A statement and question

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As some of you know, I am one of the self diagnosed Aspies. My past and many current things echo MANY diagnosed Aspies. I feel this is too much of a coincidence to be tossed aside.

The early speaking/reading
Inability to catch or do things like jumping jacks
Social problems
FANTASTIC early academic success to the point of boredom, and earlier appearing somewhat normal
The monologues
The obsessive interests
The amount of knowledge
The attitude
The fact that I can do things others can't and vice versa
I have meltdowns and stims
I forgot about the skewed senses(hypo/hyper), but the airplane ride reminded me of that!

So YEAH, it isn't fantastic. Many of the benefits above have a flip side that is bad.

On the parenting forum, a parent asked for help, and I gave her some nice advice. I ALSO showed her a small example of my unfettered talks. MAN is that nostalgic. It was almost like having a nice dessert! She said I sounded just like her AS diagnosed son!

When I told my mother about all that, she remembered when she and a friend came up to my nurse-2nd grade school to see me talking to a young girl. The friend said the girl was probably bored, and my mother said it was almost certainly over her head. She spoke of my 9th grade biology teacher that hunted her down to speak of how I knew so much about tesla, and he was impressed. She spoke of the paper I did in the 10th grade about C.O.S.M.O.S. OK, now EVERYONE in one of my highschools knows who I am. THEY accused me of cheating, because of the words and concepts. The teacher knew better, and gave me one of the highest grades in the class.

While I am editing, my mother also said that people said you couldn't ask her father for the time, or he would tell you how to build a clock. And SHE apparently was tested in 4th grade with an effective IQ of 144(for some reason, she spoke of testing in the 4th grade at about 8.25 grade level). Go figure.

So I think I am aspie. If you have questions along those lines, I would be happy to hear them. I'm serious.

Anyway, people keep talking about Aspies almost like they can remember, parrot, and maybe even do academic work, but not apply anything. Frankly, I feel a bit insulted, and I am curious about how many feel the same way.

Last edited by 2ukenkerl on 18 May 2008, 7:28 pm, edited 2 times in total.

I'm not sure what the question part is Zukernal. In reply to what I think you're referring to, I was self DXed for 14 months before I made it official last month, I think there is a very good likelyhood that you are AS if you are that sure of it. As for practical application, I am very good at common point troubleshooting and motor controls and outstanding with layout and conduit bending. I am also good with detail stripping some guns and doing lightweight part swaps and trigger jobs, but probably not up there with one of our members who has done Gunsmithing course work and practical apps training.

I also feel insulted by that perception. Some researchers at Keio University School of Medicine refuted that notion a while back. As it turns out, Aspies actually are better at abstract thought and complex reasoning than NTs.

Agreed. I have seen a few younger folks posting here who seem to have convinced themselves they're Aspies, when I think they're just going through common teenage trauma. But if you really fit the profile, you know when you read the DSM symptom list for the very first time. People close to me first showed me an article on AS and it felt like someone had been reading my diary. I started seeing a therapist for depression and mentioned that I thought it was very likely I might have AS. I was somewhat concerned she might be annoyed by a patient self-diagnosing, but after a couple months I brought it up again and asked if she thought I might be right, or was I just being a hypochondriac. She laughed and said "No, not all, you certainly seem to qualify on every count" and sent me to be officially DX'd by a Psychologist. From your bullet list, I'd say you're probably a hundred per cent Aspie.

Most of the traits you list above fit me closely. I was 66 years old before I even found there was a diagnosis of AS. I went into my Sophomore class in high school needing only 2 more credits to graduate. The school administration was resistant to my continuing on with my class, but my parents intervened and we found enough classes to keep me in school with my peers.

I have been able to do most of what I set my mind to, once I got over the anxiety of "shall I?" and actually got started. I designed HAM radio trancievers in the late '40s, early 50s. I was competitively shooting long distance in the late '40s. I have designed maintenance procedures, communications equipment, sensing equipment and procedures, computers and programs, and many other things. However, there are so many things I can't do well.

The attitude you mention of being considered a parrot but not actually knowing and applying the knowedge is relatively new, I think. Having grown up without a label, it was assumed I would learn and then do, as well as anybody. I think that is one of the few (only?) disadvantages to being diagnosed.

The thing I do best, these days, is to be comfortable with myself. Learning why I am who I am has settled me tremendously.

