photographic memory, and AS????

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Yes, picture memories. As a child I could remember where information was in a schoolbook - example, I could say that the information about canals in Holland was on the page that had the photo of the windmill in the upper right corner. The lines about the canals were about 2/3rds down the page on the left-hand side. I could tell them about how far into the book the page was. If I read something, I never forgot it and could recall it years later.

When I was very young I could always retrace my steps - that is, when we'd go on vacation and my parents would get lost, they'd ask me how to get back to the motel and I could do it every time. That sort of thing. I've lost a lot of the "where in the book" memory thing as I've gotten older, but I still have very good "internal map" talents. I visited my childhood home several years ago after an absence of about 30 years. I was able to get around town with no problem at all (we'd moved away when I was 10). I've taken some trips overseas and after a short "orientation" expedition, I was able to navigate as if I'd always been there. Part of that was that I'd looked at maps prior, and they stuck in my head for me.

Oddly, it used to be that when I heard information I never forgot it, either. But that started failing me in my early 20s. I can remember that is when it became apparent to me that I no longer remembered everything I heard.

My real annoyance is, now that I'm in my mid-fifties, that my recall is faulty, not my memory. The information is in there, but it takes me quite some time to get to it. Someone will ask me about something and I will have absolutely no recollection of having ever heard of or having done it, but in about 2 or 3 days a memory will come bubbling up and it will all make sense. That 2-day lag is just killing me at work, really, and is quite annoying.