Aspies with a good sense of direction

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There was a similar thread within the past few weeks http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt171891.html , but in case this one doesn't get merged, here's my post there:

This is definitely one thing where I'm just about opposite of most other Aspies and those with HFA... People say I have a "map in my head". I can "see" the whole city of Los Angeles and surrounding areas, and I know just about every little canyon shortcut, and even most of the fire roads through the Santa Monica Mountains. That city will confuse even seasoned taxicab drivers who grew up there. I would say it's virtually impossible for me ever to get "lost". I've driven all over the USA, alone and with my wife, and never felt lost. Dallas is still new to me, but I got a decent image of the overall Dallas map in my head almost right away. I go to Reno once a year for the Hot August Nights car show, and I didn't even try to memorize Reno, Sparks and Lake Tahoe, but it happened by default. Even Philadelphia, where I have not set foot since I was 10 years old in 1977, I still retain a basic map of it. I don't know how/why I'm this way, but it sure helps when I'm going someplace.

One thing that WILL get me disoriented, is huge parking lots such as Disneyland or a major shopping mall with many entrances. If I don't pay attention to a number or letter on a post nearby, or memorize that I'm "x rows east of x store", etc., I will forget where I parked, and have to think hard, and maybe make a couple hit & miss passes to find the car.

I'm not much into hiking or walking in the forest, but I have done it many times, and never worried about staying on trails, or remembering landmarks. I can just "feel" where I am, and I always am conscious of where the sun (or stars/moon) are in the sky, relative to the direction I'm facing, and I automatically compensate for how they move as the time goes on. I've never been able to comprehend how any hiker could "walk in giant circles" and stay lost in a small area. I just don't get it. But I respect it, and of course would not want to be in that position nor wish it on anyone. When I was 8,9, and 10 years old, my family went to Yosemite every summer. I used to like to go for long walks alone in the woods, and I never felt lost or scared. I never was late to come back, and if I took a wrong turn, or if I saw a danger and deliberately altered course, I'd easily still know where I was, and could get back.

Charles

I have a very strong internal sense of direction. I almost never get lost, although occationaly I space out when driving and don't "come to" until miles down the road in the wrong direction. I love maps but can navigate without them. I can rotate images in my mind easily and sense the cardinal directions easily.

I'm generally better with mapreading than most women and also have a pretty good sense of direction. However, despite this, I get very anxious about driving anywhere I don't know and convince myself that I will get lost and be late, even though this never actually happens.

I don't have an unusually good "spatial sense"... but I am good at remembering which roads connect to which other roads and what landmarks to look for. So if there's a road network, I'm good. In the woods, where there's no trail... not so much.

I have a good sense of direction, thanks to my transit and roadgeek hobby (The latter is a new special interest for me.. even though I don't drive yet) I've never gotten lost when I go rail or bus fanning, I also kinda love maps.

If I am in an area I've been in before, I have it in my internal GPS. My internal GPS also has some major features, such as major landmark recognition (even if they are in unmapped territory) and can use it to key in on routes back to mapped territory. I used to work in Ann Arbor, live in Toledo, and got a flat on my way home, so I didn't want to take the express way. With the aid of an external compass built into my car, I safely made it home with it only taking about half an hour to 45 minutes longer than the usual route, and I was driving much slower than usual.

Im a aspie and I do have good sense of direction. I remember my use of it every time my parents especially my dad gets stuck in traffic all the time. I always tell them to use the local road. But unfortunally, my dad ignored the obvious routes and just joined the huge traffic jam anyways. It really ticks me off whenever we get stuck in traffic. Also the aspie part in me forces my parents to ignore my gifted sense of direction.

I can always tell which way is north within about 30 degrees on a compass. I also always know where my house is even if i'm in an unfamiliar part and can even know the rough location of places i've been to before. I can go somewhere once and not even be the one driving and be able to get there again, even using a different road like a gps in my head

I used to have a very poor sense of direction. However, two things helped me out... 1) Learning to drive and 2) Playing video games. The latter may seem counter-intuitive, but learning to navigate a 3D did wonders for my spatial reasoning skills.