Fight or Flight response with ASD?

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I don't post here often, so to put this question in perspective, I have no diagnosis of ASD, but I strongly suspect I have AS or HFA (whichever term you prefer). Most people who interact with me on a superficial level would say I do not have a problem. I can act appropriately in most settings, I have a graduate degree, etc.

I recently had the unfortunate opportunity to be the victim of assault. I was riding my bike on a bike path through a park and some random stranger ran at me and hit me, knocking me off my bike, then a friend (brother maybe) ran up and started punching me in the face -- I think because I was trying to call the police. I was obviously very upset and angry, but I neither had any inclination to fight back nor to run away. Fortunately their friends decided to stop them from beating me up worse instead of joining in, and a bystander yelled at me to get on my bike and get out of there.

I'm wondering if other people, particularly those with formal diagnosis, can speak on the fight/flight reflex with respect to ASD. Hopefully that does not include personal injury as in my case.

My daughter has no sense of danger or proprioceptive skills. They say they could be a slight delay in them. She is getting better with it now-a-days. But she doesn’t respond normal when someone fights her. She’ll smile laugh and take it as a game and get aggressive eventually but while still laughing the whole time. She’s five.

I on the other hand seem to be okay with it but have no capability of violence.

I've always thought that there was a 3rd F - "Freeze"

My response to non-major threats is flight or freeze (crowds, panic attacks, etc.)

My response to major threats is fight. I will go all in to defend myself, a loved one or even a stranger. It doesn't happen often of course, but I can say with absolute certainty that I do not and will not allow myself or another innocent person to be attacked without taking decisive and ruthless action. My mind goes to a quiet place where time seems to slow down and it gives me the ability to consider my options and choose the most effective course of attack. If I wasn't short and frequently sick I would probably make a fine soldier. I don't panic. I just do whatever needs to be done to neutralize the threat given the tools and options available to me in a serious situation. It helps that it takes A LOT to get me to this point, and if someone has done something to warrant such a response I have zero empathy and zero remorse to get in the way of effective action.

Sometimes I can be non responsive or freeze in a sense as well. I think for me it's like I don't even quite register what is happening and why someone would be doing this. It's not making any sense to me so I can't quite figure out how to respond.

Depends.

If it's something that completely puts me off guard and very minor, I'd likely put up flight for few moments and freeze.
Freeze only if it doesn't put me completely off guard. I may as well even laugh at the confusion.

Mainly because I have to hold back. Because 'fight' has more dire consequences if I let it be. It'll always be a last resort for me -- where consequences mattered naught anymore.

In my mind, I have to hold back because I usually run a little too wild.



As a child, it's usually fight. Almost never flight or freeze. I have a screwed sense of fear or danger. I've always known to be very capable of violence.
I'd yell back louder or hit back harder, jump onto or run into things, and so on... Without thinking about the consequences.
I've literally hurt too many people with that. And grew up luckily unscathed except for the emotion of guilt -- something I would rather get rid off...

That's why as I grew up and became more aware, I've been learning how to hold back and set behind my mind to hold back.

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I definitely don't lack a sense of danger, and I didn't when I was younger either.

Flight or fight? I tend to freeze.