I'd say that it's common, but not necessarily "normal," that male Aspies don't push themselves as much as NT men. Perhaps it's easier for an Aspie to push themselves and achieve career success if they pursue a career aligned with one of their special interests. If an Aspie's or NT's career doesn't align with their interests, maybe the average Aspie is more easily distracted and/or discouraged than the average NT. It happened to me in my previous career in a field I never really liked. Over time, my skills slowly eroded, and I fell behind my peers. I eventually burned out and I quit my job just before my employer was going to put me on some "personal improvement program," which was code for, you're gonna be fired soon! But in my current field of work which I love, it feels much easier to push myself to bigger and better things, and my employer seems to love the work I perform, too.
I think if one is looked at as "weak," it shouldn't have anything to do with whether or not they're an Aspie. Both Aspies and NTs can be strong, or weak, or somewhere in between.
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DSM-5 Diagnosis: Autism Spectrum Disorder, Without accompanying intellectual or language impairment, Level 1.
10 Feb 2018, 10:20 pm
