Directionally impaired.

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So do I but going to new places can be a challenge. I do not know when a certain street is coming so I end up missing the turn so I have to turn my car around. I can put the map in my car and use it but then I would have to pull over to look at it.

I though this wasnt common with AS. But, I'm an aspie and have the same problem.

Can someone tell me if that's normal for a lot of people with AS? I thought that was suppose to be something aspies are good at.

I think it's probably one of those things that come in opposites. There are so many charactersitics of Aspergers which manifest themselves in extremes, with very few Aspies representing the middle ground:

You're either painfully neat or dreadfully messy.
You either hyperlexic or dyslexic.
You either make no eye contact or you stare at people too much.
You either talk too much or too little.
You either have no emotions or your emotions are extreme.
You're either a genius at mathematics or you cannot do sums at all.

And, within the same person you sometimes find:

Extremely logical thinking at times, with outbursts devoid of all logic at other times.
Dislike of strangers' touch and a desperate clingy need to be held by those you love.
A desire for complete quiet and visual simplicity at times, with a need for heavy textured loud music at other times.
An inability to concentrate even for five minutes, and an ability to concentrate for hours.

I used to say sorry all the time not knowing when to not say it but now I don't say it enough.
I talk too much.
I get told to mind my own business when I am being a caring person
I hardly feel my emotions but I think I did that to myself for ignoring my feelings too much and pretending they aren't there

That is very true...

You're either painfully neat or dreadfully messy.
-I'm very messy

You either hyperlexic or dyslexic.
-hyperlexic

You either make no eye contact or you stare at people too much.
-I give people an uncomfortable stare/gaze. I've been told it's like I'm a vietnam vet with shell shock, hahaha.

You either talk too much or too little.
-I talk and talk and talk and talk. But other times completely silent

You either have no emotions or your emotions are extreme.
-I have emotions, I think everyone does even aspies, but I don't show them or am told that I'm a closed book when it comes to emotions.

You're either a genius at mathematics or you cannot do sums at all.
-I'm great with logic puzzles, trig, and geometry. But no good at algerbra, the latter doesn't take as much logic.

Again very, very true. You should come up with more.

I'm also the messy hyperlexic staring talk-too-much emotional type and I am bad at maths.

I will try to put together a list of these because I find that on so many Web sites which try to explain Aspergers to people, they either list one or the other extreme, but not both; in fact, I "diagnosed" one of my colleagues based on these one-sided descriptions several months before (to my shock and surprise) a psychiatrist informed me that I was an Aspie. I think there are numerous psychology professionals who, unless they have worked extensively with Aspies, also have such misconceptions.

Another stereotypical misconception is that all Aspies have a limited wardrobe and poor personal hygiene. That may be true of many, but I think you could safely say that clothes are one of my "special interests"!

Thank you. It hasn't been said enough on this site. I think it's because most of these "professionals" are straight up text book and have not delt with many aspies in their line of work.




As I mentioned in another thread I have a decent wardrobe, but have been wearing the same outfit for months. (go ahead and just say it...disgusting!) Although I do wash it every few days or so!

and as far as hygiene I'm always being reminded daily to brush my teeth, *cough* I'm 20 *cough*
I shower now regularly, but for awhile, again I had to be told. I still go through periods where I don't, and have to be reminded.

I have a very good sense of direction. I can find my way out of hedge or mirror mazes very easily. On IQ tests I ace the spacial visualization.

However (sorry to be sexiest) I find that many/most women are absolutely hopeless at reading maps.

"Turn at the next corner" says my wife.
"Left or right?" I yell.
"I don't know" she says.

She can't seem to visualize that we are coming down from the top of the map page and should turn left to get where we want to go.

GPS and Google streetview are my lifeline. I'm directionally impaired too. Before those technologies were available I drew routes on xeroxed maps with a marker. I feel for you leaving the GPS in the other car (and aren't they just the BEST!! ! invention). I broke out into a cold sweat one day when the audio on mine went out in the middle of a drive.

I don't think this is sexist. I think if someone did a proper scientific study about this, they'd find the statistics to corroborate what you believe.

