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pensieve
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01 Nov 2011, 7:00 pm

swbluto wrote:
pensieve wrote:
Many autistic females have the gift of mimicry. We (myself included) can copy someone's mannerisms, clothing style, inflection, and almost become their exact double - sometimes without realising it.


You know, I find it funny that many people seem to imply mimicry is a unique gift among many Aspergian females when it's exactly how NT females operate. I'm not going to say that NTs are the same as aspies, obviously (Everybody gets on the defensive when it's suggested so it can't be true), but this is one similarity that I've definitely noticed.

My only argument is in autism it's more intense and often not socially appropriate.

I don't think NT females would dress and speak just like Harry Potter for 5 years.
I don't think even the most hardcore Stargate fans would constantly wear a thick green army jacket with the official Stargate patches and mimic Daniel Jackson, O'Neill, Teal'C, Dr. McKay, and Colonel Shepard. And who still has a Michael Shanks esque Canadian accent. And gets excited every time she hears Canada mentioned. And went through the same thing with Poland, Wales, Sweden, Britain, and Russia.

So yes, NT females do mimic people but it's more mid conversation and not as over the top as the above. My friend even knows an AS boy with an American accent. He's Australian, just obsessed with the Simpsons.


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swbluto
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01 Nov 2011, 7:16 pm

pensieve wrote:
I don't think NT females would dress and speak just like Harry Potter for 5 years.
I don't think even the most hardcore Stargate fans would constantly wear a thick green army jacket with the official Stargate patches and mimic Daniel Jackson, O'Neill, Teal'C, Dr. McKay, and Colonel Shepard. And who still has a Michael Shanks esque Canadian accent. And gets excited every time she hears Canada mentioned. And went through the same thing with Poland, Wales, Sweden, Britain, and Russia.


Ok, I get it now, what makes Aspergian and NT females different is that Aspergian females are the hardcore fangirls, whereas the NTs pursue an interest only half-heartedly. So, in other words, the real world definition of "AS female" is a really cool female, lol.



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01 Nov 2011, 7:25 pm

Hmm, I dunno about cool. I try not to associate with that word anymore. Personally with me I always get intensely focused on one part of the interests, like obsessed with one character or with my interest in the air force one type of aircraft or even say a part of that aircraft.

Also, the only time I can tell that the girl in the video may have AS is when she struggles at the end to answer a question, but she pulls it off so casually. Usually every conversation I'm in I'm going ummm....ummm...ummm. It's annoying but I have learned to just accept it.

Here, read this blog about my first 10 years and see if I sound normal?

http://latedx.wordpress.com/2011/10/24/ ... -10-years/

I will eventually get to my teenage and adult years when the real social awkwardness comes out.


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01 Nov 2011, 7:45 pm

swbluto wrote:

Ok, I get it now, what makes Aspergian and NT females different is that Aspergian females are the hardcore fangirls, whereas the NTs pursue an interest only half-heartedly. So, in other words, the real world definition of "AS female" is a really cool female, lol.


No, the real world definition of "AS female" happens to be a female with AS. This does not generally translate to "really cool."

I'm also sure most NTs don't have to deal with incipient sensory overload-caused meltdowns or shutdowns, which is what is happening to me right now.



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01 Nov 2011, 7:56 pm

swbluto wrote:
Callista wrote:
I mean, of course there's bullying here too, but not like in high school; just at the level it is anywhere.


Tell me about it. There's bullying especially in "team" oriented classes and college dorm-mate situations.
Yeah; I'd suggest that most Aspies would be happier in single dorm rooms or apartments of their own. Though, if you are an extrovert, that might be different; I don't know--I'm very introverted, myself, and it's likely enough that an AS extrovert would prefer to live near other people.


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01 Nov 2011, 8:00 pm

Callista wrote:
College is totally different. You can keep to yourself and not be bullied--people are living their own lives, and if they don't like you, they just ignore you. I mean, of course there's bullying here too, but not like in high school; just at the level it is anywhere.


Not for everyone. I picked the wrong group of friends in college and wound up experiencing abuse and betrayal. People don't change, it's just the environmental structure that does. You're not forced to be in one place or another with the same people but you still have to be careful with who you think your friends are.



