how many of these apply to you?

Post Reply New Topic

I just wanted to add that I also know a lot of female Aspies who do think visually and are NOT empathetic, social at all. In fact I've heard a few say they felt they thought more like a man than "like a woman".

AND you are from Seattle, as I am!

All but 4 in varying degrees-mostly problems with social ability and cognitive functioning.

Hmm… Kinda… I have a head full of invisible information. I’m pretty good at converting my thoughts to words, but I don’t have to use words to think 100% of the time. There was another discussion where someone said they could have an idea that they then had to translate into words. This happens to me quite often.

I’m very good at out the box thinking and connecting dots. The best way I can describe it is being able to mix and match information and ideas without having to sort through visual images, words, or categories. I’m not sure how I sort information into categories. Everything seems to go in a big file of invisible information.

So I can mix and match ideas, then if they fit together, I work out a way to describe the relationship in words.

I was in special education classes for most subjects when I was very young. Later years in school, I was just in special education for English. I was thought phonics for years, and years, but it never helped my spelling. I can spell words with the letters that correspond to the letter sounds in words just fine. My issue was that I couldn’t “SEE” the words in my head to know how they are actually supposed to be spelled. There are just too many exceptions to the spelling rules. An example is one of my doctor’s name is Schneider. The “I” isn’t before the “E” even though there isn’t a proceeding “C”. But, I was able to tell my other doctor how to spell the name correctly. How is my brain storing that? I have no clue.

I’m sorry if this is all very off topic, but this is one of my monolog buttons, and you pushed it.

The though never occurred to me that other people could actually see things in their heads. When I discovered AS, I was watching a video of Temple Grandin and went “OMG, wtf? People can actually see stuff in there heads?”. When I found out they can do it with their eyes open, I was floored. I can’t imagine how easy spelling is for people that can see words in their heads.

I spent about 20 years thinking I was dumb. I was in special education and couldn’t learn some things that others picked up so easily in comparison. When I got into the IT field I discovered that I my analytical and logical abilities were really quite good. As my career continued, my self impression improved, people commenting on how “smart” I was. It kinda boggled me to be honest.

The IQ test I took as part of my assessment confirmed that I was actually quite bright. So, in the past year I’ve been working on my perspective in regards to my intelligence as well as the redefined social perspective that comes with discovering AS.

In 4 days I get to see MRI images that may actually show the cause of not being able to see mental images (images, words, shapes, colors, anything). I think there may be an abnormality, tumor, lesion, ect on the hippocampus of my right temporal lobe. If I’m right, I’ll feel just a little bit smarter for calling what the cause was before the doctors told me.

Sorry for the long reply. Thanks for hitting my monolog button though.

i do tend to feel like more of a "male thinker" at times. but i am undeniably feminine in some thought patterns

dont worry about the grammatical errors, i find myself guilty of such things more often than i would like. .

i do think visually. i talk to myself in my head, but it's always for thoughts regarding social things, like imagining a convo, which of course must be in words . but like, i dont describe the kitchen in my head, it's just an image. also, music is very visual for me.
social, emotional, and expressive all depend on the situation. with a group of close friends, i am often talkative and social, if a bit odd. at school, i prefer to sit on the steps and stare at people interact (must be careful about this!) i dont care at all for mingling. if they aint my best friend, or interesting, i of course wont be interested. . same with emotions and expressiveness. i am not too emotional with strangers, but am with friends and self. i generally hide it, but it will occasionally overflow and come out. sometimes appropriately, often times not so. XD

Same here. Well, not the NLD part, but I also think almost only in words; even the rare image in my mind isn't completely without words, and it's pretty static. I also have absolutely no sense of direction; I cannot find my way around anywhere. I actually think best when writing; I mean, I'm writing this out now, but I'm not really thinking, if that makes any sense. The words aren't even images, for the most part (sometimes they are); there's just nothing there.

As for the list you posted - I haven't read it all yet, but some of the first ones aren't AS, they're ADD or ADHD. Those can be comorbid with AS, but not always.

so fascinating! i hope you dont have a tumour, though :O.
i too have this "invisible" information. but in smaller quanitities. i can be very visual if i want. sometimes so much i think its real (not hallucinating, lol). but yes, some thoughts appear to be more like an "essence". and its incredibly hard to make them a word or a picture.
dw, i like monologues

More than I would like to admit to, actually, once I saw a list developing, I stopped reading, after all, I like to think I am nearly NT now and I don't want to spoil that.

