Is this Introversion?

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It sounds to me like a normal reaction to being dragged along to do something you're not interested in, when you really wanted to be doing something else...with some elements of autistic traits, like not recognizing people.

This whole event sounds like something people do when they have lots of money to burn, not something regular income people would do. I think even the most outgoing, sociable people can also be bored by things like that.

When you said it was every house in the neighborhood...I figure it's one of those places where everyone feels obligated to participate, whether they even want to or not, either to show off or to avoid being snubbed by the neighbors if they don't rise up to their standards...and they probably have a homeowners association and other little society groups dictating how things have to be in the neighborhood.

Autistic people don't all get overstimulated and withdraw from social interaction.
Instead, many have trouble getting into social interaction even when they want to take part in a conversation.
NTs have spontaneous, fast, automatic social responses, social intuition, and synchrony with each other that allows them to have conversations in which it is hard for autistic people to join if they are interested and want to.
Reduced social cognition in autism is most likely cause with most robust evidence, not sensory issues, overstimulation, processing problems, EF problems, etc.

It was actually kind of neat seeing all the houses decked out with stuff. One house had a screen showing videos (such as the Michael Jackson Thriller music video). It’s interesting how creative people can be. There was one guy, dressed as a zombie, who was standing in the driveway, still as could be. I knew it was a person and not a mannequin. Still, I jumped when he moved and tried to scare people walking by.

Interesting. Now I am curious. Have any studies been performed comparing NT extroverts vs NT introverts vs HFA?

But you were able to converse with people, albeit on a superficial level; the sensory issues were not so severe that it
precluded you having derived some pleasure from the evening. You were able to see the harmony amid the chaos.

Maybe inwardly, you felt Spectrumly at times--but your outward presentation was more introvert than autistic.

Your inward state could have been caused by your autism--but your adjustments enabled you not to seem overtly symptomatic.

You seemed more like an introvert than an autistic person, IMHO.

I would be having a lot of fun looking at the decorations and scary stuff and I would ignore the people but if someone was friendly and talked to me, I would talk to them.
All my life I never realized socializing was such an important thing.
But I love looking at Halloween and Christmas decorations. I like the flashy over-done ones the best.

Could you please explain what this means?


Is this referring to last night? Or, in general? I usually don't feel "Spectrumly"? Rather, I occasionally analyze what has transpired and try to understand it.


I have only met one person who had an outward presentation that was clearly HFA. He spent the entire time talking about his interests.


Could you elaborate on “adjustments”, as I am not certain I understand what you are referring to.


You may be right. What’s interesting, is that I was (or at least recall myself being) much less introverted during certain prior periods in my life. Then again, maybe it was the alcohol and drugs (from my younger years) that made me believe I was less introverted. LOL

It seems as if you saw harmony in the decorations, but chaos in the maelstrom of people. I often feel that way. This is very characteristic of autism....but a casual observer cannot see this.

I was referring to last night.

You made adjustments by speaking to those people, rather than withdrawing into your own world. I feel like I'm "making adjustments" frequently.

If I were an observer, I would have thought you an introvert rather than an autistic person.

I'm an introvert, who also just recently have discovered I might be a "spectrumite". I read your story of the Halloween party with interest, and imagined how I might feel. I would definitely love the decorations, but when I imagine going into a house full of people, I would definitely want to go back out! In my mind the sensory overload would come from being inside with lots of people moving about, lights, lots of voices etc. That would desorient me.

Just this weekend I was at my in-laws, celebrating the birthday of the family "matriarch". We were only 13 people, but as I kept observing myself (I do this a lot after discovering my maybe-ASD) and realized that it didn't take long before I zonked out, had trouble concentrating on only one conversation, and many of the subjects went right over my head anyway - as in, I felt I had nothing to contribute, that the conversation subjects were "too grown-up" or whatever, and that I just wasn't interested. After the party when my husband and I drove home in the dark, I was exhausted and got very carsick (we had to stop so I could go outside in the dark and cold air). I couldn't wait to get out of my dress and nice shoes, and I just wanted silence.

How much of this was ASD, and how much was introversion? I reckon it was a good mix of both. I suppose, being female and meant to talk a lot, I try very hard to do so, and it drains me even faster. My brain races to think of something to contribute to the conversation. Really the only really good thing about the evening was when we were shown slides from the "birthday girl"'s life, way back from the 1920's. And also I got to flick through a newly published books of old photos from my area. This is one of my special interests.

There actually were not a lot of people at my wife’s friends’ house. At least inside the house. Maybe about a dozen. Most were in the kitchen. So, I just stood in an adjacent room.


I mostly spoke with the couple we went with (whom we have known for > 25 years). Though, once that couple started engaging with the others, I simply wandered around. I really didn’t talk to anyone else (other than exchanging in social niceties by saying “Hello”).


What I have noticed, when I am in a room with a large number of people, I am oftentimes not interested in the conversation that I am involved in (which, could be just me standing next to my wife, as they converse and I “listen in”). Instead, what happens is my ears pick up another conversation which sounds more interesting. And, I may start to listen to that instead. It’s kind of like changing the radio station. I get bored of one thing and listen to another.

The zombie scared the sh*t out of me (even though I *knew* it was a person who was going to scare me). It reminded me of when I was little. I went to the haunted house and got so scared, I left immediately.

All in all, an excellent performance, Rocket!

Congratulations on having endured this--and coming back home unscathed!

I would have begged off a long time ago, claiming some sort of tiredness or (if I'm really feeling bold): wanting to watch the World Series.

A dozen people in a house is something I rarely encounter. I'm not bad in crowds at sporting event, etc--but a dozen people in a single home is really too much for me. I'd have to split then, after being polite and all.

I think you come across as more socially awkward than introverted, Rocket.
I know some NTs who are very introverted, and they seem to simply not converse, while also having social intuition, it is like they seem like closed off, but not at all autistic.
NTs who are introverted by not very seem more open, as they do converse and have social intuition.
Autistic introverts usually seem different than NT super introverts to me, less closed off but a lot more socially awkward due to lacking social intuition.

I actually think Rocket is a man with lots of class--who might, at times, be socially awkward--and, at times, introverted.

I'd zone out pretty quickly in that situation, either wishing I had an electronic device (iPad, portable gaming console, etc.) while feeling irritable, or playing/listening to music on one, and feeling less irritable. I'd want to escape pretty quickly.

While you had less of an autistic response than I would, it was still, nonetheless, autistic. On top of that, it was one I could relate to. You didn't want to be there. At one point, you took a break by looking at the houses again. You didn't have an autiscly extroverted response; as an example, you didn't loudly monologue to people in awkward fashion. You reacted like I would; like an autistic introvert.

Well, now I am curious. How does a lay person (like myself) observe "social intuition" in another? Likewise, how does a lay person determine if someone lacks "social intuition"? I ask, because I am now interested in observing other people to see if I can distinguish between an NT super introvert and an autistic introvert.