Trouble finding places

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This is something I've just started to think about and wondering whether it's because of my AS. I always have trouble locating buildings I've never been to in the city. I have no idea why. I always look at maps but I still have trouble finding where something is. This is a pet peeve of mine. I get lost very easily. I can't figure out what the problem is. If anyone has any ideas I'd be very glad to hear them

I also have this problem, but I have NLD too.

I also have this problem. In my case, I have extremely poor visual memory. I still get lost in town, and I've lived here for the past 9 years.

I've travelled a lot around the UK in the last three years or so, and I struggle with places I've never been, but I overcompensate: I memorise not only routes, but areas on the map, so that if I take a wrong turn, I can still find my way. I set myself a challenge, if I'm going to a new place more than once: first time use the map, second time take it but don't use it, third time don't take it. I rarely need it the second time.

Routing is either visual - a mental picture of the map - or numerical - either road names, A299-A2-M2-A249-M20-M26-M25, or junctions, first-first-second-first-second.

Yes, this is a characteristic of Asperger's. I have read about this somewhere, and I remember that Heather Kuzmich dropped out of America's Next Top Model because she got lost on her way to one of the destinations.

I believe that this problem arises from the fact that those with AS often have a bad sense of direction due to poor spatio-visual perception. This is one of the traits that AS and NvLD (nonverbal learning disorder) have in common.

I also have always had trouble with orienting myself in new places. One thing that really helps me not to get confused in unfamiliar surroundings is Google Maps. It helps give you a smaller, more precise picture. Every time I go somewhere (I use transit to get places), I find the location of the nearest subway/bus/train station and print out a map that includes the route between the station and the place I need to get to. I make it as small and detailed as possible. Then, I trace the shortest route on the map. I print out this map and keep it handy for the trip.

Once I get to the station, I figure out the direction I should be going in by looking at the street names. If I'm going in the wrong direction, I look at the next street I cross that intersects the street that I'm following, and look up its location on the map. If I'm walking in a direction that takes me further away from my destination, then I turn around and walk the other way.

It can be a very time-consuming process, but that's how I eventually figure it out. That's why I always allow myself at least an extra half an hour to get to an unfamiliar place.

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I actually have an extra-ordinary sense of direction, but I don't think that's common in people with AS.

I guess I just use logic to find most places, it's usually very easy to understand where a building should be

Several books I've read recently on AS describe a poor sense of direction as common among Aspies. It's not clear to me if this is a result of how people give directions, how maps are set up, or how the "Aspie brain" works.

Like ryan93, I have an excellent sense of direction and visual memory. So I basically never get lost, and can get back to almost any place I've been to in the past 15 to 20 years. I wonder if the subset of Aspies who are particularly good at math or computers also do well with not getting lost, and the subset who are stronger in other areas have less of a sense of direction. I can glance at a map and recall much of it months or years later, and use my memory of it to get where I want to go. But even if I study a person's face for hours, I won't figure out what emotion is there.

Yes, I have this problem, as a matter of fact my visual memory is so bad, it's more debilitating to me than pretty much all of my other AS traits. I made a thread about it awhile ago that had a lot of info in it. http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt39082.html (sorry for bringing up an old thread, but sometimes I feel like I'm constantly repeating myself if I have info to share that I think may be helpful to a new thread.)

Difficulty with maps and spatial rotation is also gender related, which makes me odd on two counts. I'm a woman who excels at spacial rotation (I can mentally rotate images in my head) and interpreting maps from paper to real life is no problem. Like a couple of others here, I have never had a problem with finding my way around, I can readily call up the 'feel' of the map in my mind and not only find the place initially intended, but frequently adjust to changes in plans and find other places spur of the moment... as long as they were on the map and I had a chance to get the 'lay of the land'.

It's actually gotten me into trouble because I'll know we're going the wrong direction, but try telling that to some people...

OMG - another Aspie trait I have!

I sometimes remember businesses to be on the opposite side of the street than they actually are, and am dumbfounded when I return there the next time to find the business has "moved".

In order to learn a place's location and directions to get there I have to drive it each day for a month, then I won't forget. If I did it just once each month I would never remember how to get there, what lane to be in to not be forced the wrong direction (like on highways and in cities with one-way streets where you are forced to go in a certain direction if you are in the wrong lane, etc.)

I have a sister who can go to a place once and remember forever. She doesn't understand why I can't remember (so tell me something new), yet I can cite the major facets of certain composers' lives, tell you when their major pieces were written and who they influenced.

I am hopeless in directions: you could blindfold me, spin me around, the sun could still be shining and I could absolutely guess North about 25% of the time correctly, not even better than chance.

My rule of thumb is, if there is a turn to get wrong on the way, I will make ALL of the wrong turns! I have to double my travel time, which is why nowadays I use public transportation a lot - I just can't take the frustration of being wrong all the time.

I particularly have to have the map and the direction I'm going in agree on N-S orientation. I cannot go to the East if the map
says that East is "up" on the paper.

I cracked up my biology professor in college once, who said: "You're the only person to memorize all the various parts right in the frog dissection, only you labeled 75% of them in the wrong place!! !" I knew that three things were associated, just could not orient them in the exact sequence from north to south. How bizarre is that?

I'm another one who is useless with directions. If it's a place I've never been to before I always allow double the recommended time to get there to account for the many mishaps that will occur on the way. I’ll pull over to look at the map, see exactly where I need to go, then in the time it takes to reach the first turning I’ll have forgotten everything and go the wrong way. I desperately need a satnav!

Gosh, I'm relieved it's not just me. Tremendously relieved in fact... I didn't associate that with aspie, it's a relief to know what causes it!

I can get lost so easily it's untrue. I've even got lost walking back home to my house, after I'd lived there a year! That's how bad I am...

I don't think this is just an AS trait... my partner who is majorly NT can't find her way out of a paper bag with a flashlight, map, and GPS.

Asking her to navigate while I drive is a sure way to get ourselves lost.

YES, really bad sense of direction.
It's taken a lot of work to orient myself in this city. Especially downtown, with all the traffic and people, my mind gets overloaded
and I barely have enough brains left over to walk straight and not get run over, let alone find my way around.

The Answer:
Handheld GPS! Or get a cellphone that has one. I used to have a GPS (until a junkie stole it) and used it in the city as well as the woods. Although some of them dont work well with tall buildings on a cloudy day. Then you can plan your route, tell how long it will take to walk there, and if you are in the right direction. My GPS had very few street maps, only major highways, and I still found it very useful. You'll never really get lost again once you figure out how to use it.

Google: maps, turn-by-turn directions and street-view. That way, I know what streets I need, I have specific directions for each part of the journey and I know what the building and street look like. The other (expensive) option is a GPS with turn-by-turn feature, but I prefer having it in written form.

Last week, I got lost going to Walmart. I ended up driving all over town looking for it. I've lived in this area for eight years. Turns out, I'd taken a slightly different route the first time, didn't recognize the corner and looked the wrong direction and completely missed the huge blue and tan box store that was right in front of me.