The things marked in bold are criteria by the original poster of this thread, my answers are given in regular font.

Easily distracted.......Yes
Short attention span.....Yes
common "spacing out".......Yes
Only focus one thing at a time.....Yes
may appear to have "hearing problems" due to constantly missing bits of sentences....Sometimes
appear distant, out of touch with surroundings. may feel disembodied at times.....Sometimes
often forgets words, may stutter when excited, have pauses during sentences, or forget a train of thought mid-sentence.....Yes, um what was I going to say?
disorganized thinker.....Most of the time
may have a monotone voice more than average, or very monotone when reading out loud...No
loses ability to speak or think clearly when put on the spot....Yes
bad short term memory, good long term.....Yes
visual-spatial mind....Somewhat..
stims often....Always
can't sit still very often, or may sit too still.....Same as stimming I rock back and forth a lot.

clumsy.....Very
exaggerated or blank expression, depending on company....Yeah
tendency to miss sarcasm or humour....Not always
gets frustrated, irritated easily......Yes
can get obsessive or take intense interest in a subject....Yes
proccesses unexpected slower than the average human seems to.....Definitely a slow-poke.
body often not in sync with excitement being expressed by the tone of voice or face....Sometimes
enjoys mimicking noises, repeating words....Yes, bird calls are my favorites.
responds with a grunt or single word more than the average person....Uh huh...
introverted to the extreme *needs* absolute alone time to recharge, may fall apart if made to socialize for too long...Yes, my favorite room is a closet..
doesnt communicate ideas well verbally....Yes

preferres structured socializing, or socializing with trusted friends...Certain people at certain times.
enjoys routines.....All the time
strong sense of "yours" and "mine" hates people touching your stuff, unless with permission. gives other's stuff same respect....Definitely, possession is 9/10 of the law, personal space is the rest....
feels strong desire to have control over own environment....See above

often misunderstood, may say something innapropriate....My feet have teeth marks and my tongue has athlete's foot (get it?)
social anxiety....Always
difficulty keeping up a conversation, finding right things to say....Most of the time
trouble with empathy/sympathy may be too much or too little...Most of the time.
social interaction seems "fake".....Yes
hates mingling....Yes
has few close friends, very loyal to said friends.....Yes
bad gift giver....Yes
likes to please, not sure how....Gave up

sensitive to noise/light/touch more than average.....Very
may experience "sensory overloads" of varying degrees.....Bright lights and loud noises set off migraines.
startles easily...Always
dislikes unexpected touch....Always
easily distressed by unpleasant sensory input- i.e. clapping crowds may hurt....Goes with the sensory overload above.
takes immense pleasure in certain sensory inputs....Certain types of music, art, cuisine....etc..
_________________

I'll rate them from 0 to 2, like on the Aspie quiz.

So if there's 44 question, with a maximum possible 88 as a score, and I got a 72, then that would be the same as 9/11. Conspiracy!

I also like walking on my toes, being under pressure, and holding my hands behind my back a lot, though I'm indifferent towards trains.

it seems many relate to a large portion of the list.
perhaps i am more aspious than i thought.

How did you compile the list Spazzergasm? I mean where did you get the info that these are all specific characteristics of AS? I'd like to see it if it's online.

it isnt i compiled it based off of what i could remember and what i seemed to have. then generalized it a bit so it was more applicable to others.

Don't be embarrassed-I wasn't trying to challenge you. Actually I had thought of starting a similar thread and I thought you did a good job. But I was curious if there was a place where all these traits were listed. I have had a "Hey me too" moment in thread after thread after thread and was wondering if these were anecdotal or specifically documented somewhere. Someone suggested on another thread that there needs to be a book written by people on the spectrum about being on the spectrum. A collaborative effort i.e.

I don't have a short attention span. People around me just can't keep up with me.
I don't startle easily. If you know how to startle me, THEN it would be easy.

ok, sorry. i just wanst sure.... i dont want to look self centred or something. thank you for liking my job. thy are mostly anectodal, but based off of what i have read and agreed with. i just think that the info sites are always way too general, so wanted to post some more specific symptoms...more like what you see on these forums...
that would be a neat book. i would totally read it.