I am useless with directions, but I can use a map just fine if I align the map in such a way that it lies in the direction we are going. Coming down from the top of the page would be difficult for me. I have to turn the map around so that left is left and right is right. The same thing happens to me if a pedestrian asks me how to walk to a certain place in my town. Provided that I know the place very well, I can then direct the person from where we are, but I have to turn my body around to face the right direction for starting off, and then on occasion I have to close my eyes to visualise the various turns.

I think there are other women who do it that way.

I've heard a rumour that Albert Einstein (purportedly also an Aspie) did not know how to get to his own home, and in fact did not know his own address either; but he said it didn't matter, because other people know and he had more important things to store in his brain.

I met some guys at BarCamp (a kind of IT conference organised by programmers and held in a school hall a few years ago) who said they simply buy 3 of the same shirts, 3 of the same set of pants and so on, so that they don't have to re-think the issue again for a long time.

Ohmigod my husband is posting. (just kidding.)

But actually we have had this exchange word for word. I can't tell him "left" or "right" until I've rotated the map so that it matches my left and right. He is baffled why I don't rotate the map in my head instead of having to physically rotate it. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHGGGGGHHHHH!! !

I'm messy, although I try very hard to be otherwise. I absolutely cannot stand other people's messes in my space, though. I lived for years with family members who would leave a trail of destruction in their wake and it just about drove me insane.



Hmm. Based on the description, probably not quite hyperlexic, though I always picked up new words readily.



Eye contact with those I know well. I avoid it with others. Occasionally, though, I have been accused of staring.



I go from one extreme to the other, here. I'll often say very little -- why waste words? -- but will then have chatty moods where I'll spill all sorts of information no one wants to hear or go on and on about one of my interests until people are desperate to escape. I'm better off keeping my mouth shut.



Umm, somewhere in the middle, although over the last few years I've discovered that other people don't perceive my emotions the same way I do, so who am I to judge? Others seem to think that I'm rather cold-blooded or that I'm over-reacting when I think I'm displaying an appropriate amount of emotion.



The second. Many torturous months were spent with a little record player and rhythmic recordings of multiplication tables when the flash cards failed. Eventually my father, who could balance a checkbook in his head, brought home a brand-new (and expensive for it's day) TI-2550 calculator and set it down on the desk to "help with the bills." He didn't say I couldn't use it.

Regards,

Patricia

Same here. Maps don't always help. I think it's confidence thing, because I don't want to rely on a map only and risk getting lost. I learn an area by walking through and seeing it, and I prefer to go the same ways.

Thank you all! I don't feel alone. I posted this on a popular ADHD forum and people don't seem to relate as much as you do.

When I lose my way, which is often, I also tell people that I have more important information to store in my head!

I can't do maps either unless I align it in the direction I am going. Before I had my GPS, people would write me directions on a paper. Some people would draw maps, thinking I would understand. A few instances I tried to tell them I needed direct directions - Left at Main, Right at Pine....etc... Those people said, "It's easy with the map". I had them do both because they looked stressed and/or annoyed (couldn't tell) when I asked them not to draw a map

I can sometimes direct a person where to go if I turn my body around to face the right direction. There are times I can't even do that.
Just a few months ago, I was trying to give someone directions to me house. I am located off a main street so I didn't think it would be that difficult. My mom was visiting at the time and overheard me giving this person directions. She kept interrupting me. I was extremely irritated - she doesn't even live in this town. I ended up giving the person the directions my mom stated, thinking that the woman will later call to tell us she was lost. I could then tell my mom not to butt into my "direction giving". Turns out I was wrong. These are extremely basic directions. When I was giving the directions, I even turned my body in the direction but still got confused. perhaps the trees were in the way???

Wombat - your remark wasn't sexist, in my opinion. I believe in most cases it's true. That example of your wife is sometimes me.

The GPS is truly the best invention ever. I no longer have panic attacks while driving when I have the GPS on. It tells me in advanced if I need to go right or left. If I miss my turn, it says "recalculating". What in the heck would I do if I didn't have the recalculating. I love it.

I always stick to the same route always. If I veer off a little, I get lost.

yeah, regarding the 'sexist' comment. Not at all is that sexist, I was just reading this psychology text book I have lying around and there are actual scienific studies that say men are better in general at mathmatics, spatial stuff, and directions. I'll look it up and post what it says verbatum later. For now I'm tired and I'm going down from the insomnia, it's way past noon and I need to get to bed.