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Smitty101
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05 Jul 2021, 10:30 am

I'm starting to realize I don't learn from watching what others do, and this is the most basic type of learning for other people. They just watch what people around them do and do the same thing.

Instead, I do what I am told to do in a formal teaching situation. "When this happens, do this, because of this reason". I'm very good at that learning.

Anyone else notice this? Is this part of autism?



ToughDiamond
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05 Jul 2021, 1:06 pm

There's definitely a limit to what I can learn by trying to do what other people do, but I'm not great at following other people's prescriptions either. It does help when they tell me why they recommend this or that step, as long as it all makes sense to me, though it frequently doesn't make sense. I think I learn the most when I'm free to try my own experiments and just use the input of others as an optional resource to cherry-pick as I see fit.

Going back to the idea of doing what others do, the limit is probably because I can't see HOW they're doing it. So for example a rags-to-riches role model wouldn't work because there isn't enough detail, not enough how-to. Probably because what we're presented with is mostly mythical or impossible to emulate anyway. I could watch Eric Clapton playing his guitar forever but my own playing wouldn't improve very much. Closer to home, I've sometimes seen small, specific actions that I've taken in and been able to do myself. I think watching some of the scientists I worked with helped to teach me to be a little more thoughtful and objective in my reactions to the things people said to me. Occasionally somebody would say something to one of them, and I'd be thinking that I'd say this or that if it were me, and they'd say something much calmer and less knee-jerk, and I'd realise that there were other ways of reacting to challenge than caving in or fighting back tooth and claw.



Dear_one
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05 Jul 2021, 4:46 pm

Smitty101 wrote:
I'm starting to realize I don't learn from watching what others do, and this is the most basic type of learning for other people. They just watch what people around them do and do the same thing.

Instead, I do what I am told to do in a formal teaching situation. "When this happens, do this, because of this reason". I'm very good at that learning.

Anyone else notice this? Is this part of autism?


Yes, this is classic. See "mirror neurons."



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05 Jul 2021, 5:03 pm

I'm not great at learning by watching, but it's not impossible.
Testing myself and figuring it out is possibly the best way for me, followed by having someone explain, followed by reading (though I'm a very slow reader).

/Mats


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Smitty101
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06 Jul 2021, 8:03 am

For example:

I drive all over the parking lot looking for the exit, my wife says "why didn't you just follow the other cars!?" I didn't follow them because I didn't know where they were going.



HeroOfHyrule
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06 Jul 2021, 12:38 pm

I can learn fine by observation, but I had to really "fine tune" that throughout my life. I was horrible at that as a kid since I didn't know what to look for. Now people are sometimes surprised since I can pick up things via observation better than they do. I think when I was assessed last my ability to observe others contributed to me not being diagnosed, though. :|



Dear_one
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06 Jul 2021, 1:29 pm

I usually can't follow the action in team sports broadcasts.



ToughDiamond
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06 Jul 2021, 2:17 pm

Dear_one wrote:
I usually can't follow the action in team sports broadcasts.

Neither can I. Luckily sport isn't important to me.



Jiheisho
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06 Jul 2021, 2:59 pm

Smitty101 wrote:
I'm starting to realize I don't learn from watching what others do, and this is the most basic type of learning for other people. They just watch what people around them do and do the same thing.

Instead, I do what I am told to do in a formal teaching situation. "When this happens, do this, because of this reason". I'm very good at that learning.

Anyone else notice this? Is this part of autism?


I am the same way. I really need to systematize the process.



Jiheisho
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06 Jul 2021, 3:00 pm

Smitty101 wrote:
For example:

I drive all over the parking lot looking for the exit, my wife says "why didn't you just follow the other cars!?" I didn't follow them because I didn't know where they were going.


Yeah, my wife is irrational like that. It is just endearing. ;)



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06 Jul 2021, 3:09 pm

Depends.

Maybe your learning style isn't around visualization or has issues with nonverbal aptitudes, which is relative to the individual.

Or perhaps to do with one's own visual processing -- real time learning and reaction time based issues are closer around autism issues overall, sensory or otherwise, than simply learning styles.


I myself do not do well in traditional formal learning, lest I figured how to translate it.
Verbal learning and thinking is one of my weakness.


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Dear_one
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06 Jul 2021, 3:09 pm

I learned a lot from the tool marks left on things. I wound up being slow at any of the specialized trades doing routine work, but faster than most at custom jobs. On one machine, I was slow because I insisted on doing it right, when even the supervisor didn't understand the purpose of all our parts.
Instructions often leave out basic concepts that connect the details with logic, making them hard to follow. There are also frequent troubles over obscure terms that are not defined.