Does being able to turn off emotions mean i have autism/AS?

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I just recently became aware that my father and his brothers all exhibit some mild form of autism, such as obsessing over locked doors, or not being able to read a book that anyone else has read; and was recently discussing with a friend of mine how i can pretty much switch off or ignore my emotions. I googled this 'ability' and it lead to a number of different sources about Autism and AS.

Looking into it, I've found some other traits about myself, like how I'm very logical, realistic and systematic. I'm an athiest, which seems to be common. I can be very sympathetic and even empathetic to other people, I'm regarded among friends as the best person to come to about problems as I can easily be objective to a situation or problem, and still be able to understand how they feel.

The main part is the emotionless I can have myself; I can literally stop laughing in the middle of a hysterical moment, get into a heated discussion with someone which leaves them bristling for hours where I'm back to normal in mere seconds. I typically find it very hard to get angry, unless i want to, in which case I just let it get to me. One of my ex-girlfriends cheated on me and I didnt find out untill a few months after we broke up, by which point I didnt really care, and just kind of ignored that I was ever even with her, I pretty much wrote off a year off relationship as a worthless piece of my life, and some of my friends think I'm cold for that.

I've also killed a baby kangaroo after it was run over without hesitation or it having an affect on me emotionally, and that was just natural, I didnt have to 'turn it off' after I felt it.

I guess I'm just wondering if I have some degree of autism or AS, or I just have a large capacity for emotional control?

Any insight would be great.

Hi Lee,

Welcome to WrongPlanet.

What you describe seems similar to what I experience. I would describe it a little differently - I don't turn emotions on or off as a voluntary thing - I simply experience them after the event that presumably caused them. More seriously emotion-triggering events cause longer delays, so I'm sure that I come across as stone cold in those moments. Eventually, I work out what I am feeling, but this can be hours or even days later, sometimes longer. I am not without emotion - anything but - however, I'm sure my way of showing them is strange to most people.

While this is common in autism, it is not itself a firm indicator of being autistic. Keep reading, and if enough of it strikes you as "yeah, that's me", then you might want to consider an evaluation, if you want to know.

One emotion that i typically always experience, is stress. This is probably due to me just being a bit lazy and unmotivated so i end up leaving important things too late and i get stressed out when things start going wrong. A clear example of this is that i have no less than a dozen white hairs in my wings. I'm not even 21 yet.


How would I actually go about getting evaluated? I really only started reading up on this a couple of hours ago.

sora: in regards to the door locking, when he leaves he locks the door, turns to leave, and then has to double check it, then again, then has to check every other possible entry to the house. and this is about the only thing he gets compulsive over. hes also a cleaner though which means he can sometimes, and i stress the sometimes, be a bit of a neat freak.

as for his brother and the books, its just something he cant bring himself to do. he will never go to a public library, and he wont even borrow a book from his own family. it has to be brand new or he just plain refuses to read it. my dad says that all of his brothers have some similar yet different 'quirk' that he believes is a mild form of autism. my mother works as a teachers aide at the local primary school helping autistic children, and tends to agree with him.


as for the origin of my emotional control, i really dont think there is one. i had a good upbringing, a bit of a nerd/geek in school untill my later years where i got a major self esteem boost. i suppose that having a lot of insults as a kid thrown my way may have lead to me building up a resistance to anger or hurt, but i dont think it counts for everything as a whole.

i tend to feel the onset of the emotion, then if its not one that is beneficial to me in some way, i just ignore it. i really dont know how else to describe it. i can certainly identify them though.

The ability to shut off your emotions, due to AS?

fa...fasanating.

(I wonder....oh great, now my brain offishally HURTS.....*goes into daydream mode*...kirby...chibis...mymelo...hello kitty...kawaiis...ok, im better now......)

Welcome to WP!

Lee,

Stress is one nearly universal constant in the autistic world, as most people on the spectrum tend to frequently find themselves uncomfortably close to sensory or emotional overload.

As for how to go about getting evaluated, there are tools for evaluating adults for autistic spectrum conditions and people trained to use them, most commonly clinical psychologists. It is important to find someone experienced in evaluating adults, as this can be a bit more challenging than for children.

Where are you located? Perhaps there is someone on WP in your area that can offer suggestions.

Does being able to turn off emotions mean i have autism/AS?

No.


I just recently became aware that my father and his brothers all exhibit some mild form of autism, such as obsessing over locked doors, or not being able to read a book that anyone else has read;

That sounds like OCD.


I've also killed a baby kangaroo after it was run over without hesitation or it having an affect on me emotionally, and that was just natural, I didnt have to 'turn it off' after I felt it.


No, this isn't autistic. Having no care whatsoever about killing a baby kangaroo without hesitation sounds like something else. It sounds like you felt nothing. That is a misconception with autistics or people who look into it based on stereotypes that autistics have no care and feel nothing.



Looking into it, I've found some other traits about myself, like how I'm very logical, realistic and systematic. I'm an athiest, which seems to be common.

Being very logical, realistic and systematic isn't just for autistics. Where is the statistics that show how many autistics are atheists?

I think so. I can relate to these things. Especially the thing about not wanting to read books other people had read, I used to have that symptom, and I didn't know other people did too. You sound very AS.