Not All Autistic People Are Good At Math And Science

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If there's a silver lining to going undiagnosed until age 29, it's that nobody expected me to be good at math or bad at fiction writing. For me, the opposite was the case.

I'm guessing this has already been said (need to read through the whole thread), but studies show most ASD people don't excel in math and natural sciences, or related fields. It's far more common, for example, for women to be interested in and excel at the arts and humanities. Speaking from experience, I stunk in high school in lab sciences and only took bio (though ironically I did win the school award in an ecology class that had barely any labs). I gassed my fruit flies in that experiment and despite a second chance from the teacher to revive them and complete the lab, I couldn't and I got a lower grade as a result (wasn't diagnosed till 2 years ago). I never took chem and struggled migthily w/the physics, geology and compsci classes I had to take in college. I passed all of them pass-fail, barely and w/a tutor for physics. In my first masters program I took stats the semester my mom died (that was fun!) and I still remember the hell of turning my assignment due that sh***y, rainy day. That class ended up taking up all my free time (like 8 hours/day, 5 days/week or something) and even w/2 tutors I barely got through it. I did Ace it, but it took everything out of me to do so.

I am still in the process of trying to get into a phd program and I have zero interest in using "quantitative methods" at all. It does give you greater potential job security, but it definitely requires you to have the interest and patience to deal w/all that number crunching.

Referring to the OP, who or what caused the stereotype? Was it the movie "Rain Man"? Was it initial reports? Other questions: so if someone is found to have math talent, or lack thereof, what accounts for it (pyschosocial developmental issues, neuronal differences, other...)?

There seems to be an informal survey going on here about experiences, so let me add mine. I am what seems to be the rare autist math genius. I don't read much fiction, but when I do, I enjoy it. Mostly I read science, math, and stuff about western esoteric traditions from a non-fiction, historical point of view. Math is fun!

I do worry, reading peoples comments so far in this thread, that their experiences indicate that something else might be wrong. Maybe it is about how math is taught? The NT Borq domination of society is backfiring. Perhaps that neurotype of mindset is causing people to miss out on their full math potential. Certainly lots of people complain about math education. The rote, keep in step, form of factory-line eduation we have now does not work well for persons on the spectrum, and perhaps, a fair bunch of other people as well.

Math is, by far, my best subject

But it is also the one I worked the most on

Second to English

Still not good enough for structural engineering

Yes, I am the worst at math. None of it click with me. I hate this stereotype that people with an ASD are automatically geniuses at math and science. All my life, I've struggled with math and science in school and nearly failed each math class I've been in. As for science, I have plentiful interest in certain branches, but still, I struggle with understanding some things. I have found simple thinking in English and writing, however. I love to write and understanding the complex language of English is easy for me. I wholeheartedly wish I could be good at math and understand science.

Was pretty decent at math in school, but only to a point. Likewise with science. Part of the problem was an innate inability to generate enough interest my brain for it to learn certain things, if that makes sense?

Could probably have found a niche in either field where I could exploit my innate skills, otherwise I'm a bit 'meh' at these type subjects.

Some things I just struggle to understand at all. At least so far and I've tried. Electronic circuits is one. I just can't wrap my head round it. I think it's maybe the 'sees the detail but not the bigger picture' thing, because to understand an electronic circuit you need to sort of have a view of the entire system at a macro level where you can concentrate on all parts that are involved in it's working operation. Likewise a gravity fed plumbing system. It hurts my brain.

Whereas certain types of programming, I can understand sections of code, and string them together and make a thing that works, without necessarily having to take an 'overview' of the interrelationship of all the elements simultaneously. I am was pretty good at coding at one time.

So give me tasks where I can hyperfocus or use my sensory apparatus and that's where I excel.

I produced a brand logo for a company which they loved and is as good as anything you would get from a top agency, because it was all about geometry and form and logic and DETAIL.. I created certain logical and nicely proportioned rules for the font created for it, with a little bit of MC Escher geometry, and they loved that I measured everything to the pixel..

Also very good at things like audio mastering, because the lack of filter means I can listen to an overall mix, and focus in on a very specific fine detail simultaneously.. I read that neurologically typical brains automatically mask out parts of the audio band, I just seem to be able to listen to the whole mix and use my focal awareness like a narrow flashlight beam.. I just can't do that wider flood beam...

I think there are probably a disproportionate number of people in those types of design and engineering jobs who are on the spectrum, compared to other professions

...

_________________
Renal kidney failure, congestive heart failure, COPD. Can't really get up from a floor position unhelped anymore:-(.
One of the walking wounded ~ SMASHED DOWN by life and age, now prevented from even expressing myself! SOB.
" Oh, no! First you have to PROVE you deserve to go away to college! " ~ My mother, 1978 (the heyday of Andy Gibb and Player). I would still like to go.
My life destroyed by Thorazine and Mellaril - and rape - and the Psychiatric/Industrial Complex. SOB:-(! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !!

Was pressured into doing physics and math and economics at A level "because I was good at them" and bombed (did half OK with economics) that was the end of my academia.

Should have ignored being pushed and done what felt right - graphic design, the arts.

Visual thinker I suppose, reading the grand tempel thing on page 1.

If her hypothesis is accurate?