"It doesn't matter where your talent comes from"

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Angnix
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19 Feb 2020, 10:01 am

I have a new mental health case manager. I mentioned I started hiding my talent with birds/nature because I didn't want people to think I was "disordered or autistic". He said It doesn't matter where your talent comes from, use it!! !

Do you use your autistic talents/show your special interests or do you hide them in fear of people thinking something is wrong with you???


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kraftiekortie
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19 Feb 2020, 10:06 am

I use mine----whatever talent I have :)

It's not good to hide your positive aspects.



Borromeo
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19 Feb 2020, 10:12 am

I use 'em!

Don't hide that stuff. It's better to be the cool bird lady than the lady who just hides all the time.
I use mine to help me get to know people...now I have interesting and genuine friends.


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Angnix
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19 Feb 2020, 10:46 am

The issue was this: at the apartments I used to live at when I revealed my bird knowledge, later they literally came up to me (I was melting down too though) and asked if I was autistic.

People that don't know much about ASD think I'm smart, people who do know about it see the ASD....


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kraftiekortie
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19 Feb 2020, 10:48 am

I had to learn, over the years, not to care what other people think of me----unless I hurt them in some way.



Dear_one
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19 Feb 2020, 12:39 pm

Angnix wrote:
The issue was this: at the apartments I used to live at when I revealed my bird knowledge, later they literally came up to me (I was melting down too though) and asked if I was autistic.

People that don't know much about ASD think I'm smart, people who do know about it see the ASD....


I am diplomatic about my opinions, and cautious about making people look stupid, but still try to show off my talents. They usually give people a lot more to think about than how I thought of them.



And So It Goes
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19 Feb 2020, 5:31 pm

By expressing myself through my talents, I have helped enlighten people and give personal insight into my experiences with Autism, as well as help other Autistic people resonate with my expressions.

It took me years to fully open myself up in the way I have, due to OP's initial concerns, but seldom regret doing so due to the positive feedback I have received.


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QuantumChemist
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19 Feb 2020, 8:58 pm

Some talents I use openly and some I hide while masking. Not everyone can understand what I can really do, so I do not show that part unless I really trust someone very well.



Noam2353
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19 Feb 2020, 9:45 pm

For me, it depends on the talent. I normally dont hide it, but I might hide it if I know nobody else would probably be interested.
Sometimes, people make a big deal out of these things.


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Mona Pereth
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20 Feb 2020, 5:06 am

Angnix wrote:
I have a new mental health case manager. I mentioned I started hiding my talent with birds/nature because I didn't want people to think I was "disordered or autistic". He said It doesn't matter where your talent comes from, use it!! !

I totally agree. If feasible, find a job/career where you can use them.

Angnix wrote:
Do you use your autistic talents/show your special interests or do you hide them in fear of people thinking something is wrong with you???

Show them, but mainly to people with the same or closely related interests.

To me, it is a great tragedy that some of us feel pressured to hide our talents. We need to be able to develop at least some of our talents -- as, among other things, the basis for any reasonably decent-paying job we could ever hope to attain. As Dr. Stephen Shore has pointed out, you can't build a career on remediated weaknesses.


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funeralxempire
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20 Feb 2020, 2:28 pm

Show it, so long as it's 'getable' to other people. If the talent is really obscure it might make more sense to conceal it.


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Mona Pereth
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20 Feb 2020, 3:04 pm

funeralxempire wrote:
Show it, so long as it's 'getable' to other people. If the talent is really obscure it might make more sense to conceal it.

Or just mention it occasionally but don't go on about it at length. Mentioning it occasionally will help you find people who would be interested.


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redrobin62
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20 Feb 2020, 3:09 pm

My autistic talents/special interests are useless to the general populace so I keep them to myself. For instance, I could go on and on about the NYC subway system, the map and lines, longest routes, etc, but nobody cares about that. Or the plethora of unsung/unknown Romantic composers who wrote great orchestral and piano pieces, which I've collected, but no one cares about that, either.