The repetitive mind of Aspergers

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I'd like to discuss how you deal with your desire for repetition rather than change (given that's how you feel due to autism).

According to Charles Darwin:

"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”

This is essential I think. Even though autistic individuals can be very intelligent they are often not willing enough and therefore not good enough to adapt to the changes that are constantly happening around them - not willing enough due to their "repetitive mind" desiring repetitive behaviour.

So the end result is that autistics often don't adapt enough to changes.

I was thinking about considering changes being what is repetitive, because being repetitive about changes will work out.

Do you deal well with changes/multiple activities going on?

I think the overall premis is wrong. Darwin was speaking of long term and constant change, not a scheduling conflict or a new technology. I find that when myself and the other aspies I know are presented with a sudden change, like in plans, our reactions can be less than desired (freak out, shut down, snap back, get irritable, etc) but after we've taken some time to accustom ourselves to the change, we're fine.

Repetition is comforting, and so therefore, how I choose to structure my days. Again, when a permanent change is introduced, the initial reaction can be a bit bumpy, but ultimately our repetitious schedule and habits change and evolve (to use another Darwin concept) to accommodate the ongoing change.

I don't think we'd have any problem adapting to the sort of change that would ultimately determine our survival or demise. Nor do I think our fondness for repetition will affect our ability to successfully reproduce.

This is something I battled with for a long time. I was constantly dealing with new changes in work life and finally I got to the point where I learned to roll with the changes. If I hadn't learned that, I don't know where I'd be today. It's all about stepping out of your comfort zone, taking a deep breath, and saying to yourself, OK, which steps do I need to take in order to make this happen? One step at a time. Take a mental--or even written--inventory and go from there.

In my line of work, mid-project, I get hit with a change order, and that's what really grinds me to a halt. It helps at that point to take a look at the big picture, assess, and take inventory.

There's nothing wrong with repetition. It helps me to adapt to changes. If I found a job, it would be easy for me to adapt because of the fact that I would be doing the same tasks all the time.