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01 Nov 2011, 9:20 pm

I'm so sorry to hear how mean people could be to everyone :( I was teased in elementary school, but I was accepted in middle school. I was accepted and actually protected in high school. I'm starting college this semester, and so far people are good to me here too. I don't know why I've been this lucky...



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01 Nov 2011, 9:28 pm

It is worth noting that not all females with AS are mimics.

Callista wrote:
swbluto wrote:
Callista wrote:
I mean, of course there's bullying here too, but not like in high school; just at the level it is anywhere.


Tell me about it. There's bullying especially in "team" oriented classes and college dorm-mate situations.
Yeah; I'd suggest that most Aspies would be happier in single dorm rooms or apartments of their own. Though, if you are an extrovert, that might be different; I don't know--I'm very introverted, myself, and it's likely enough that an AS extrovert would prefer to live near other people.


Where I went to college, a diagnosis of an ASD was enough to request and be guaranteed a single freshman year even though they had very few singles for freshman. Of course singles were far more expensive than non-singles...



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01 Nov 2011, 9:38 pm

Then I am not the average aspie female...



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01 Nov 2011, 9:47 pm

Callista wrote:
swbluto wrote:
Callista wrote:
I mean, of course there's bullying here too, but not like in high school; just at the level it is anywhere.


Tell me about it. There's bullying especially in "team" oriented classes and college dorm-mate situations.
Yeah; I'd suggest that most Aspies would be happier in single dorm rooms or apartments of their own. Though, if you are an extrovert, that might be different; I don't know--I'm very introverted, myself, and it's likely enough that an AS extrovert would prefer to live near other people.


Im an AS extrovert but I prefer my own space when it comes to living quarters. I probably am not easy to live with, and my experiences with flatting and boarding with other people suggested that living with strangers is a very annoying thing, I dont understand how people can stand it.


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01 Nov 2011, 11:23 pm

Tuttle wrote:
It is worth noting that not all females with AS are mimics.


It is also worth noting that while some may mimic others socially, that the mimicry extends as far as one perceives. I mimicked a lot of social behavior in order to interact better with people, but what I perceived and copied was a fraction of what is apparently out there.

Plus some things I have a seriously hard time mimicking, such as facial expressions and tone of voice.



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02 Nov 2011, 1:19 am

See the big problem with most 'labels' such as aspy, adhd etc is they mainly list the male symptoms, cause for the most part it is mostly males that have these disorders. The problem is when you mix testosterone with these 'disorders' you get a very different result then when u mix estrogen with them. Aspy in girls is generally goes undiagnosed much longer then males because girls are naturally more skilled in aping social norms - so we pick up enough of the rules to kinda be normal, with just a few quirks. Also among girls quirky behaviour is seen as cute from men, rather then just plain weird, like a lot of guys can be labelled.

Further female symptoms are quite different from male symptoms. While male Aspys are foten obsessed with trains and how things work, females often get obsessed with relationship dynamics - which actually helps their quirkiness as they read more and more about it and learnt different things (I can tell u now I have easily 50+ books on different types of relationships - male/female, person/person, personality types, parent/child, mother/son, inner self, etc).

I could go on with the symptoms of Aspys in females, and will if you really want me to (but as an Aspy I am aware that I have a tendency to go on so I wont unless asked), but long story short - I put it to you - Aspy chicks are like most typical chicks, only better! ;) We are not overly sensitive like most females can be, we are far more logical and not half as emotional, we won't max out your credit card cause we are mostly great with numbers and see how that just would not benefit us and most importantly guys - another symptom they are starting to link to female aspys is promiscuity in single aspys ;) A great attribute if u propose to her and get to keep her all to urself ;)



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02 Nov 2011, 1:44 am

scaffelpike wrote:
See the big problem with most 'labels' such as aspy, adhd etc is they mainly list the male symptoms, cause for the most part it is mostly males that have these disorders. The problem is when you mix testosterone with these 'disorders' you get a very different result then when u mix estrogen with them. Aspy in girls is generally goes undiagnosed much longer then males because girls are naturally more skilled in aping social norms - so we pick up enough of the rules to kinda be normal, with just a few quirks. Also among girls quirky behaviour is seen as cute from men, rather then just plain weird, like a lot of guys can be labelled.

Further female symptoms are quite different from male symptoms. While male Aspys are foten obsessed with trains and how things work, females often get obsessed with relationship dynamics - which actually helps their quirkiness as they read more and more about it and learnt different things (I can tell u now I have easily 50+ books on different types of relationships - male/female, person/person, personality types, parent/child, mother/son, inner self, etc).

