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Autism is not a superpower

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EzraS
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31 Dec 2019, 3:23 am

Rainbow_Belle wrote:
I have Aspergers Syndrome and I do not know if I am saying the right or wrong thing. I am just speaking my mind and being honest. I do not intend to hurt anyone's feelings. This condition is not a superpower/good it is a curse/bad. Having Aspergers makes life frustrating and difficult with social interactions and not being understood.


I can not think of any good that has come from my autism. It has been a strain on my family as well.



SharonB
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31 Dec 2019, 9:27 am

EzraS wrote:
I can not think of any good that has come from my autism. It has been a strain on my family as well.

That's rough Ezra. I can't help but wonder about your environment. I have read about many folks with terminal illnesses and know folks with severe disabilities --- and those with loving families are held in great esteem and although they wouldn't wish for the illness or disability, they celebrate the silver linings. One young man wrote that he firmly believed he was a more compassionate, kind person b/c of his Cystic Fibrosis and that although his life was likely to be shorter than most, he was living it more richly (not a saint, just more appreciative). Boo on the environments where hardships are "wronged", where there is no or little caretaking culture (or support). Sadly I think this is most environments, but a person can dream otherwise.



livingwithautism
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31 Dec 2019, 11:37 am

EzraS wrote:
Rainbow_Belle wrote:
I have Aspergers Syndrome and I do not know if I am saying the right or wrong thing. I am just speaking my mind and being honest. I do not intend to hurt anyone's feelings. This condition is not a superpower/good it is a curse/bad. Having Aspergers makes life frustrating and difficult with social interactions and not being understood.


I can not think of any good that has come from my autism. It has been a strain on my family as well.


Same for me.



Edna3362
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31 Dec 2019, 12:21 pm

Some people forgot the odds of savantism and the term of double exceptionalities.
Or that human suffering doesn't need any disability for it to happen.

But people here don't want that. :lol:
People here would rather shout about their traits, their 'effects' on others; the severe learning disabilities, intolerances, mental health issues, certain bouts of anxiety, loneliness or envy and whatever they're currently hung up with.


SharonB wrote:
EzraS wrote:
I can not think of any good that has come from my autism. It has been a strain on my family as well.

That's rough Ezra. I can't help but wonder about your environment. I have read about many folks with terminal illnesses and know folks with severe disabilities --- and those with loving families are held in great esteem and although they wouldn't wish for the illness or disability, they celebrate the silver linings. One young man wrote that he firmly believed he was a more compassionate, kind person b/c of his Cystic Fibrosis and that although his life was likely to be shorter than most, he was living it more richly (not a saint, just more appreciative). Boo on the environments where hardships are "wronged", where there is no or little caretaking culture (or support). Sadly I think this is most environments, but a person can dream otherwise.

I've known rather well what being in a caretaking culture is. I grew up in such cultures.
How one would like it entirely depends on the person than the environment. If only I can trade places with someone who would've needed it more...




Let's just say I'm a very prideful person :wink: an ungrateful bastard who simply refuses to learn any 'humbling' lesson. If not that, a guilty ridden 'rebel' then. I'd take most 'charities' as 'patronising' than something to be grateful for.
I'm more hung up with guilt of having others put up with whatever blunder I may end up doing. And the frustration that I'm just one comorbid effect away from having the autistic cake and eat it too without being chocked by it...

I'd be the type who wanted to be out of the disability or heck 'needy' thresholds, willful support or not.
Since I was young, even before diagnosis, I've already trying to find ways to 'afford' autistic traits as much as possible.
I don't settle 'prone to wandering' with 'poor sense of direction', or that 'sensory sensitivity' with 'sensory intolerance and anxiety', and heck sure don't settle 'being drawn to water' with 'cannot swim'.

And once I rid myself of factors concerning executive dysfunction (i.e. actually a preventable sleep disorder comorbidity of sorts that commonly affects most people by it in this case) I won't have this 'disability' status concerning my own autism.
That's how blessed I'm and that's also how very relevant and very irrelevant comorbids are.


