Theory: Autism and Sexual Deviants

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Yes, I know. I wasn't directing that comment at your comment. It was merely an aside.

Um... what led you to that conclusion?

I think the introversion / extroversion scale gets very wonky when you apply it to people on the spectrum. How many have been "driven" to think themselves introverted because they have trouble holding conversations with others? That's not to say that there aren't "true" introverts on the spectrum; I just think there are fewer than most people believe.

Extroverts on the spectrum probably have many moments where they just want to be left alone... either to sort out emotions or to explore special interests. But then they may have times of extreme outwardness and friendship, participating in or even initiating gatherings of trusted friends, sometimes in large numbers.

I am an extrovert who is extremely introverted due to bad past experiences, but I still voice my opinion when I can, I am just a lot more quiet publicly than I would prefer.

See? I rest my case.

As an asexual person, I agree that the incidence of asexuality seems to be higher among people with ASDs. I think it's a good question, though, whether there are actually more asexual autistic people than asexual NT people, or whether the autistic people are simply more likely to acknowledge and admit the fact, rather than forcing themselves to go through with activity they don't particularly enjoy for fear that admitting they had little interest in sex wouldn't be 'normal'.

Ah yes - but if I was gay, I would certainly have spent most of my life keeping *very* quiet about it. Why do you search for a correlation between sexual orientation and autism, yet reject the idea of a correlation between introversion and Aspergers? I wake up your case....

It is impossible to draw any realistic conclusion based on personal anecdote - is there any research behind any of this?

I'm not. I agreed with the OP, leaving open the possibility there may be some correlation but it would be extremely difficult to measure.


Again, I neither said nor inferred that. I'm hypothesizing that the correlation isn't necessarily as strong as many would believe, and that there may, in fact, be several "types" of autistic introverts.

I will ask you if there have been any studies which correlate a larger percentage of introversion among autistics, and how introversion itself is measured. Self-administered tests, or something more thorough? Does the autistic mind produce an introverted personality under certain circumstances, or is introversion a fundamental part of one's nature? I don't think we know the answer.


That's why I winked. Here, I'll do it again.

This is just a guess with no research but I suspect that the incidence of asexuality in AS people really would be proportionately higher than with NT people, and it's not just an illusion. Why do I think that? Low hormone levels could cause asexuality in anyone, AS or NT. But AS people seem more prone to sensory issues which could definately reduce libido. On the other hand, in people with a libido, I am buying Padium's theory that LGBT people who are also AS might feel less need to "act straight" than NT LGBT people. (My that's a lot of initials.) This could apply to introverts as well as extroverts because "coming out" doesn't have to be to other people (which introverts may never do). First and foremost it means coming out to yourself even if you never share that information publicly. If you are already on the fringe in one way, it's easier to accept about yourself that you are on the fringe in another way too- which I think was the core of Padium's argument. But NT people are less likely to have strong sensory issues which means also less likely to be asexual because of sensory issues. Hormonal issues are another story and I think evenly distributed. But fiddlerpianist also brought up the possibility of AS people simply being driven in other directions. Then there's the whole matter of interpersonal communications difficulties which might make the whole matter just too much hassle to be worth it to some AS people.

No. I don't have any research to back up any of the above. It is pure speculation.

Here's a snippet from the classic "OMG I just found out about Asperger’s and I think I have it" post I posted on another website when I first learned about AS.



I graduated high school around the time Asperger’s was added to the DSM. I knew I was different, but the only thing that I could blame was sexuality issues. At least when I was younger. As I got older I realized that my differences went beyond that. I didn't find the root cause until I was 31 years old.

People will analyze the data they have and make conclusions off that data. If you don’t know there is an unspoken communication going on that everyone around you gets except you, there is no way to use that towards figuring out what’s different about you or why you are having issues. But it’s very easy to blame things that you DO know are different.

As far as the original topic of this thread… I can only speak of my own experience. I’m “gay”. I wouldn’t consider myself “queer”. People are absolutely SHOCKED when they find out I’m gay. The reason is that I have never matched the gay stereotypes.

I don’t understand how these develop. Many gay people talk alike. But it’s not like an accent developed by living in a certain area where almost everyone talks the same way. Many gay people have similar mannerisms too. I don’t know if this is intentional mimicry that sticks and becomes part of the persons speech and expression. Maybe it’s just advertising for a “playmate” or attention. I don’t know. I’ve always just tried to be myself, and that never meant adopting the speech and mannerisms of stereotyped people I saw on TV or encountered in real life.

So maybe your theory can go both ways. (slight pun intended). Maybe the traits of Asperger’s can lead someone to not caring what other people think and aid in becoming a flaming beacon of stereotypical gay behavior. But it could also lead to a person rejecting such stereotypical behavior and just being themselves regardless of sexual orientation.

I never meant for stereotypes to be included in my theory, which is why I never mentioned them. If you are gay, whether or not you are a stereotypee doesn't matter, rather what matters is that you are queer. I also prefer queer over LGBT because it includes all aspects, rather thasn just those four letters, a longer version of LGBT can be LBGTTT2SPQQ etc. Also, for the purposes of this theory, I will include asexuals who are not asexual strictly because of sensory issues, but have other reasons behind their asexuality. If the only reason you are asexual is sensory issues, it is not asexuality, it is celibacy.

Wow... is that actually an acronym? If so, I'd love to know what the 2 stands for.

Wait...You lost me. What are all those other letters for in LBGTTT2SPQQ??????

LBGTTT2SPQQ: Lesbian Bisexual Gay Transsexual Transgender Transvestite 2SPQ Queer. I recall seeing the acronym before, but I can't remember all of it.

So if some "women's work" chores are actually more appealing to a "male brain," does that mean that traditional gender roles actually diversify who-does-what?

Heh, quite possibly. It's even more interesting that knitting was probably invented by a male, and in fact it was a male-dominated activity until the 20th century.

I enjoy a lot of "women's work" chores. I'm much better at mopping floors, doing laundry, and doing dishes than I am sorting through piles of papers and organizing them.

LBGTTT2SPQQ: Lesbian Bisexual Gay Transsexual Transgender Transvestite Two Spirited Pansexual Queer Questioning. There is more than that too.