Positive NT traits & abilities

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I've been rather down on NTs, and I know I'm not alone in that.
The assumption has been that all the nasty experiences that an Aspie is subjected to is at the hands of NTs, but I'm beginning to see that this is likely not the case.

As I examine bullying behaviour more & more, for example, it becomes clear that they are experiencing a kind of neurodiversity of their own that causes them to act out in aggressive, threatening ways.
Abusive behaviour is not coming from a neurotypical state of mind, if neurotypical is referring to a healthy social state.
Logically then, it's not NTs that are the jerks.

Would anyone like to describe positive traits that are specific to NTs?

Last edited by ThinkTrees on 19 Apr 2012, 4:25 am, edited 1 time in total.

I don't know what to say... I kinda wrote about extreme NT characteristics.

Where did you write about that?

First I must warn you, don't take offense to anything. [edit: reference removed as it links to a locked thread]

Ok, that's really funny...thankyou for that

did you read it that quickly?

Yes.
I think my favourite bit is the trouble you have with 'speling'.....very nice touch there

Thanks. In the morning I'll go through the positives that people have pointed out to me.

Does colorful language count?

Ha ha, er. Maybe, in a creative context...

Surely the obvious one would be the ability to communicate more effectively?

Well, I haven't noticed that. I communicate very effectively, and am told better than most, this being in a classroom situation with an NT majority...

Well, generally speaking at least

Actually, maybe more specifically..in the realm of emotional communication.
I am terrible with navigating those.

I'd say flexibility, flexible thinking, being able to accommodate other people and their views more easily. But it's not so simple because while in general NTs can show more flexibility, I know a lot that can't. Makes me think of conservatives versus liberals; I was reading something recently where it said liberals have a more flexible way of thinking than conservatives.

But with an NT I can just call them up and say 'hey let's do this' and they'll probably go along with it. There's a long list of things that 'can't be done' with my Aspie friends. But then I also have NT friends who 'don't like' to do certain things. Hmmn it's more a case of Aspie (can't do it) versus NT (doesn't want to do it), so it doesn't really matter a great deal.

Also emotional reciprocation - NTs can do this intuitively whereas I feel like I have to hold a sign up for Aspie friends about how I'm feeling. Having said that though, NTs don't always choose to use this skill appropriately. They may intuit you're sad and why but that doesn't mean they have the appropriate skills or motivation to respond to it. I've been very touched by Aspie responses sometimes (when they did notice a particular emotion) as they often seemed more genuine (albeit occurring more rarely).

That is a great question, which is difficult to answer. Traits that exist in the typical can also exist in the atypical. I can imagine that, somewhere on the internet, on a forum not completely dissimilar to this, a person is asking,'Would anyone like to describe positive traits that are specific to Autistics?'

Now let's all be real honest about this. They do make us appear far more intelligent than we really are.