Is there any "Apie look"?

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Okay, sorry guys, but prepare for the monologue.

First of I'm going to say that, yes, I am aware that Aspergers Syndrome is a brain thing, you can't just identify someone on sight and say "That guy is an aspie because his face is (fill in the blank)". But because there's a certain amount of genetics reflected in physical appearence, I was wondering if there really is an aspie look. For example, when people are attracted to another, what you call a "handsome" face is really a translation for "I see a person who has very promising genetics and who would increase the chances of desirable offspring". So though I can't nessesarily say every person who fits a criteria is autistic, I was wondering if there are any subtle common features in most (not nessesarily all) aspies. Also, just a musing on the whole eye-contact issue.

We've all probably said at one point that something was "just not right". The whole reason my mother suspected my Aspergers was on account that, even as a small child, I (in her own words) was just slightly "off". Generally people are repelled by "off" things, such as me, and I thought the world was off, and so the antisocial cycle continued. However, is there a slight "look" that can have the same affect? Studies have shown that when something is so closely human that we only dwell on the infintesimal things that are not right, it tends to dusturb us and we want to look away. The same is for other higher primates, as well as humans. Being in high school, many of my conversations with friends occur in the cafateria bathroom. Glancing around the walls brings my eyes straight to the mirror. For some reason I can't fathom, I think I look just a bit weird, not ugly or pretty, but strange. When I talk, and watch my lips move and my face alter, they effect freaks me out. So, granted, we don't often get to see our own faces, but if we look away from wrong things, is there an aspie genetic link that makes undeniably NT faces look "wrong" and make us look away? My Aspergers was from my dad, and I'm frequently told we have very similar faces, as well as pictures of him at my age are very alike. However, he is my father, of course there will be genetic similarities.

Anyone else feel that normal people view your face as "off", or say that you have a definite look? Is it just an expression we make that throws them off? If not, is there a genetic factor reflecting in our faces, but something subtle and opinionated, just as much as an attractive person being what you see as an ideal gene pool?

Whether it's an expression or feature, please answer with any that you posses that might be the cause.

I often have a blank expression on my face, unless I'm posting on WP. I'll either smirk at a witty post, smile at a good post, frown at a post that reminds me of my childhood, or laugh out loud at a funny post.

I'm not aware of any physical differences though.

Yeah, my family's always getting after me for looking blank. Just because I'm not showing emotions doesn't mean I don't have them, but I still have to manipulate a lot of facial expressions. The only one I can say I've truely perfected is one I either use in "I'm scared", "Seriously, that's so pathetic and sad at the same time" or "I really hate to say this". And that's from practicing in a mirror. Sad, right? When I'm "supposed to look happy", so that people don't misunderstand me, I can get away with squinting and a fake-ish smile, and people can see I'm making enough of an attempt not to bother me. Mainly, the majority just don't care enough to dig deeper or see it's fake, they just like to point of the obvious and blurt without thinking. Like, if I say someone said something, and they hear me perfectly clear they have to repeat "They said WHAT?!" just to show surprise. I just told you what, can't you just say "Wow, I'm really surprised"? It's a lot less irritating to me.

I'm told I look very serious. When I have my NT mask on I'm told I look like and animated character.
I think I over compensate.

How do you make a good NT mask?

I feel like the plaid zebra the rest of the herd avoids because I alter the pattern. Some deep involuntary instinct. How do I look more normal?

People have always said that i look "blank" too, but then when i smile they say i look creepy. Also, most of the time i won't make eye contact but then sometimes i'll stare at someone, usually if they have an interesting feature. is that an Asperger's thing?

I know I have a flat affect because I remember that being listed or mentioned multiple times by therapists when I was younger and people tell me to smile more.

People tell me I have a creepy look as if I'm about to kill everyone.

Smiling doesn't help that, I assure you; I even looked at several baby pictures of myself...I look utterly psychotic when I'm smiling and happy.

We've already got a recent thread of exactly this.

I've read somewhere that most ppl with ASD have more or less almond-shaped eyes and som fine lineings from the inner side of their eyes that goes under their eyes a little crooked. I can'ät really describe it well in english. Anyway I at least have thoose things.

I have almond eyes. I'm trying to think of any other features I've seen in fellow aspies, but I know very few and am not around them that much.

As far as expressions go, some face I make and that I've seen on another guy with Aspergers a lot is really slack facial muscles, like the NTs are poised to make a face. There's a definite line to my mouth, not really curled in either direction, and my eye brows are always drawn downward. The eyebrow thing might he uncontrollable because their placed really close to my eyes and have basically no arch, but also I narrow my eyes a littl because of boredom, bad eyesight, and sometimes the lights are too harsh. This face kind of repells and freaks people out, and seeing it on another I can't really blame them. In my pictures, I always look really slow or just asleep. In real life I look dazed when I'm thinking and freaky when I concentrate.

I've noticed that there is often a 'flat' expressionless look to the person's face. This of course varies from person to person and depends on whether they are higher or lower functioning AS. The way a person walks can sometimes be an indicator as well if the face has already caught attention. You might find that a person with AS walks with their hands flat to their sides (not swinging) or hunched up awkwardly. Other people with AS are much more aware of this and won't show either of these things. Some of the people I know through the care company (autism specific) are like me with a flat expressionless face and awkward body posture while others have shocked me after they come out as being one of us! I even mistook a few of the 'clients' for staff in the past! (We don't know the staff/clients from other homes that well) I have been told I am very obvious just from looking.

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I have HFA, ADHD, OCD & Tourette syndrome. I love animals, especially my bunnies and hamster. I skate in a roller derby team (but I'll try not to bite )

It's funny how I apparently have a flat expression on my face, yet I get told I'm pretty by lots of men and they give me that ''I fancy you'' look. And no, it's not because I look vulnerable. People are always telling a person with low self-esteem like me to look on the bright side, right? So there you are then - I am looking on the bright side with this. Maybe men really do fancy me. It's women who hate me.

when i look in the mirror i see a blank expression in my eyes. they're not almond shaped, though. they're kind of small, really. i also look much younger than my age, which i read has to do with asperger. my brother, also an aspie, has that look sometimes; confused, disoreinted, detached. i was told i look lost and like i dont know what's going on around me and hardly know where i am, and i was told that by two people who don't know each other, so...
i saw pictures of aspies on the internet and can usually see that faraway look, or quirky. try looking at bill gates pictures and concentrate on the eyes, same with einstein.

I'm told I'm really serious, which I don't understand because half of what I say is a wry comment. Is it just this impression I give? People also say I have a scientist look, which I don't understand. What does a scientist look like? I don't wear a lab coat.