Counting

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Yes i do this quite a lot.

Same here. I count almost all the time subconsciously! Sometimes numbers, people, words, kind of animals, green things, blue things, shiny stuff, etc...
Other times, just things that happened that day.

A few times I've counted things, but I prefer pure numbers. In kindergarten I starting trying to count powers of two (didn't know they were called that at the time). I kept doing it as a got older (but w/higher numbers), currently I have them memorized through the 20th (1048576) although I can go higher on individual occasions.

The funny thing is that it actually helps with binary->decimal conversions (people in computer science classes are always amazed that I know EXACTLY how many combinations of values are in two bytes etc. ).

As of now, I'm too occupied with functioning in this chaotic world to even think about counting anything out of the necessary.

I don't do this.

When I try to count something moving swiftly while trying to keep functioning I usually break off after 5-6, getting confused, focussing on functioning socially, making someone else do it while I'll play silly.

Yes, I tend to count certain things too. Sometimes I will count the number of cars I meet while driving to work. I count many things without really trying to think about it. I have lunch duty where I teach, so I am often counting the number of kids at each table.

I count things a lot, I've always assumed it's a coping mechanism of some sort or just a way of keeping my overactive mind busy.

Don't laugh, but I also play the alphabet game in my head when I am stressed. You know the game? You choose a subject then work through the alphabet a-z finding words to fit the category. I do this a lot when I can't sleep.

I was wondering if you were a programmer as I read your post - that answers it. I always thought most programmers remember this sort of thing, but maybe not? Now if you could go up to 2^30 that would be an Aspie thing for sure. I remember most powers of 2 up to 20, but not the rarely used ones like 18 and 19. It's not something I've made an effort to memorise, I've just seen them that many times. For the same reason I can clearly remember the final build numbers of Windows NT 4 (1381), 2000 (2195) and XP (2600), even though these numbers are of no use to me whatsoever.

I'm actually not, although I sometimes think I should have been. I took a high school class on it, and part of one of the core classes in my grad program covers it a little, but in college I pursued what I was most interested in rather than what I seemed best at, which may or may not prove wise.

What's funny is that when I was learning I suddenly remembered the the amounts of gold and experience you can get in Dragon Warrior (Copyright 1986) are 65535 each [Link (see bottom left)], funny that.

Last edited by Pyrite on 27 Apr 2012, 3:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I remember yesterday I was reluctant to lend somemoney to a friend, until I realized that if I did, it would bring the total debt to 62500 pesos ($30), which would be equal to 5^4 x 2^2, so I ended up accepting

I remember yesterday I was reluctant to lend somemoney to a friend, until I realized that if I did, it would bring the total debt to 62500 pesos ($30), which would be equal to 5^6 x 2^2, so I ended up accepting

I don't really count things in the sense of how many there are of something or how many times an event repeats. I've been doing arithmetic in my head and comparing statistical values, just because I like to, since I was a kid.

I count whenever I am pouring liquids. I will only stop when I have reached a multiple of 5.

And this isn't counting related - but our TV volume displays a numerical value, and I have to also set the volume in multiples of 5.

Yes, I count a lot of things. Steps, running water or pouring liquids, I count the dishes as I'm putting them away.

I also recite license plate numbers inside my head as I see them while driving. Sometimes I'll count the number of, for example, white pickup trucks I see on the way to work. Or blue SUVs. I count the number of traffic signals I have to stop at.

Except when I'm engaged in a conversation that grips my full interest, I also ALWAYS have a line or phrase from a song repeating in my head. Sometimes it'll be the same one for days, sometimes it changes from day to day, or even hourly.

All of these things serve as calming mechnisms for me. I had always thought it was OCD. Isn't OCD a common co-morbidity with AS?

Yes, always counting. License plates. Thinking of math.

Yes I love to count. I count everything, even down to brushing my teeth.

That's why I don't get bored I think, because there's always something to count.

I think I was born counting because I've just always done it.

I also like to watch numbers counting down on a timer.

I wouldn't say that I'm particularly good at maths though.

It's all about the numbers, for what it's worth.

When I get stressed I count my steps in two, well I do all the time but I do not add the hundreds up.
I like to do it to the tune of something, like star wars music.