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Dandansson
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18 Nov 2021, 6:14 am

I've been told that many people with ASD are analytical but at the same time I've been told that people with ASD have difficulties breaking down task. Are people with ASD really better at being analytical (whatever that term refers to)?
I don't think I'm better at it. It's just that I often think about how things connect and do not connect. This is sometimes my strength. People want to understand the system they say. It makes some of us slow learners in the beginning but really good at what we do I guess.
What do you think? What have you been told? Did your analytical mind help you get a job or did actually make thing more difficult?



magz
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18 Nov 2021, 6:24 am

In my case, "being analytical" and "breaking down tasks" are totally different experiences.

I easily notice patterns, I naturally analyze any information I get, my mind is all the time running some thought experiments, testing various hypotheses on any topic.

Breaking down a task means, e.g., cleaning my apartment. Every single thing needs to be picked up, identified, a decision what to do with it to be made and then executed... every part of this is a concious effort and I get mentally exhausted before any significant work is done.


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Joe90
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18 Nov 2021, 6:57 am

I'm only analytical when it comes to worrying about stuff.

When it comes to logical stuff, I'm not analytical much. I have trouble organising.


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Dandansson
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18 Nov 2021, 7:39 am

Joe90 wrote:
I'm only analytical when it comes to worrying about stuff.

When it comes to logical stuff, I'm not analytical much. I have trouble organising.

what kind of logic are you refering to?



Dandansson
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18 Nov 2021, 7:52 am

magz wrote:
In my case, "being analytical" and "breaking down tasks" are totally different experiences.

I easily notice patterns, I naturally analyze any information I get, my mind is all the time running some thought experiments, testing various hypotheses on any topic.

Breaking down a task means, e.g., cleaning my apartment. Every single thing needs to be picked up, identified, a decision what to do with it to be made and then executed... every part of this is a concious effort and I get mentally exhausted before any significant work is done.

I often have to break down a task when analysing but I often do this with a professional. I mean, when I'm learning a new song I break it down into smaller parts/chunks. This is done by analysing. Much of it is conscious. I cannot seperate "analysing" and "breaking down" in this case. I am better at being analytical than a person who breaks down tasks into smaller chunks. Or perhaps I am better at synthesis than analysis. :?:
But you would be able to seperate these two or do I missunderstand you?



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18 Nov 2021, 8:17 am

Some of the trouble may come from the expanded category of ASD. When it was simply Aspergers, analytical abilities were often included. When it was expanded to include other neurological conditions, analytical abilities became less distinctive.

I suspect that the neurological variant that produces Aspergers also often has the neurology to produce a higher IQ. These resources are applied to organize what might otherwise be considered an avalanche of thought and sensory data.

Developmentally an analytical perspective might be seen as at the core of a person's "operating system".

Those less able to manage the onslaught of sensory and thought information might be seen as less "analytical'



Dandansson
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18 Nov 2021, 8:26 am

timf wrote:
Some of the trouble may come from the expanded category of ASD. When it was simply Aspergers, analytical abilities were often included. When it was expanded to include other neurological conditions, analytical abilities became less distinctive.

I suspect that the neurological variant that produces Aspergers also often has the neurology to produce a higher IQ. These resources are applied to organize what might otherwise be considered an avalanche of thought and sensory data.

Developmentally an analytical perspective might be seen as at the core of a person's "operating system".

Those less able to manage the onslaught of sensory and thought information might be seen as less "analytical'

I firmly believe that many of us with an Asperger's diagnosis are far better at synthesis than analysis. Some may be better at analysis but I am not one of those.
I wish people would stop calling me analytical. I might be the synthesis guy.
Analysis is often said to be the same as breaking down a task. People who analyse break down. People who synthesise see how the details fit together. Or maybe people who did a lot of synthesis became good at analysis?



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18 Nov 2021, 9:10 am

I usually break down tasks into subtasks to be able to get a feeling of the project, I often cannot just see the whole process as is. I do this very similar to how computer programming in eg C works.
{
GetMaterial();
BuildStuff();
CheckQuality();
ReportToBoss();
}

GetMaterial() {
AskVendors();
ComparePricesAndQuality();
OrderStuff();
}

...and so on.

/Mats


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Dandansson
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18 Nov 2021, 1:15 pm

mohsart wrote:
I usually break down tasks into subtasks to be able to get a feeling of the project, I often cannot just see the whole process as is. I do this very similar to how computer programming in eg C works.
{
GetMaterial();
BuildStuff();
CheckQuality();
ReportToBoss();
}

GetMaterial() {
AskVendors();
ComparePricesAndQuality();
OrderStuff();
}

...and so on.

/Mats

Where can I read more about this?



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18 Nov 2021, 1:31 pm

Quantitative Analysis: If it involves math and/or logic, it is the proverbial Piece o'Cake for me!

Qualitative Analysis: I might have to ask someone else to tell me if a shirt smells too bad to wear.


:wink:



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18 Nov 2021, 3:02 pm

We are all different in that area. It's not a one size fits all.


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skibum
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18 Nov 2021, 3:06 pm

timf wrote:

Those less able to manage the onslaught of sensory and thought information might be seen as less "analytical'
This is also very individual. For instance, I cannot manage the onslaught of sensory and thought information but I am exceptionally analytical. I think one reason I am so analytical is BECAUSE I cannot manage the onslaught of sensory and thought information.


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18 Nov 2021, 3:25 pm

Dandansson wrote:
Where can I read more about this?

About what?

/Mats


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18 Nov 2021, 4:02 pm

I find I often don't take things at face value. I can instantly see that there is more to a subject than a blanket statement would suggest.

It makes me infuriating to talk to if I point out the logical fallacies when someone just wanted to make a passing comment that they themselves are satisfied with, but if I keep quiet it makes other people infuriating to listen to.

I think half the world is deluded.



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18 Nov 2021, 7:10 pm

Being analytical is a two-edged sword. It lets me see the correct solution to a technical problem, and that offends the people currently in charge.



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18 Nov 2021, 7:11 pm

I guess I am a relatively analytical person. Sometimes people appreciate it, and sometimes people dislike it. If I see something or get told something I always need to "dig deeper" and deconstruct every part of it to understand it better, I don't just leave things and the information I get about them "as is". It makes me notice and point out things that people don't seem to think about (or don't want to think about...).

It also definitely makes me a slow learner, though I've been told a few times that after I get the basics of something I can start picking it up quite fast and do quite well at it. Unfortunately most people don't have the patience for that and just write me off over it.