Are highly intellectual aspies different than other aspies?

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IDK, I mean I like intellectual topics like science related stuff....but I am terrible at math, like I could not even attempt to explain anything in a mathmatical way. So in that sense I've felt left out of the whole intellectual tribe, like I can talk about things but I don't know anything about mathmatics or how that works. So just not sure where that leaves me, like I care about the world and the environment but don't ask me for a numerical description of what is happening. Like I feel I could describe something in a good way, but I could not describe it in a way they can put on a chart.

What a terrible curse, to care about science and the information it can provide...but no actual understanding of math. And I have tried, got tutoring in college and after school help in middle and high school but its like my brain simply cannot comprehend it. It is a weird problem...because like with dyslexia its just a disorder in how things are seen, a person with that can teach themselves to read things the right way, my brother has told me about it because he has dyslexia. Like sometimes words or the order of numbers gets mixed up in his brain so he has to try and compensate go figure he is still a lot better at math than me. But its like for me the equations and numbers just don't make sense and I can't figure it out...like I am not seeing it wrong, I just can't do the equations and stuff to make the problem work out. Like I can do it if I have some notes or some guide on how to do the problem...but I can't do it on my own. I mean I was never one to really not do homework or schoolwork, like I did not slack....yet I failed remedial math in college twice.

So how can I be an intellectual if I don't even get math...aside from that though I am very much into those kinds of topics. Granted the neurologist who diagnosed me with aspergers said in a document I have a copy of that I probaby also have a learning disability in math...not specified, not sure if there is a disorder where you just can't get math no matter what but if so that is probably what I have.

Many professions - like law for example - are intellectual and don't require maths. Philosophy, zoology, art history, etc.
What all require are good analytical skills and some require good language skills and or observational skills. University teachers of English literature are usually pretty dim in maths, in my experience, but have an exceptional memory, love literature for its own sake, and are very analytical.

Some soft sciences require only basic maths of no great ability because statistics are involved, but even the non-maths students can pass these at the lower levels of study, and it's often enough to progress in those fields. Once upon a time you needed much higher level stat maths, but now there are computer programs that do a lot of that and raw data is fed into these programs.

Dyscalculia is a severe difficulty in making arithmetical calculations.

Maths ability seems to be more compatible with people whose primary mode of cognitive processing is visual. People whose primary mode is words (verbal) will usually find it harder, though not because of dyscalculia necessarily. More effort is needed, but the verbal math students can still achieve quite a lot at basic levels with good teachers who teach at the students' own paces.

Being good at math has nothing to do with being "intellectual". Many art and literature people are not good at math.

But since you brought up the subject- how impaired are you? Can you do arithmetic? Can you balance a check book? It sounds like its just going beyond arithmetic to algebra that you get in trouble.

I have found that the bulk of maths teachers are not especially patient with their non-star pupils.

I know of that description, but everyone with dyscalculcia I have talked to says its mostly numbers and/or word being somewhat backwards...and that the kind of have to reverse read to actually get what it says. Or maybe there are different types I mean I have read descriptions of it...but people I've talked to that have it most definitely say its a problem in reading the numbers not so much in calculating.

Thank you.

Did these individuals know they had AS from childhood or did they figure it out as adults? Would you say their academic success was matched in being more successful in other areas too? (relationships, socially, mental health, happiness levels)?

I think I could have stayed in academia with relative ease. I was offered a job after my PhD in political theory and my research was fairly contemporary and relevant. What I would have found very hard to do is do that alongside raising a family in particular one with high needs to a successful level that I would have felt comfortable with. I kind of need to do one thing fully and not spread myself too thin. I can easily see how academia and academic life works as a very good career choice otherwise.

I can't help wanting to have had both simultaneously but I think it would have been too stressful for me.

Last edited by elsapelsa on 24 May 2018, 3:46 am, edited 1 time in total.

LOl well I have not had to balance a check book, so not sure...lol I just do all that online, I divide the amount of money I have each month by the days in the months to find out what I can spend per day usually with a bit extra to spare but I just use the calculator and try to keep track of how much I spend each day. But no its like going beyond arithmetic gets me in trouble....like I can't even do long division. I have heard schools have been doing math differently now-days, so perhaps if I looked into some of the newer methods it would make more sense.

Half of them married, one remarried and the others are still married to the original spouse. One is asexual and has never had a partnered relationship (she is 53), the youngest of the group. None of the group had any idea as children that they were on the spectrum, all did academically very well at school in normative classes, top of exam results in most subjects, and this too was partly because of their exceptional memories. All of the married ones are parents of adult children. The electrical engineer delegates the socialising to his NT wife, as he prefers not to engage in small talk whether socially or at home. He is a mine of information though when we discuss anything meaningful to him, like general science topics. He is also a maths genius, at a level that is relatively rare. He interacts well with his children though, who are curious children, ask loads of questions, and love knowledge for its own sake.