Pops

This sounds like a stereotype and I'm sure it is completely wrong. Asperger's has so many facets presented in many different ways so I don't know how one can draw any such conclusions. When I now consider aspie traits and look back at the early work I did at my job, I now know why I was chosen to work on some of most complex electronic equipment we built because it required a combination of knowledge about the equipment, ability to attend to the details, and an ability to stay focused on the task. Most people couldn't troubleshoot a box with 20 circuit cards and over 1000 ICs in it. (This was a long time ago, pre-microprocessor. ) The idea that aspies can't apply knowledge doesn't make sense to me.

Am I an aspie? Well, I'm working on that. Much of the criteria applies strongly like social problems, sensory overload problems, anxiety, little interest in relationships, strong interests in things (some lasting a lifetime), routines, lining stuff up, and so on. Other things from the official criteria don't apply so well like Executive dysfunction, motor problems (terrible at sports though), no meltdowns, and a few other things.

It's difficult looking at the details for me to decide just where I fit. If I step back and look at my life as a package, it's clearly not an NT life. I've spent quite a bit of time reading up on the multitude of personality disorders and none of them fit me. Asperger's is the only thing that comes close to fitting, just not a perfect fit.

I was asking if anyone else resented the idea that some protray people with AS as maybe appearing smart, but not really being able to do anything with it. It's pretty crazy.

"More rote than meaning" is a stereotype for this is how many with AS outwardly appear; whether the individual in question knows more about such other than what they've read, and the facts they recite is up to the individual with AS to prove. I'm sure I appear as "more rote than meaning", and people here have said such.

"Little professor" is just that for the individual will go out of his or her way and learn about topics of interest on their own accord, which will most likely be from a book rather than a teacher and school environment. The knowledge will take on a "sterile" flavour as the individual with AS will remember what they've read about an interest, and they'll recite the facts close to how they were presented in the textbook. More theory than practice so to speak is my conclusion (practice can be talking about it and actually taking on the opinion of others--this is hard to do for people with AS).

People with AS can be highly intelligent and specialized in their chosen topic, it's just that some may not actually care for putting it to practice like "normal" people; just knowing the information is enough for them.

I think I found the thread that prompted you to start this one. I saw your comments there. No wonder you were upset! This is not the first time I've seen someone say that to have AS you must be nonfunctional in the real world.

If I step back and look at the big picture and ask, "What about all the un-DXed AS adults who have managed to make it in the world today?" Somehow they managed. Just that alone tells me that not all aspies are nonfunctional.

I think there may be a tendency among some people to believe that our current level of knowledge about autism and various psychological conditions is complete and correct. I highly doubt that is the case and in 10 or 20 years our understanding will be considerably different. The current diagnostic guides are interesting but not likely to be the final word.

I don't see anything here that isn't just being exceptionally gifted. Do you have social problems even in a gifted environment? If you're gifted but not on the spectrum, you can move yourself to a gifted environment and your problems should clear up, (although this is more challenging if you're exceptionally gifted), but if you're also autistic, you'll continue to have significant problems with isolation even among other gifted people. Makes a big difference. (I wish I were just gifted and not also autistic.)

I've found that social reaction is not important in a "gifted" group. Most of those around me are too absorbed in whatever problem is at hand to pay any attention to my social awkwardness and display most of the same preoccupied manner as do I.

Then again, I think you will find most "gifted" groups are highly populated with other AS gifted persons.

Pops

YEP, You're right, it sounds like you did find the thread. Maybe I should be glad people like "danielismyname" were unknown to me and had no influence. Frankly, HE seems to be smarter than he seems to think people with AS are. I think he may actually be smarter than he thinks HE is. If he realized that he is probably capable of SO much more, who knows...? First step to learning? Don't let negative beliefs hold you back!

Danielismyname,

I don't have to prove to others what is so obvious. I know it isn't so obvious here because there isn't really an ability to prove ANYTHING over the internet. I could easily get almost anything over the internet. Conversly, it isn't like anyone here presented me with a problem I could solve if, and only if, I knew what I claimed. Such things HAVE often happened during my career however. They happened even BEFORE such things as laptops and the opening of the internet, etc... I don't really care too much if you don't believe me.

Anemone,

You're right, and I thought that before, but have you noticed how much AS and gifted stereotypes intersect? It IS astounding. Even GENIUSES are known for being average, or even BELOW average, in various areas.