What are the personality traits that exemplify asperger's?

Post Reply New Topic

I can't recall anybody overtly pointing that out to me until I was 17.

I guess it would depend on the face. Have you considered shaving without a mirror?
Eye contact most definitely gives me a feeling, although exactly what I feel seems to vary quite a bit. That's why I can almost seem normal to some people but can't manage more than a glance with others. I don't think I would say any of them give me the feeling of being "freaked out by their face". People who see "parts of the whole" will probably tell you they don't even see a face at all.

I think that making eye contact is one of the ways in which we explicitly recognize someone else's state of mind and share our own. For someone with a defective Theory of Mind this can create some conflict and confusion because it presents us with more information than we can process. I tend to have better eye contact with close friends and immediate family, presumably because I have formed a model of their mental behavior (ToM deficit notwithstanding) which means that less cognitive thought is required on my part.

Yeah, at about 15, I still recall, I was sitting in chorus class staring at the wall as I spoke to one of my friends, and she just all of a sudden got very angry, and I was basically really confused. She explained to me she thought I wasn't listening, because I wasn't looking at her, and that I do that all the time. I told her it's easier for me to listen to her if I don't look at her, but that I'd work on compromising by looking a little bit, which is what I did.

Unfortunately, now, I either tend to not look, or I have a tendency to stare too much. I am not sure how I do when I am speaking, but I have noticed that when others are speaking to me, I usually sort of stare off somewhere else, or I stare directly at them (which tends to get me some confused responses).



Not really, though it makes me anxious to know someone is watching me. I think that's the main thing with me. I don't really know how to respond, and my automatic response is just to look away (which I learned not too long ago will make it seem like you are either shy or lying).



Jetson, that is exactly how I feel about it, too. I could not have put it better.

I have trouble with eye contact I feel like I have a spotlight on me when making it and so avoid it, also if I make an effort to make it I find thats all I can think about so I don't take in what is being said to me. Makes one to one tutorials fun Another thing that I want to know if anyone else can relate to is calling people by their name. I can't do it. I go to great lengths to avoid having to say peoples names...Anyone else relate to this? I think it might be related to my lack of making eye contact, some sort of denial that I am engaging in conversation with another person.

Also just another quick question, do any of you that have AS also have tinnitus? I have extremely sensitive hearing which means I can't watch fireworks witout putting my fingers in my ears. A while ago my ears got damged and now I hear that ringing sound constantly that is left in peoples ears when they have seen a band play.

Thanks for answering my previous questions.

Me too. I recall that there was a discussion on this board about this some time ago, as well.

My problem seems to be that I don't know how to address people, or how to initiate conversation. If I do call someone by their name, it is someone I know well, and I imagine I must do it in an odd way, because my parents make fun of me for it. For example, if I say "Dad" to get my father's attention, he'll mimic me.

I never know how to address my teachers, since many of them like to be called by their first name here in college, but not all. I don't want to be offensive, but at the same time, I don't want to be mocked for saying "Mrs" or "Mr." when they prefer to be on a first-name basis.

I have no trouble with making eye contact with other people, but I can't stand when people start looking at me for no reason. I want to scream what are you looking at?! but I usually just pretend I don't see them.

I am pendantic and will talk forever, which is a common aspie trait.

I need soothing and alternatively, stimulating techniques to get through a day.

I have a high IQ and could be considered gifted.

I am a visual-spatial thinker and learner.

I have a photographic memory.

I rage.

I am guilty of thinking that people think the way I do about issues, but I am working hard on this one.

I have physical coordination issues, as in, I don't play sports well.

HMMMM, and I am freak and geek!

The above list seem to be aspie traits that I see on this board and in literature on the subject.

Tallgirl.

Direct eye contact makes me feel too visible, it makes me feel too much of a connection. I don't want people to be able to read me or know what's going on in my head, cause half the time it's what they would call "inappropriate" or "unacceptable". If they see me respond emotionally to their words, they'll use it to their advantage.

And sometimes when I'm stressed out, it puts me into some kind of visual overload, where the things I'm looking at stop making sense, all the edges stand out in stark detail as if someone's run a Photoshop sharpen filter on my vision about 10 too many times.

I am glad you said this. I have often been told I stare
in mirrors, like seeing my true self, not the person
your suppose to see. I would even as of recent time
be be told by alcholic friend to "Stop looking in the mirror".

What I would see is my eye's. Not myself. I would see a
hollow space. You say you looked at walls, that I didn't
do, I just look at the side of their head. If there was
a mirror I gazed, and now find myself conscious of wanting
to do this when practicing verbal communication with my friend.

Hmmm? Any ideas?

From Ghosthunter

I have High IQ
Extensive Memory
Happy most of the time
have little anxiety
lack of eye contact
problems with socialization

Is this a common aspie trait? This is why I started seeing a therapist--anger issues--which led to her suggesting that I have ADHD, which led to research on the Internet which made me think that I in fact don't have ADHD but do have AS.

Just wondering. Today, for example, I was literally seeing red--just absolutely furious--mostly because people wouldn't leave me alone.



This seems familiar too. But I wonder if I get mocked because I have problems calling people by name or if I have problems calling people by name because I have been mocked for doing so.

The eye contact thing... I have problems making eye contact in a "normal" way. I stare at people across the room and will not look at the person who's talking to me. When I really want to, though, I can look someone in the eye; e.g., in a job interview. But usually I try to avoid it. However, I'm thinking this is another chicken-and-egg thing: Do I dislike eye contact because I connect it with past social failures, or am I just wired in a way that makes it uncomfortable?

Any ideas?

B

Hi, Zomo.

I think rages might be common but not a deciding factor...my son never rages, he turns it inward and becomes sad.



BeeBee

ya with face contact.... up until i was bout 13 i was too scared to look at pples faces and i looked away.. however my music teacher saw this and he taught me to look at pple's eyes when talking to them... from then until i was bout 21 (im 22 now) i just looked pple STRAIGHt in the eye and NEVEr looked away! talk about one extreme to the other!

anyways now i do a bit of both.. however when i look at someones face - i look at the whole face and thts probably why i cnat read anyones facial expressions.. or body ones for that matter..
im an aspiette adn proud of it

That describes me and my son, as well.