtime she let me steer the car for longer and longer. It all escalated until I was 10 years old and I steered (from the passenger's seat) the entire 2.5 hour drive from New Jersey to Pennsylvania to visit my grandparents. That included lane changes, turning around corners, parking the car to eat lunch, etc. Hey, I'm not saying that was a smart thing for a parent to let their child do, but there it is, it happened.

Anyway, I actually got BORED of steering the car after a couple of more years, and started to think it was uncool because I couldn't actually DRIVE the car. But today I can drive very well and have never had an accident. That's kinda amazing because when I was in my 20's, I would drive at very obscene speeds (I had a Ford SHO with a stick shift and 300 HP).

Point is, isn't that supposed to be impossible? Aren't I supposed to not be able to drive, or drive poorly? There's this hate website where it says that Aspie's can't drive well and can't merge with traffic. That's just crap.

Don't believe everything you read. Seriously!