Science nerd or humanities nerd?

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Not all Aspies are science/maths nerds. Some of us are humanities nerds. Humanities nerds are definitely in the minority in the Autism community, but we exist. But the prevailing stereotype out in the NT world is that we are all science/maths savants. The notion that we are all science/maths savants is due to depictions in popular culture like Benedict Cumberbatch's interpretation of Alan Turing in the film "The Imitation Game" (2014). In fact, the prevailing stereotyped and pop-culture image is so very ubiquitous that, when it was first suggested that I was Autistic, I initially doubted the possibility because I was not a maths/science savant! I know better now that I have done some extensive reading on Autism. I endlessly dissect the humanities in the most forensic of fashions and notice patterns therein just as science/maths Aspies do with their special interest. But I was hopeless at science and mathematics at school. I failed maths and had to be transferred to the "special (i.e., dumbed down) mathematics" classes. To this day, I have to use an hand calculator just to do simple arithmetic. I can't do it in my head. Are there any other people out there on the spectrum who are humanities savants like me? Any other people diagnosed with ASD who, like me, are hopeless when it comes to mathematics?

I'm neither, or both. I'm pretty decent at pretty much everything. I don't necessarily understand it all but I can do it all.

I started out science-oriented, but after coming of age I shifted to humanities.

About 5 years ago, looking for a job, I was pointed toward a temp agency that was targeted toward autistics. The jobs they offered were literally limited to various computer jobs. Data processing, programmers, etc.

Actual savantism is very rare, but having a particular intense interest (and often, therefore, aptitude) in humanities subjects is quite common. I was talking about this at an autism meet up at my university this week, and we were discussing how there is a strange gender essentialism that pervades autism in the popular consciousness and even in research. There is a belief that autism is more likely to affect boys, there is the "extreme male brain" theory, and as a consequence lots of the discussion in the literature, particularly on "systemising" focusses on typically male ways of systemising (fascination with trains, maths, etc). In reality, there are systems and patterns to be found in all areas of academic study, and I know a number of autistic girls/women whose areas of expertise are linguistics, for instance.

It's also not at all unusual for autistic people to struggle with maths - I would think that mathematical ability is normally distributed, just as it is in the NT population.

I'm one of those odd people who has a foot in both of the Two Cultures. So even among misfits I'm a misfit.

The older I get, the more I go into the sciences, maths. Pretty much toasted on humanity.

A good bit of both

I'm both into science and humanities, but I'm not as good in math.


Sometimes I kinda wish that I'm better at math as well, but it didn't came to me yet. I'm curious, but not enough drive.

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I'm actually into both the sciences and the humanities. My thinking-style is more logical than intuitive, however, in most cases. Except visual arts and music. Those things are intuitive for me. I don't need to think about them in a logical manner to understand or appreciate them.

A bit of both, but I decided to go with visual art part way through college. My art style is very realistic and illustrative, and at one time I wanted to combine the science and art and become a biological illustrator. I wound up getting into computer graphics and web design instead, so it still uses both sides. I think my parents' influence had something to do with my dual approach--both were college professors. Dad was a professor of geology and paleontology, and was very likely Asperger himself. He acted a LOT like Benedict Cumberbatch's portrayal of Alan Turing (only heterosexual and with no stutter). Mom was a music professor and liked to draw in her free time, and my brothers were into music and the visual arts, although one brother followed Dad into geology. I got a lot of exposure to both. I would not say I am a savant at anything--it's just what I chose to spend my time working on.

Another both. A special interest I've had since childhood is writing fiction, yet thinking like a scientist comes very naturally to me. I'm studying biological science and cultivating another special interest in that area.

Yes

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