skibum wrote:
Aspies can be good at pretty much anything. That is such an individual question. You can't just generalize at what Aspies are good at. That's like asking what are neurotypicals good at? Each individual will have his or her specific strengths as well as weaknesses and they will be as individual and unique as the person is. We have common things that we are not so good at that help define the criteria for the diagnosis but asking what we are good at is a very broad question.
^^ Very much this ^^
There are some things that come more easily to me, as a result of certain qualities of my autism - ADHD helps me read through large amounts of text very rapidly, ODC helps me be meticulous and detailed - but there are many things I've worked hard at, and became good at despite my autism, such as speaking in front of large groups (which I now enjoy) or handling chaotic situations.
Regardless of whether my autism enhanced or hindered my ability to learn a skill, every skill I have, I have because I worked at it, developed it, practiced it, and maintained it, for long periods of time. Many skills require upkeep. So called "natural ability" can make skills require less effort to learn and excel at, and less practice to maintain - but it's very much like being tall and playing basketball, or having long legs and being a runner - while they do help in general, you don't NEED them to be good at those things. Being naturally good at things is the exception, not the rule. Most skill is developed or cultivated, even if it's not readily visible.
Many times when we look at other people who are good at things, we see the end result of them being good, but we don't see all the practice and effort that went into getting that good. It has been said that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become truly skilled at something. If you've tried something "a buncha times" or spent "several weeks", or "a couple hours a week", practicing something, you've still got a looooong ways to go before you can claim you "can't" get better. The average person spends several hours a day over several months to get proficient at something. People with amazing skill have often spent years, if not decades, of time and effort doing the thing they're good at.
Additionally, in order to improve with practice, you have to practice doing the right thing, the right way. If you practice doing something the wrong way, you just get better at getting the same wrong outcome. Life isn't like a video game where all you have to do is go through the motions over and over, ability magically increases as a result, and boom, you now have a new skill. The quality, content, depth, and diligence of the practice make a huge difference. Many skills are perishable, and if you don't keep practicing them regularly, they fade.
Skills aren't something you just "have". They're build, cultivated, maintained, practiced, refined, and shaped. Even breathing can be a skill, if you intentionally do it in a specific way for a specific reason, as in athletes who control their breathing. When you get good enough at a skill, and practice it often enough, you can do it almost reflexively, without thinking.
Unfortunately, too many people stop trying when they hit the limits of their comfort, long before they hit the limits of their capability.
13 Nov 2021, 3:43 am
