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Jay123
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08 Dec 2021, 9:39 pm

I've read that people with Asperger's Hate Fiction, I read Fiction and NonFiction, I'm an English Major so I enjoy books up the Ying Yang, I think it's a misconception that People on the Spectrum have No Imagination such as no Pretend Play and hating Literature, what do you guys think?



AprilR
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08 Dec 2021, 10:41 pm

Fiction is basically my life. I have always loved reading, as a Child i used to finish books in bookstores. It was an escape from depression and loneliness and it still is for me.
If fiction didn't exist my life would be empty.



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08 Dec 2021, 11:12 pm

It is indeed a myth that people with Asperger's/ASD hate fiction.

However, it is true that a very high proportion on the spectrum do not like it. Not a majority, per se, but a significant enough portion of people with ASD are more prone to like books containing factual info. It is a prominent commonality. But certainly not a requirement to fall on the spectrum. There are many of us who not only enjoy fiction, but write it as well. And indeed there are those of us who dislike non-fiction books (I myself find them to be too dry and unenjoyable in most cases. It takes a good author to make me want to read a biography or history text).

This is much like the stereotype that Aspies (forgive the term) like science and math to the exclusion of all else. Not true. Just a very significant amount of us do.

It really depends on the situation for the specific person on the spectrum. There are Aspies who are bad at math but can write beautiful poetry. It is just rather uncommon.



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08 Dec 2021, 11:35 pm

Sometimes a painting can illustrate more than a camera can, and sometimes fiction can showcase human behaviour more intimately than non-fiction can. There's also semi-fiction, which history has a hard time escaping. Even if there's no bias, there are time limitations. In the movie Gandhi, there is one scene which is actually an amalgam of three actual events.



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08 Dec 2021, 11:55 pm

I read a lot of fiction (though I also read insect field guides and the dictionary for fun as a kid :lol: ), and have always loved playing pretend. I still love pretending/role-playing in my head, but don’t have anyone to do it with and have trouble coming up with a whole storyline myself. I have multiple fantasy worlds I retreat to and regularly add new ones (often starting with something based on a book, movie, video game, etc.).

I didn’t particularly like literature classes because they focused on seeing more than is actually written, which is not something I do well. If we read a book and then watched a movie version in class, I could spot each word that was different from the lines in the book, but when given a worksheet afterward, might not be able to answer a single question because it was all about hidden meanings and different interpretations.


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09 Dec 2021, 1:45 am

I've had my periods in life of only reading non fiction, and I probably read more non fiction than average.
But then again, I probably read more fiction than average.

/Mats


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chaosmos
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09 Dec 2021, 3:11 am

Empty life would be without fiction.

I would say I’ve actually learned how to BE who I am by reading narratives. It also strikes my empathy, which I struggle to feel in real life scenarios; unforced interaction with the other, on my terms. My boundaries are often loosened and I can access my feeling self better. Does that make sense?

But also, having said that, I did avidly read anatomy and physiology books as a child and it was a strong area of interest for me, particularly the heart. I read less non-fiction as an adult.



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09 Dec 2021, 4:27 am

I read and loved fiction since childhood. I read at least one fiction book a day today, for recreation and distraction (a stim!) but also read lots of studies, facts, etc on a daily basis. fiction is a great escape!


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WeirdMetronome
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09 Dec 2021, 4:37 am

I also enjoy fiction, I used to love reading as a child, it was my favourite way to escape. :)



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09 Dec 2021, 5:36 am

I both read and write fiction. I've always loved it.

One of the things I love about it is the intimacy. You really get inside character's heads, you can see their motivations and thought processes. As someone who struggles to make connections with people in real life, or get beyond very superficial interaction, this is very enlightening. It also helps remind me that people are deeply complex messes of thought and emotion with motivations that are hidden from view and I shouldn't rush to judge them if what they say and do doesn't make sense to me.


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09 Dec 2021, 5:45 am

I like to write, but I'd never try to do fictional characters. One aspie author used short fictional examples, and his characters were spectacularly unconvincing. I can put up with total technical clangers, as in some Science Fiction, a lot easier.



pokeystinker
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09 Dec 2021, 8:01 am

used to read fiction but i've very much lost the attention span required.



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09 Dec 2021, 9:09 am

I have gone through phases of reading fiction which will last a month or two but then I get bored of it (as with many things - possible ADHD). My favourite type of fiction is epistolary (novels in the form of letters or diaries) but I haven't read a book for a couple of years. I collect them though and have a book case full of these types of books. My husband keeps saying we should throw them out but I can't part with most things. I am a bit of a hoarder and don't like to throw out anything as it would cause a great deal of anxiety.
I went through a phase of buying Dean Koontz books about 12 years ago but I only read a few of them as I lost interest. I still have them all and will never throw them out. I have a short attention span so I think that's why I don't read much.



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09 Dec 2021, 10:20 am

Yes I read fiction. I've been through phases when I've not had the time for it, preferring factual "how to" stuff on the grounds that I'd empower myself more by sticking to material from which I'll acquire new skills rather than just trying to entertain myself, but eventually I became more of the opinion that the situation isn't that clear-cut - I do seem to grow by reading fiction of the right kind for me, perhaps in a less direct and less materialistic way, and I often find that the factual stuff has turned out to be a waste of time because it's not always written clearly enough for me to get what they're talking about - in fact I don't know how they get away with some of the tedious, muddled thinking and unsubstantiated drivel they present.

Fiction "takes me out of myself" better than fact, which helps me when my own life and goals bore me. Admittedly I often find I've picked an unsuitable story and I can end up wishing I'd not wasted my time on it, but when it works, it's another matter. I like Victorian fiction, probably because I've always been interested in that era and it helps me to see in detail what was going on in the minds of the people of those days.



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09 Dec 2021, 10:23 am

Science-Fiction has been my favorite genre since childhood.  The Detective/Mystery genre runs a close second.



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09 Dec 2021, 10:26 am

I majored in English in College. Got a 3.8 GPA. I like fiction, but don't really love it. Maybe it's because I'm naturally lazy.