i'm stupid, but i'm smart???

Post Reply New Topic

I also go into the category of having no "common sense." Things that are exceptionally obvious to other people elude me, while at the same time I see things that are plain as day to me and invisible to the rest of the world. But my IQ has been tested variously as between 141 and 187, and I slam-dunked every standardized test in school, usually with hours to spare.

The good news is that this does not mean you are stupid. Look up the personal habits of Einstein and Newton. Or, for that matter, Bill Gates. While I am not going to be one of those people that insists that all three of these people have/had AS, they certainly demonstrate that you can be intelligent in some ways and thick in others.

I've always been told I lack common sense and my nickname was thicko. I am intelligent but just lack concentration and focus sometimes.

What I thought of myself as having more 'common sense' wasn't so. It was pointed out to me several times that my sense was more logical than 'common'. Most people would take the route most commonly observed through examples from those around them, and not assess the situation as it presents itself.

I find it very hard to accept general statements even though I do feel that the wisdom of masses can be very effective. Here I am contradicting myself again, but I've always had to remind myself that the way I think is not at all how most people do, which is why people often come to me for advice, and I'm always hesitant to provide any.

I'm confusing myself with literalness. Bah, words are so cumbersome.

I also suck at math. The idea that all aspies are brilliant and science and math is a stereotype in my opinion. I really love problem solving but I don't think I ever really got the language of math.

I've tried to explain my brain(one which i think has AS) to other people like this.

Hold you hand out but only extend your knuckles half way. That's an NT brain. Now fold two fingers into your palm with your other hand, extend two other fingers and voila. Same surface area as a NT brain but better at some things and worse at others.

My strengths have always been in English and History. My all-time worst subject has been math, especially algebra and geometry.

One of co-workers told me basically the same thing Im " the dumbiest smart person he
knows." I think it was for a reason routed in ADHD.

1) I started very complex projects and rarely finished them.

It got so bad that my co-worker was becoming emotional upset because of my failures.

I've thought about it for a long time, and realized that they just say that we lack common sense as a way of compensating for their jealousy at our intelligence (i'm not going on a AS vs. NT rant here, this is purely about IQ). Just the other day my dad was telling my sister that I have no common sense. An hour later he'd downloaded a 'Disk Cleaner' from an ad on the internet and I had to go fix his computer . It's not that we lack common sense, it's that we're under more scrutiny. A behavior that would be accepted as normal in other people looks worse when we do it, just because of what we are and how people view us.

Yeah...

YEAH, that kind of belief has even affected this board! BESIDES, "common sense" may sometimes be in the eye of the beholder.

Steve

Well, I struggle to avoid ALL obstacles. I have only fallen down like 3 times in the past 15 years. Once because of a broken sidewalk, and twice because of ice.

I can't ride a skateboard though! 8-(

Steve