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EzraS
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31 Dec 2019, 12:24 pm

SharonB wrote:
EzraS wrote:
I can not think of any good that has come from my autism. It has been a strain on my family as well.

That's rough Ezra. I can't help but wonder about your environment. I have read about many folks with terminal illnesses and know folks with severe disabilities --- and those with loving families are held in great esteem and although they wouldn't wish for the illness or disability, they celebrate the silver linings. One young man wrote that he firmly believed he was a more compassionate, kind person b/c of his Cystic Fibrosis and that although his life was likely to be shorter than most, he was living it more richly (not a saint, just more appreciative). Boo on the environments where hardships are "wronged", where there is no or little caretaking culture (or support). Sadly I think this is most environments, but a person can dream otherwise.


My family has been great. But I know it has been a hardship on them.



SharonB
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31 Dec 2019, 1:44 pm

EzraS wrote:
SharonB wrote:
My family has been great. But I know it has been a hardship on them.

I am glad they have that support. Yes, it is a hardship. I'm sorry it's very heavy for you and your family.

Our "lot" in life. I guess I can say for myself that compassion is one of my silver linings. In the past I had friends with significant past or anticipated loss. Currently I have similar friends and those whose children have medical demands and short life expectancies (or are otherwise challenged); I do not shy away from hardships (in an ASD way). One could say "misery loves company" and there is goodness in that.



SharonB
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31 Dec 2019, 6:58 pm

OK. I thought of one.

(1) Is it a "superpower" --- unusual, awe inspiring --- yes; but valuable IRL? in small ways, that perhaps add up...
(2) Could a person have this "superpower" without having ASD?

I am able to visually locate objects quickly (without knowing how I do it). Since my earliest memories I can pick an exact puzzle piece out of a table full of scattered puzzle pieces without knowing I have seen it and where it is - I just do it. Assuming known laws of physics, I have seen the piece and spatially categorized it (subconsciously). This comes to mind because today at the library, the librarian indicated a shelf of over 120 books to look through for a particular child's book --- I rounded the corner and pulled out the exact book - immediately. In my mind it is the only one I saw. She was shocked and asked, "How did you do that?" I don't know. I must have scanned the books. I don't know that I did, but I must have. In my memory the book was right there - "sticking out" (but of course it was in line with all the others). I suppose I use this in little ways all the time (visual research). That said, I can never find anything around the house or in the fridge.



QuantumChemist
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31 Dec 2019, 9:01 pm

livingwithautism wrote:
QuantumChemist wrote:
livingwithautism wrote:
QuantumChemist wrote:
I will agree that being autistic is not by itself a superpower. However, it allows an individual some opportunities that typically are not taken by NT individuals. You could say we take the road less traveled in life. Social norms tend to confine NT thought processes in a rather restrictive way. They have to follow all of the NT rules or be kicked out by their social network.

Not having those same restrictions in place (ie. being ND) can lead to discoveries in abilities that would not normally be explored (for example: extreme creativity in thinking). It is those abilities that tend to be mislabeled as a superpower, when they were always there buried underneath other things. Many people have these same abilities but rarely use them. All autism does is allow an easier access to find said abilities if they do exist.

You can look at your particular set of skills as being part of a large inner tool box. Some may obsess over one tool over another, so they may get very good at one thing, but at a loss of something else in the box. Very few people become experts at all of the tools in their box, there is almost always something that has been left out in the process to get to that point. Even savants are not always perfect in all of their skills that they have in their box.


NTs can have those abilities too.


True, but it is far rarer for NTs to find the abilities and act upon them than NDs. My perspective is that NTs tend to be distracted with their social life too much and miss out on the subtle things that coexist in life.


That's just an assumption. You can't speak for all NTs.


