Do people with autism understand money?

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AlexWelshman
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30 Oct 2011, 4:05 pm

I've heard that many people with autism need to learn about money to understand it, & usually even when they've learned; they really struggle. And usually (even in very high functioning cases), need someone else to be manage it. Is this true?



nikaTheJellyfish
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30 Oct 2011, 4:18 pm

I am Asperger's and manage my money very well. I certainly would never need someone to help me manage it. In fact I grew up in a house with a parent who could not manage money. I learned from my mom's mistakes. No one taught me anything except I watched what not to do. I would say i am well above average of the general population in money management skills. I think many Asperger's and HFA people can understand money and do this quite well, especially as they learn to live on their own.



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30 Oct 2011, 4:34 pm

It took me ages to understand it, and I still struggle with it a bit, but aside from that I am very good with my money.



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30 Oct 2011, 4:39 pm

I can understand money just fine. I was in the third grade when I understood it. I had to memorize what each coin was worth and learn to count the dollar bills by looking at the numbers on it. I cannot grasp how some people on the spectrum can't learn that. It's all looking at numbers and adding up to the total you are paying for and each dollar has a number on it for how much it's worth and the coins too for cents. The numbers being the dots are cents and the numbers before the dots are dollars.

I am also obsessed with saving so I manage my money fine. But my husband handles the finances now because I was getting anxiety over it and chewing him out for literally spending a dollar.



Tequila
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30 Oct 2011, 4:41 pm

Give me a hundred quid and I'll tell you if I understand money or not.



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30 Oct 2011, 4:46 pm

I understood money when I was 5. I understood money management when I was 16, thanks to Robert Kiyosaki's "Rich Dad Poor Dad" book.



Tequila
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30 Oct 2011, 4:48 pm

swbluto wrote:
I understood money when I was 5. I under money management when I was 16, thanks to Robert Kiyosaki's "Rich Dad Poor Dad" book.


Essentially, all 'money management' is about is maths.



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30 Oct 2011, 4:48 pm

I've understood money my whole life.


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AlexWelshman
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30 Oct 2011, 4:56 pm

"Essentially, all 'money management' is about is maths."

That's not actually true. Money management covers more than maths. There could be someone on the spectrum whose a mathematical genius whose hopeless with money. I'm not just speaking about adding up, etc, but weather you use it wisely. An autistic mathamatical genius could be very unwise with how he spends his money; for people with autism often find thinking ahead very difficul & money management takes a lot of that. Someone may just not have the skills to think before spending the money. You see; it's more than just maths! It's planning. With managing money; you also need to be careful not to let pople sign you up to loans, etc. People could really take advantage of those with autism in that respect. Do you get what I mean?



Last edited by AlexWelshman on 30 Oct 2011, 5:06 pm, edited 2 times in total.

swbluto
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30 Oct 2011, 4:58 pm

Tequila wrote:
swbluto wrote:
I understood money when I was 5. I under money management when I was 16, thanks to Robert Kiyosaki's "Rich Dad Poor Dad" book.


Essentially, all 'money management' is about is maths.


For basic money management, yes.

Intermediate money management includes understanding risk or using a few rules of thumb.

For advanced money management, you need a new paradigm.



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30 Oct 2011, 5:09 pm

Do ya stuff right in life, come rollin' in with the Benjamins. I got it. Or the Queen in my case.



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30 Oct 2011, 5:24 pm

I understand money and how to budget wisely because my mum made sure to teach me instead of just assuming I'd learn myself as I got older. I started using a spreadsheet to record how I spent or saved my allowance when I was 13. I can understand things pretty well as long as I'm taught using plenty of examples.



Tequila
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30 Oct 2011, 5:28 pm

swbluto wrote:
For basic money management, yes.


I suspect that rather depends on what stage of life the person is at and what financial responsibilities they have.



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30 Oct 2011, 5:29 pm

AlexWelshman wrote:
"Essentially, all 'money management' is about is maths."

That's not actually true. Money management covers more than maths. There could be someone on the spectrum whose a mathematical genius whose hopeless with money. I'm not just speaking about adding up, etc, but weather you use it wisely. An autistic mathamatical genius could be very unwise with how he spends his money; for people with autism often find thinking ahead very difficul & money management takes a lot of that. Someone may just not have the skills to think before spending the money. You see; it's more than just maths! It's planning. With managing money; you also need to be careful not to let pople sign you up to loans, etc. People could really take advantage of those with autism in that respect. Do you get what I mean?

Exactly. Although I find the OP's question a bit funny since I'm an economist by profession and money management has been instilled in my mind in many ways, I have a friend who's probably AS/HFA and he has very poor money management skills. He can be easily taken advantage of, as it actually happened at least once with a debit card. He had been caught up in the usual dept spiral. He is just unable to foresee risk and manage wisely. It's a kind of naivety.



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30 Oct 2011, 5:30 pm

I don't know much about finances or budgeting. I either save way too much money or impulsively spend it without considering how much I need to save or whether an item is too much money for me. But I am learning. I think it because my mum always goes for the bargain and I just buy whatever I want, regardless of price.

But don't worry I never want to get a credit card or have money loaned to me. The one thing I remembered from my Youth Pastor was to not get into dept. I forgot what the actual lesson was about.


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Last edited by pensieve on 30 Oct 2011, 5:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Tequila
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30 Oct 2011, 5:31 pm

Yes, OK, I admit that I forgot that bit - the "all people are probably bastards, so how can I manage that" dictum.