Aspies in the third world

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I have recently found the wisdom and community of poor third world communities interesting. While illiterate many are very smart. They have a very different approach to things and I find it facinating. Look up barefoot college for an example.

How do aspies live in their society. Most of the villages require a tight knit society. How do their aspies fit in? Anyone?

Having Asperger's is the LEAST of these people's problems. (I know - I'm one). Their bigger issues of getting food on the table, securing a better life for their impoverished family in another country or trying not to get shot to death on the street pales in comparison to the vicissitudes encountered by those with Asperger's.

BTW, I do appreciate your even asking because it seems aspies in the third world have been ignored by the autism community in general.

In third world countries, they're not holding communities back. Their difference helps keep the community alive by offering alternate solutions to problems that may have existed for years.
In tight knit communities out there, people are accepted as people, not as statistics. As far as I can tell, non-NTs are nature's answer to insufficient adaptation. It happens with every species.

Literacy isn't a measure of intelligence.
Adaptivity and creativity are. If you can come up with new and effective ways to do something, then you're probably intelligent. If you can create, you're probably intelligent.

I'm pretty sure that in tribal societies, of course, those with AS are often initiated as shamans, leaders, or young elders - something in that neighborhood due to their natural wisdom, even if they're sometimes out of touch with the other members of the group. Most are not cruel by a long stretch, and are willing to listen when given advice.


Give a human enough of an explanation on a subject and they'll eventually learn and understand it. Some of us require more explanation than others. I think that's the purpose of the Barefoot College, for instance - to bring modern solutions up for medieval problems.

Well I do postdoc in India. I have problems with Asperger regardless they just come in different form. In the West everyone avoids me whereas in India everyone stops me and asks me ''what happened'' all the while i am just fine and want to be left alone (or even worse there was one guy who thought I was from Australia and the other guy who thought I was from Boston when I havent even been to eitehr of these places yet htey acted so sure like i were). In the West I WANT to make friends but cant, in India I dont really want to interact with them but they nose in into my space anyway. But then, on the other hand, there are the ones that dont know english and too much out of it to judge me. So in this case my dislike of a situation probably has a lot less to do with my Asperger, but it is still annoying just in a different way. Overall I miss the West. But then again whenever I do have a chance to go there I am again being ignored which makes me feel like I am being betrayed by the very flesh and blood I miss so much.

The people in India seem to care by default, eh? Cultural differences are great.
Perhaps you could work on seeming like a happier person. Smile more, even if you don't like socializing. Just explain your situation and eventually the local community will get a better idea of who you are.

I dont think it has to do with smiling. I mean Americans are the ones who smile a lot. In India it seems normal not to smile. I think it has more to do with some other things that make me look weird. Like in one case I spilled drink over my shirt so an Indian decided I must be a bum which means that I cant possibly have money for the laptop I was caring therefore it must have been stolen so that Indian, in fact, turned me into police station!

Then there was another time when some Indians decided I look similar to some photograph of someone missing from Australia. Indeed I do look very similar to the guy they have shown me. But still, the fact remains that I am not from Australia and I KNOW IT. Yet, they didnt believe me and insisted on taking my address in India to check with the parents of Australian guy to make sure I am not him.

Then there was another case when I went to a conference and I decided to stay a couple more days to explore the city. Conference organizers suggested to me that two hotel options to book. But whatever they wrote on piece of paper wasnt clear enough. So the rickshaw driver had to ask locals. The locals didnt understand english so in frustration i just gave them the phone of conference organizers so that they can ask THEM. Now it later turned out that conference organizers got calls from several ppl asking why is someone like that is ''allowed to go by himself''. And conference organizers agreed with that. They in fact passed on this question to the professor who brought me there asking him to supervise me while there because i remind them of their 5 year old son.

There were also few other ppl who randomly stopped and asked if I need some help. I havent had a chance to find out what it was, but judging by the above examples it probably had something to do with my being different due to asperger.



There are far too many ppl to really explain situation to anyone. I mean India is 10 times more overcrowded then anything you have ever seen in the West.

Thats precisely why it bothers me. I mean if it was some small community then OF COURSE they would want to find out about people living there. But here we have thousands and thousands of ppl yet they constantly picking out ME and ask me ''where i live'' the first time they approach me for no reason.

i don't know about ASD's in particular, but folks with mental illness in third world countries tend to stay integrated in their communities and do better than their counterparts in economically well-off countries.

Thank you everyone for your responses. I love wisdom...the source doesn't matter.

My impression is that people have a lot more respect for human differences than the more wealthy countries do.

In aboriginal countries (the third world being the only place an abo can survive) deformed or odd people are considered to be on a spiritual path.

I was born with much more than just aspergers so I have been hearing this all my life. To top it off in Alex's video a mohawk indian claims that being autistic is a license to practice shamanism.

Pretty good example.

Also, the third world doesnt have the same streamlined education that we do. That is why the Einstein etc crowd were able to excel. Honestly I would guess the third world would do a heck of a lot less than bat an eye if they saw an aspie walking down the street.

I suspect they have far more opportunities to learn to conform than the average American suburbanite, who could lock himself up in his house for days on end and still live comfortably. This probably makes the cases that are anywhere near borderline seem NT.

I disagree. In America, when I was having trouble in my ph.d. program it was all academic, and the fact that I was weird socially never contributed to my professors' negative opinion of me. On the other hand, in India, my first professor was openly disliking me specifically for the social aspect (see http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt151914.html )

I disagree as well.

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Last edited by Keeno on 20 Jun 2012, 8:42 am, edited 1 time in total.

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I'm a 3rd world resident.
Went through 2 undergrad courses, one masters and one phd (current).

Illiterate, really?

google image 'untouchables India' they are/were segregated and practically forced to live on rats that they caught themselves. No Govt money was assigned for health and education, though recently under pressure from maoist groups, the Indian Govt. has started spending money on health and education for untouchables

In Thailand, Buddhist monasteries are unofficial orphanages and mental institutions............

I remember the Batak area in Sumatra had high rates of birth defects from the combination of soil mineral composition, diet, inbreeding and 245T pesticide use. When I snorkelled Lake Toba, around 10-15% of the large goldfish population had fin and eye deformities from 245T run-off into the lake.

Globally, many babies are killed at birth, as life is hard enough.... even for 'normal' people. A child is supposed to grow and support the parents.... not be a burden....I believe in the animal kingdom, a mother will usually reject a sick offspring.

Sorry to be a downer

ASD's that we usually see in the west, are more closely associated with Neanderthal Scandinavian and Germanic genes... These countries are the wealthiest countries in the world....its all so confusing.....