I could go on with the symptoms of Aspys in females, and will if you really want me to (but as an Aspy I am aware that I have a tendency to go on so I wont unless asked), but long story short - I put it to you - Aspy chicks are like most typical chicks, only better! ;) We are not overly sensitive like most females can be, we are far more logical and not half as emotional, we won't max out your credit card cause we are mostly great with numbers and see how that just would not benefit us and most importantly guys - another symptom they are starting to link to female aspys is promiscuity in single aspys ;) A great attribute if u propose to her and get to keep her all to urself ;)


I think its better to say some girls are more naturally skilled at mimicking social norms, I do not easily pick up on the 'rules' and I have never came off as 'normal'. I guess i just find it frusterating that people are willing to trust in sterotypes like that when not every normal female is the same and not every aspie female is the same.

Some of us like me suck at numbers and are quite sensative and I certainly do not feel very promiscuous at all.



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02 Nov 2011, 3:52 am

Quote:
It is worth noting that not all females with AS are mimics.


I'm not. I am also not more smart than Aspie boys and they are not more smart than me. This is because we are all different so there is no 'average'. If the stereotypes were true, then I would be a very happy person indeed. Instead I am stuck with the reality of being a girl with low functioning Aspergers who has to live in a care home. I need help with most social interaction and I have to have someone with me when I go out because I can become anxious which makes me aggressive. I suffered miserably at school and had to leave with no GCSEs because someone tried to kill me. Things did not get easier for me when I left school because without the proper support, I was mugged, attacked and assulted on several occasions. I have no confidence in myself at all. My sensory problems are also a LOT worse than some of the Aspie males who I live with.


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02 Nov 2011, 4:26 am

Taylor1002 wrote:
I'm so sorry to hear how mean people could be to everyone :( I was teased in elementary school, but I was accepted in middle school. I was accepted and actually protected in high school. I'm starting college this semester, and so far people are good to me here too. I don't know why I've been this lucky...


I don't think it is pure luck...I don't think it's physical attractiveness either, I'm reasonably cute and I was called "monster" . I think it's a matter of finding a person and suddently feeling your eyes open as to why they are thought as "cute" or funny" or "popular", and realizing it's useless to try and learn "what makes a person, in general , socially acceptable". There is no "in general" , I think.
Once you have found that person who really makes you think "oh! this is it. I need to be HER." and you find yourself imitating their tone, the way they carry themselves, the way they dress, and don't get me wrong: it doesn't come easy, it's hard work and rehearsals and test drives in front of your family that make you look like you have multiple personality disorder, it's making a list of 50 traits you need to appear to have and moral values you need to practice defending , a sense of humour you need to try on your sister first to see if it actually works, ( that literalness-turned-cuteness I talked about in the thread about "logical for fun" ), to drown out the thing that makes people call you "ret*d" and have them think you're really smart instead.....
I was popular in the last year of high school. Yeah, it took me 13 years to figure this out and have it work properly. It was a legit special interest, and that's why females appear more normal later in life, at least some of them; the mimickry and special interest in "being that girl".



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02 Nov 2011, 4:52 am

I usually do okay on first impressions, aka my facade. However, as soon as people start to get to know me, and get past the 'mimicry', they back off and don't want to deal with me.
On regular/good days I can go out and do the normal thing and go to a store (as long as I'm familiar with it) and look 'normal', unless I"m just like "I don't care how I look today" and just throw on pjs and my hoody.
In the class 'plays', I always got the main parts because I could mimic and act. It's difficult to keep it up though with real life. I may smile and look happy, but it's a facade. Usually, I'm frustrated inside, or I'm dissasociating and just going into what I've always called 'automatic' mode, where I just FUNCTION and act and not myself.
On good days, I pass off as normal, but on bad days, it's obvious. I'm either stimming, or I have a blank look, or I just look tired.

Anywho, as we've figured out already, I think Aspie girls are harder to find because of their mimicry and with social expectations. However, they are no where from "NT" on the inside.

Also, I feel it's unfair for everyone to bash the OP, because I get the feeling he was just trying to figure out Aspie woman and what not from what he's observed. He's just trying to figure it all out like the rest of us here.