What Aspie traits DON'T you have?

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AS became a valid diagnosis in the US in 1994. Autism became a valid diagnosis in the US in 1980. If going by the DSM, anyway. Prior to that autism was a category of childhood psychosis.

Lots of people who are very very unusual-looking get to the age of 30 without being diagnosed with AS, or even with "classic autism". They just get diagnosed as "mentally ret*d" or "schizophrenic" or "Tourette" or something else instead, generally.

I don't take everything literally. I can usually either understand sarcasm, metaphors, jokes and such or at least realize that they are meant as such and not to be taken literally even if I don't fully get them.

I don't talk excessively about my interests or have long monologues. I can often tell if people are bored with me or if they find the subject strange or too complicated.

I don't find all changes upsetting or hard to handle, only some types of change. I can be very flexible about many things.

At the moment I can't think of any other aspie traits that I lack.

I don't speak in monotone. I've been told I have a good voice for reading aloud and a good "phone voice". (The irony of the "phone voice" comment is that I hate talking on the phone because I can't tell when it's my turn to talk. I have enough problems with that in person, but the phone is even worse because there are no visual cues.)

I don't have flat affect. In fact, quite the opposite. I tend to over-express emotions, if that makes sense. But then, I express them more like a little kid than like most adults (I jump up and down and squeal when I'm happy, bawl when I'm sad), which might be an Aspie thing, too.

Never been into rocking or hand-flapping. My stimming is mostly scratching my legs or rubbing my face.

I'm very affectionate and love hugging. I don't mind touching people or being touched by them unless I don't know them, and I'm ok with shaking hands with strangers.

Tend to make too much eye contact instead of not enough.

Hopeless at math and anything mechanical. (I prefer to think that machines are operated by little gnomes, and that sometimes the gnomes get angry and then they break!)

Very imaginative as a child, although I did have trouble playing with other children.

I have good handwriting and I'm good at hand-stitching. Can't snap my fingers or shuffle cards, though.

My gait is normal.

As an adult I don't have trouble making friends. People seem to find my likeable.


Aspie traits I do have:

-Obsessive interests and tend to go on and on about them

-Can't read subtle facial expressions

-Extremely clumsy. Poor bilateral integration and dyspraxia.

-Can't tell whether someone is talking to be or to somebody else; can't tell when it's my turn to talk; apparently give the wrong signals about when I'm finished talking because people always interrupt me

-Sensory issues, especially with high-pitched noises. Scratchy fabrics were a big problem when I was a kid but not so much now.

-Social immaturity, in that I relate to people more like a kid would than like an adult. Thankfully people give me a pass on this because I'm quite short and "cute" in a pixie sort of way. Everyone thinks I'm younger than I am.

-Tend to take things literally. This gets worse when I'm tired or stressed.

And others of course.

Many traits of the above I have. I don't have:

- Good memory. I can not remember well even when my memory is given a context. But the way I remember things is Aspie.

- I do not have the obsession with primes at all.

- Hand flapping.

- Self-injury, head-banging.

- I'm not that sensitive to bright light, loud sounds. I tend do make noises.

- Too rigid routines.

- I like to be _near_ people

- Deep knowledge on a narrow field. I have a _relatively_ wide knowledge.

- I can do a lot of NT things, but they are learnt altogether. I'm well in my 30's.