I am not speaking of all NTs, just the majority of them that I have interacted with over my lifetime. My above information comes from many years of watching them, including social situations that I get placed into. I have personally seen great talent in NTs wasted simply because it was not noticed by them due to "social distractions" in their lives. Being a university professor, I am on constant lookout for those individuals with special talents, be it scientific or otherwise. NDs tend to know what they are capable of as it is part of self-inflection or internalization processes. We tend to do that automatically, while many NTs have to be taught to do that. It is not natural to them. They may have the right tools (skills), but can they find it in their toolbox if they do not know what to look for?



livingwithautism
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31 Dec 2019, 9:04 pm

QuantumChemist wrote:
livingwithautism wrote:
QuantumChemist wrote:
livingwithautism wrote:
QuantumChemist wrote:
I will agree that being autistic is not by itself a superpower. However, it allows an individual some opportunities that typically are not taken by NT individuals. You could say we take the road less traveled in life. Social norms tend to confine NT thought processes in a rather restrictive way. They have to follow all of the NT rules or be kicked out by their social network.

Not having those same restrictions in place (ie. being ND) can lead to discoveries in abilities that would not normally be explored (for example: extreme creativity in thinking). It is those abilities that tend to be mislabeled as a superpower, when they were always there buried underneath other things. Many people have these same abilities but rarely use them. All autism does is allow an easier access to find said abilities if they do exist.

You can look at your particular set of skills as being part of a large inner tool box. Some may obsess over one tool over another, so they may get very good at one thing, but at a loss of something else in the box. Very few people become experts at all of the tools in their box, there is almost always something that has been left out in the process to get to that point. Even savants are not always perfect in all of their skills that they have in their box.


NTs can have those abilities too.


True, but it is far rarer for NTs to find the abilities and act upon them than NDs. My perspective is that NTs tend to be distracted with their social life too much and miss out on the subtle things that coexist in life.


That's just an assumption. You can't speak for all NTs.


I am not speaking of all NTs, just the majority of them that I have interacted with over my lifetime. My above information comes from many years of watching them, including social situations that I get placed into. I have personally seen great talent in NTs wasted simply because it was not noticed by them due to "social distractions" in their lives. Being a university professor, I am on constant lookout for those individuals with special talents, be it scientific or otherwise. NDs tend to know what they are capable of as it is part of self-inflection or internalization processes. We tend to do that automatically, while many NTs have to be taught to do that. It is not natural to them. They may have the right tools (skills), but can they find it in their toolbox if they do not know what to look for?


Nothing good has ever come from my autism. Any skills I have developed had to be taught.



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31 Dec 2019, 10:03 pm

SharonB wrote:
OK. I thought of one.

(1) Is it a "superpower" --- unusual, awe inspiring --- yes; but valuable IRL? in small ways, that perhaps add up...
(2) Could a person have this "superpower" without having ASD?

I am able to visually locate objects quickly (without knowing how I do it). Since my earliest memories I can pick an exact puzzle piece out of a table full of scattered puzzle pieces without knowing I have seen it and where it is - I just do it. Assuming known laws of physics, I have seen the piece and spatially categorized it (subconsciously). This comes to mind because today at the library, the librarian indicated a shelf of over 120 books to look through for a particular child's book --- I rounded the corner and pulled out the exact book - immediately. In my mind it is the only one I saw. She was shocked and asked, "How did you do that?" I don't know. I must have scanned the books. I don't know that I did, but I must have. In my memory the book was right there - "sticking out" (but of course it was in line with all the others). I suppose I use this in little ways all the time (visual research). That said, I can never find anything around the house or in the fridge.


That's really interesting, I think I have something similar.
I remember once at work the boss had this huge 200 page report and he wanted to find something in there, and he was sort of hopelessly flicking through the pages with several of us gathered around, and I said "there it is" - and he stopped and there it was. My brain had spotted the relevant word as he flicked through. Everyone looked at me, like "how did you do that?" but I had no idea, it was all subconscious. Maybe some kind of pattern recognition thing?

I think this subconscious skill together with the tendency to hyperfocus has contributed to my academic achievement (eg I learnt to read very early, which went on to get me to a good school, and then to uni, and then to a good job...)

Which is why I try not to complain about my autism too much, because I have a feeling there are as many pros as cons in my case.



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31 Dec 2019, 11:48 pm

I wouldn't call my autism a superpower. I just see it as a part of who I am. I accept the fact that I'm autistic. I'm proud of the ways that I've proven my detractors wrong.


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