03 Apr 2011, 1:53 am
03 Apr 2011, 5:55 am
Mdyar wrote:
Moog wrote:
I am wondering if my primary problem is attentional in nature, and this has caused secondary social/sensory issues.
Here's how I see what might have happened to me:
My inability to concentrate on what people are doing and saying is a major impediment to learning all kinds of things that are necessary to socialising (and being 'successfully' educated, another problem). The result of this is that I don't form 'neurotypical' pathways for social information, body language, speech inflection etc. etc. leading to isolation from an unforgiving pack, which causes further entrenchment of the problem. I did learn some things that I was very interested in very well, such as written language, which I learned in quiet isolation away from the sensory hubbub of people.
I believe that my sensory issues may be a kind of attention problem too. What I am fairly sure is APD (Audio Processing Disorder) for example, it seems like my mind has to fight very hard to tune into what people are saying. It's almost useless talking to me on a busy street, my mind can't unstick information from noise, especially while I'm trying to walk straight and keep from bumping into objects and other humans, and from dying under the wheels of some bus. My brain just can't seem to multitask too well.
A major advancement came in my late twenties, when I developed an intense interest in Buddhism, and began seriously meditating, which involved finally learning some concentration skills. I am finding that deliberately holding my awareness on something where before I would naturally drift allows me to actually learn from whatever I am giving my attention to. I call this 'cranking': not a technical term. It's not natural for me to pay attention to certain things. It doesn't come easily. It's something I must deliberately do; bring my mind to something, and keep bringing it back when it wanders, like unruly children, or herding cats.
The upside of all this is that I suddenly made quite a jump in my ability to socialise successfully, simply through giving more attention in situations where before I would simply drift off into my own thoughts, or something more interesting to me than 'people stuff'.
I welcome comments and discussion. This is a long post for me. Sorry to people with poor attention spans like me. But then, you probably didn't make it this far anyway.
Here's how I see what might have happened to me:
My inability to concentrate on what people are doing and saying is a major impediment to learning all kinds of things that are necessary to socialising (and being 'successfully' educated, another problem). The result of this is that I don't form 'neurotypical' pathways for social information, body language, speech inflection etc. etc. leading to isolation from an unforgiving pack, which causes further entrenchment of the problem. I did learn some things that I was very interested in very well, such as written language, which I learned in quiet isolation away from the sensory hubbub of people.
I believe that my sensory issues may be a kind of attention problem too. What I am fairly sure is APD (Audio Processing Disorder) for example, it seems like my mind has to fight very hard to tune into what people are saying. It's almost useless talking to me on a busy street, my mind can't unstick information from noise, especially while I'm trying to walk straight and keep from bumping into objects and other humans, and from dying under the wheels of some bus. My brain just can't seem to multitask too well.
A major advancement came in my late twenties, when I developed an intense interest in Buddhism, and began seriously meditating, which involved finally learning some concentration skills. I am finding that deliberately holding my awareness on something where before I would naturally drift allows me to actually learn from whatever I am giving my attention to. I call this 'cranking': not a technical term. It's not natural for me to pay attention to certain things. It doesn't come easily. It's something I must deliberately do; bring my mind to something, and keep bringing it back when it wanders, like unruly children, or herding cats.
The upside of all this is that I suddenly made quite a jump in my ability to socialise successfully, simply through giving more attention in situations where before I would simply drift off into my own thoughts, or something more interesting to me than 'people stuff'.
I welcome comments and discussion. This is a long post for me. Sorry to people with poor attention spans like me. But then, you probably didn't make it this far anyway.
Weird.
I was just on a ADD kick over the last few days myself, and doing more research I found ADDers can have darting eyes( poor eye contact) and difficulty reading body language. Similar executive functioning problems and general problems in cognition.
I've found some anecdotes on message boards that fit myself in symptoms. Heck, I've read some info. of being stuck in a literal thinking mode similar as Aspies, and play the same music or song over and over for hours on end.
Once, an insurance salesmen made a door to door visit and commented that he thought I had ADD. He had it( diagnosed) and thought or noticed/ commented that I had it "pretty bad." (It was an open enough conversation while sitting in our living room, and it steered toward my poor attention.)