That is really interesting. Thank you. It has given me much more food for thought as to whether I am neurodiverse or not. That is a similar academic background and mindset to my own. Do you know what triggered them to question whether they were AS or not? For me, it was doing the research and figuring out that my daughter is an aspie and then finding it fit me too. I have always been different, but I feel that apart from some challenges with sensory stuff and lack of interest in being social I have used most of my differences to my advantage (especially in terms of academic achievements and general well-being).

Those kids sound like my kids too.

I apologize in advance for taking this wild tangent, but by chance are any of your gifted aspie associates audiophiles?

you are asking analytical questions trying to figure out your math abilities and the impact on you. That is an intellectual discussion.
Guess that makes you an intellectual.
And I do mean that.

Math is a huge area.
and sorry if I missed it. Is the issue dyscalculia or you don't get it.
The way math is taught is not real math. The teachers often do not understand what the equations mean. They are taught as just disembodied equations to memorize and run through calculations. Which makes no sense to an analytical mind.

Real math is almost philosophy.

Kahn academy videos are free on the internet and he explains many concepts better than most teachers.
Sometimes the trick is finding the right teacher.
In my day, I discovered review books. Much more straight forward than teachers.

Or you made it this far and don't need it. Math may be a prerequisite for college, but college does not mean smart or intellectual.

and love the cougar. We used to have them here until all the new construction.

If you're doing well with an advanced degree and job/family, why are you digging around? Is it to get attention? Do you think you are cool to go around saying you are an Aspie? How impaired can you really be?

I guess like many people who come here I am in the "still questioning stage." There is a lot of evidence in my life right back to childhood that I might have autism. Because I have learnt to cope with the things that are challenging for me I would not consider myself impaired just limited in some areas. Also, if I didn't limit myself (for example how much time I spend being social, how much work and multi-tasking I make myself do etc.) I would find myself more impaired.

I doubt I would have thought of autism in relation to myself if my daughter didn't get diagnosed. I would have just thought I was different, socially reclusive, dependent on huge amounts of alone time and had some strange visual sensory issues going on that I would have put down to migraines.

I think anyone in their right mind would not think themselves cool calling themselves an aspie, but having been here for a few months now and raising a child with autism I would think even less of that as I see how much some, including my daughter, struggle day to day. You are right, I don't struggle that much. I don't work at the moment. I am at home raising my kids. As I suffer exhaustion from too much social interaction I worry about returning to work next year. So that is another reason I am "digging around" so that I can get the best self understanding and coping strategies possible in place before I try to simultaneously navigate motherhood and kids. I went for an interview recently and after half an hour one-on-one time I found myself stimming for an hour afterwards and then I was absolutely shattered for the rest of the day. I don't know if that is normal for a person that is neurotypical or not. I am trying to figure this out. I am trying to find ways to be as good as I can be. And also everything has changed for me over time. For example, I haven't had a melt-down, or even been close to one, for 15 years but my sensory issues are getting harder to navigate.

Finally, as I will be working with young children and teens, I am particularly interested in how highly intellectual aspies might pass through the school system unnoticed. I am interested in whether super high academic achievement might even indicate AS. I am interested in this as I was academically an off-the-charts achiever in terms of actual grades. In the UK a 1st class degree mark is 70 percent. My scores were consistently in the 90s. That was very unusual. Alongside this I was shy, quiet and introverted to the point where I would sometimes not be able to talk in public. Alongside that I had some very well camouflaged mental health issues as a teen and I have struggled because of my social issues (and worries about overloading myself and the implications that would have for my overall well-being) to actually do much with my academic achievements. I am interested if this is the kind of pattern I might look for in other people, in particularly, teens when working with mental health amongst youth in the future.

So basically I am just interested in finding out how wide and how dispersed the spectrum for AS is and also perplexed as to whether I fit within it or not.

I am really sorry if you feel my queries in any way belittle the very real challenges people face, which I have no doubt are far greater than my own. That would never be my intention but I am sorry if anything I have said would indicate that.

I keep thinking about your posts. If you want, this was part of a course on achieving goals I took.


Forget what intellectual means to everyone else. What does it mean to you? If this was a magical world, what would be better for you if you were intellectual.

or are you specifically wishing for the ability to do math? and if it is math, what does that mean for you in your life?

no need to answer publicly if you don't want to. But if you want to continue this line of thought with me, let me know when you have that picture in your head.

You are intellectual. Your questions and thoughts show you analyze and question. So looks like you have the hard wiring, just lacking training? right teaching methods? I don't accept "I can't" in my life if there is a way around a block. I may not reach the goal, but always better for trying.

again, you do not need to share anything with me or anyone. but if you can have a clear picture of what you want then break it into small steps to get there. some will fail. some will succeed. some are dead ends, some fail but lead to right step, some may take years before they happen. But I find if I never stop asking and striving,then I eventually bump into a way to take that next step.

posting on the run. hope this is coherent