Aspergers - Discussion about Imagination

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I wasn't diagnosed with Aspergers until I was sixteen, three years ago (well technically autism because they took it out of the DSM, but I am a strong advocate for its revival since they are VERY different though present similarly).
Basically all the questionnaires and formal diagnostic criteria for both disorders describe a severe impairment to the brain's imagination. For example, not engaging in pretend play as a child, not understanding and/or enjoying fiction, unable to makeup images in your mind, etc. I personally find this absolutely untrue for me. If anything, I have an extremely overactive imagination and spend more time inside it than not. I am also a writer and constantly think up new circumstances and characters and have done so since I was a child.
I often find the descriptions of aspergers and autism offensive because of the way they're worded, but I can usually decode the text to understand what it actually means even though they didn't descirbe it well (i.e. lack of empathy, we have empathy it just works differently). However I find the whole imagination part just completely off and I don't understand where it's coming from. Everyone I've met who shares my diagnoses also has an extraordinary imagination. Am I missing something?
Or is this just another example of something they got wrong? Does anyone else feel the same way?

I have an incredible imagination, too, so when I was first going about getting diagnosed, I doubted the diagnosis because of this. But it seems that females on the spectrum do tend to have an overactive imagination, and we tend to live in our own inner world, especially as children. The first time I read a description that made me realize that Aspies can be very imaginative was in Tony Atwood's The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome. His description about imaginative Aspies really described how I was/am. Like, from ages 8-11, I loved playing with my Barbies. But it was almost entirely solo play, and on the rare occasion when I would have another girl over to play, I didn't enjoy it as much as being by myself, and I wanted the other girl to play by my rules and my storylines. I also lined up my dolls on the steps in a very ritualistic way. So, it was these other things that showed the autism, not my strong imagination. Also, many females on the spectrum have a special interest in fiction. I did as a child. I had to have all the books in a series I liked, such as The Baby-Sitters Club. Again, it's more the intensity and all-encompassing nature of the interests more so than the interest itself.

Well, somebody has a very stunted imagination, or perception. Many top scientists and researchers are on the spectrum. I could save companies millions of dollars if I could just get them to do their sums to evaluate ideas I present.

I've always been interested in social interactions. But I like both fiction and non-fiction, although I wasn't really into reading when I was a kid, due to short attention span.

I think what they mean by "lack of imagination" is "lack of social imagination", but I think using the word "imagination" is rather misleading because when you see that word most people think of a child playing.

I can't say if I am on the spectrum or not. I do know I have imagination, and lots of it. I am always thinking!
What puzzles me is empathy. Somehow, I can't seem to seperate empathy from sympathy. Others have tried to explain... But somehow... I just don't know. I did some sort of onlie test where a part of it gave me an empathy result. See my signature. Somehow I don't know why that result is so low, as I don't think that I am lacking in that respect. I just can't work it all out!

I have a very wild imagination. I always did have a wild imagination. It must be because I live inside my head. I've been living in my head more so than I usually do since the shutdown started. I have all these creative ideas for my arts & crafts floating around in my head. I also notice that half of my dreams have bright, groovy colours. That's probably why psychedelic ideas make up half of the things that I create.

I've never heard that a “severe impairment to the brain's imagination” is being a basic criteria. Some may have this, but most people on the spectrum probably not.
I am the same type of person as you describe. Especially the majority of females with AS are strongly gifted with imagination, creativeness and much more in this direction.

I personally had a huge aversion towards the description of Aspergers, especially when I was in your age.
When I was in an institution(specialized for people on the spectrum), I was arguing with the psychologist and social workers there about what autism actually is. All.the.time.
We all did.



I could not live with the fact, that it's called a "mental disability" or a "developmental disorder".
This is one of the reasons, I'm very cautious about of who I'm sharing this information with.
Meanwhile, I don't care as much anymore, cause I know exactly who I am and I developed many of my deficiencies.

Oh and the empathy thing...
That was one of the things I argued about the most. It bothered me over all these years so much, cause I was so convinced of having empathy.
Meanwhile I know I don't have it.
I can only have feelings or pity with someone, if I know the exact reason and if I can understand it .. and more or less related to my own experiences. We're not supposed to have "natural" empathy. The definition of it, describes as the process in the brain, of being affected by other people’s emotions through mirror neurons.
(I didn’t have time to check that information in english, so correct me if I’m wrong)