I know for for several years I dosed on a lot of ephedra( when legally available)and it did 'enough' in as far as cognition.
I'm at a crossroads now in my thinking ( again) as to whether this the sole "thing" and I'm tilting at windmills in looking elsewhere.
I've done little thinking about it since my last post.
I think I can sum up what I feel I do have
1. Mild difficulties socialising (mostly due to 3. and 4. I think)
2. Medium to severe executive dysfunction & 'autistic' inertia
3. Very poor 'natural' level of attention
4. Problems paying attention, thinking or processing information in stimulus busy environments.
I've since changed my diagnosis on my profile from self diagnosed asperger's to 'don't know if I have it or not'.
Anyway, thanks everyone for reading and posting.
03 Apr 2011, 8:53 am
Thanks for your post, Moog.
I think your situation closely resembles my own, actually.
Most of my difficulties are related to concentration, which is why my profile still reads "not sure if I have it or not". While I may or may not have AS strictly speaking, I relate to many of the posts here. I too have some serious trouble with socializing. Combine poor attentional issues with a strongly introverted personality and you have a recipe for underdeveloped social skills. 
I do have sensory issues, in the vein that I get overwhelmed by my surroundings, am easily startled by loud noises, and am generally very sensitive to light/touch. I don't have as many problems with the auditory side because I'm actually very musically-inclined and have played the piano since I was five years old. I pick up on tone of voice pretty well. When I get overwhelmed, I tend towards shutdowns and mental paralysis.
All of these issues closely resemble the troubles I read about in the Wrong Planet forums here. But I think the source of the problem may be different. In my case, it may very well be ADD.
By the way, I have found that medication (Adderall) works for me. It helps me to actually get my stuff done. I've noticed it doesn't necessarily help with the socialization side, though I am better able to keep up with conversations when I do take the medicine. It sometimes causes me to be even more introverted and "in my head", though, so I don't take it all the time. Only "when needed" as I was told.
03 Apr 2011, 3:53 pm
03 Apr 2011, 4:13 pm
03 Apr 2011, 4:50 pm
03 Apr 2011, 8:22 pm
03 Apr 2011, 9:38 pm
04 Apr 2011, 1:54 am
pensieve wrote:
zen_mistress wrote:
What you have sounds more like AS to me. People with ADD that dont have AS are usually pretty socially skilled. They are often very hyperactive, or very disorganised. AS produces symptoms that look like ADD, but it is because AS
1) Produces sensory problems which make it difficult to concentrate
2) Makes a person only interested in things related to their interests, which can also interfere with concentration.
1) Produces sensory problems which make it difficult to concentrate
2) Makes a person only interested in things related to their interests, which can also interfere with concentration.
A person with ADHD can hyperfocus very well on what interests them, not to the intensity of someone with AS/autism but they are still able to concentrate on what interests them, especially those with hyperactive ADHD.
Sensory issues can also exist in ADHD.
Yes, but the interests of the person with ADHD are usually of a physical nature. They are people who cannot turn physical activity off. My brother has hyperactive ADHD I think, as does my mother. She is like a tasmanian devil of activity- everything in her path is cleaned, sorted, dressed, polished, weeded, arranged, straightened. Even when she is sitting on the couch her feet are still restlessly moving as if she is unable to not move and sitting still is a big imposition.
My brother, I remember when he was a kid he would play a game of cricket with his club, and would have difficulty switching off the activity once he started. He would exhaust himself.
I never understood it, he seemed to have all the motivation, whereas I am both innattentive and AS and seem to have 0 motivation. He is very NT apart from this ADHD thing, he has excellent social skills. He does have very strong senses though, as does she.
Irritatingly, I have both the AS and the crazy strong senses so I have the worst of both worlds....
04 Apr 2011, 1:57 am
04 Apr 2011, 5:11 am
04 Apr 2011, 5:51 am
04 Apr 2011, 7:00 am
zen_mistress wrote:
pensieve wrote:
zen_mistress wrote:
What you have sounds more like AS to me. People with ADD that dont have AS are usually pretty socially skilled. They are often very hyperactive, or very disorganised. AS produces symptoms that look like ADD, but it is because AS
1) Produces sensory problems which make it difficult to concentrate
2) Makes a person only interested in things related to their interests, which can also interfere with concentration.
1) Produces sensory problems which make it difficult to concentrate
2) Makes a person only interested in things related to their interests, which can also interfere with concentration.
A person with ADHD can hyperfocus very well on what interests them, not to the intensity of someone with AS/autism but they are still able to concentrate on what interests them, especially those with hyperactive ADHD.
Sensory issues can also exist in ADHD.
Yes, but the interests of the person with ADHD are usually of a physical nature. They are people who cannot turn physical activity off. My brother has hyperactive ADHD I think, as does my mother. She is like a tasmanian devil of activity- everything in her path is cleaned, sorted, dressed, polished, weeded, arranged, straightened. Even when she is sitting on the couch her feet are still restlessly moving as if she is unable to not move and sitting still is a big imposition.
My brother, I remember when he was a kid he would play a game of cricket with his club, and would have difficulty switching off the activity once he started. He would exhaust himself.
I never understood it, he seemed to have all the motivation, whereas I am both innattentive and AS and seem to have 0 motivation. He is very NT apart from this ADHD thing, he has excellent social skills. He does have very strong senses though, as does she.
Irritatingly, I have both the AS and the crazy strong senses so I have the worst of both worlds....
The interests of those people with ADHD don't have to be strictly physical. Actually, all of the adults I know with ADD/ADHD have no problems sitting down on their butt for hours on end. My dad, who has the most energy out of anyone I know, can also sit down and watch tv all day. As a kid, he probably couldn't keep still, but people with ADHD grow up, and they have new troubles. I read somewhere that being unable to sit still as an adult is more likely to be associated with an anxiety disorder as opposed to ADHD.
I don't think ADD/ADHD necessarily sets you up for social issues, but it can play a huge role.
04 Apr 2011, 10:10 am
04 Apr 2011, 10:47 am
04 Apr 2011, 3:43 pm
syrella wrote:
zen_mistress wrote:
pensieve wrote:
zen_mistress wrote:
What you have sounds more like AS to me. People with ADD that dont have AS are usually pretty socially skilled. They are often very hyperactive, or very disorganised. AS produces symptoms that look like ADD, but it is because AS
1) Produces sensory problems which make it difficult to concentrate
2) Makes a person only interested in things related to their interests, which can also interfere with concentration.
1) Produces sensory problems which make it difficult to concentrate
2) Makes a person only interested in things related to their interests, which can also interfere with concentration.
A person with ADHD can hyperfocus very well on what interests them, not to the intensity of someone with AS/autism but they are still able to concentrate on what interests them, especially those with hyperactive ADHD.
Sensory issues can also exist in ADHD.
Yes, but the interests of the person with ADHD are usually of a physical nature. They are people who cannot turn physical activity off. My brother has hyperactive ADHD I think, as does my mother. She is like a tasmanian devil of activity- everything in her path is cleaned, sorted, dressed, polished, weeded, arranged, straightened. Even when she is sitting on the couch her feet are still restlessly moving as if she is unable to not move and sitting still is a big imposition.
My brother, I remember when he was a kid he would play a game of cricket with his club, and would have difficulty switching off the activity once he started. He would exhaust himself.
I never understood it, he seemed to have all the motivation, whereas I am both innattentive and AS and seem to have 0 motivation. He is very NT apart from this ADHD thing, he has excellent social skills. He does have very strong senses though, as does she.
Irritatingly, I have both the AS and the crazy strong senses so I have the worst of both worlds....
The interests of those people with ADHD don't have to be strictly physical. Actually, all of the adults I know with ADD/ADHD have no problems sitting down on their butt for hours on end. My dad, who has the most energy out of anyone I know, can also sit down and watch tv all day. As a kid, he probably couldn't keep still, but people with ADHD grow up, and they have new troubles. I read somewhere that being unable to sit still as an adult is more likely to be associated with an anxiety disorder as opposed to ADHD.
I don't think ADD/ADHD necessarily sets you up for social issues, but it can play a huge role.
Well it sounds to me like your father has inattentive type ADD rather than ADHD. Because its not something a person who has it hardcore grows out of. A person with Hyperactivity problems has huge difficulty keeping still well into adulthood.
