If you were an NT

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instead of bieng lifelong single I Might have gone through a divorce(s) with kids involved. Instead of bieng meek I might have shot a few people.

I'm not sure if anything would be worse, because I wouldn't know what I was missing.

But, I'm pretty sure that...
...I'd make a lot more assumptions about people and things, without realising I'm doing it.
...I wouldn't know myself as well, or care as much about finding out who I am.
...I'd waste more time each day altering my appearance, e.g. applying makeup, styling hair.

I probably would have gone to college and have a better job and I would have been on my own for real and be with another guy and I probably would have baby sat in my teens. I probably would have been more liked and have more friends and be invited more to parties and friends houses. I probably would have enjoyed social chit chat on the play ground and I probably would have understood rules better and not need an explanation and I probably wouldn't have been in the moment child. I wouldn't have gone to London that's for sure. I might not have been obsessed with being normal and go copying other kids and trying to figure out what the rules are and be labeled as a behavior problem by my school. I don't think I would have gotten ill in 6th grade and when I was 16 and I might not have met either of my ex's because I would have taken different pathways. I might have been into guys sooner and gone on dates in high school. I don't think I would have had social anxiety or an anxiety disorder. I think I might have been able to handle stress better. I might be wearing make up too and care more about fashion.

I see my being autistic as something that really plays into who and how I am. I do see it that I am autistic, rather than I have autism. Such that I've no idea what would be there instead of the autism.

For example, that my senses seem heightened and easily 'alerted' compared to NTs (which I consider part of my aspergers) affects how I approach the world, what causes me pain or discomfort, what I find pleasure in, how I like to spend my time. It's an inextricable bundle of non-autistic native traits, how being autistic affects these, and how one's life experience further complicates things.

I was assessed and diagnosed when I was 31-32. The diagnosis gives an explanation of sorts, a shorthand label for others, and points me in the direction of possible ways to solve certain problems. Other than that, I see myself as I did before. Why I am how I am doesn't change that I am how I am.

By comparison, I'm fairly sure my sister is also autistic, and outwardly she has an extrovert NT life down pat. Drink and drugs and teenage pregnancy, nightclubs every week, back to college and university and is now a Doctor in Psychology. But talk to her for about ten or fifteen minutes, and you'll get the sense of something awry - she remains one of the most obliviously mind-blind people I've met.

Worse? I'm not sure what would be worse had I been born NT.

Depression, anxiety and shyness runs in my family so I still might be fed up with myself if I was NT. But if I was a rather emotionally-adjusted NT, then nothing would be worse than being Aspie. It would be good to be in the majority, be able to make friends properly, be able to learn new things quicker, being able to enjoy myself without social anxiety holding me back... I would trade my AS for all that any day.

I don't know if I am NT or ND. Waiting for an appointment.

My oldest son once asked me if they could give my son Edward ( 22 now )( Severely Autistic / Complex learning disability )
a pill to cure him, would I ?

I said I would give him the pill if he would benefit as he is very severe, but that I would miss him very much as he would not be the same person who I presently know and love.

My Youngest son has Aspergers ( 16 ) and manages very well. Would I give him a pill to make him NT. No I wouldnt as he is a wonderful young man. If he might take a pill himself ? Only he could answer, but I don't think that he would.

As I explained to all 6 of my children, being unique or thinking differently is not a problem, it makes us who we are and we should accept ourselves, warts and all. And make the best of what we have.

I might adhere so much to the social structure that I would preclude myself from learning about people who are not within the "normal" range of functioning.

I might become so immersed in the popular culture, and decry those who aren't within the popular culture, that I would preclude myself and others from learning things which are beyond the mainstream.

I like myself better as a person who can understand people of all stripes, and who can learn many different things that people immersed within the popular culture do not bother to learn.

Then I'd be ME!

If I were neurotypical, i'd probably be living in a college dorm living the college experience and have a s**t load of STD's and be hungover half the god damn time because i'm partying all da time. Then i'd flunk out and work at mcdonalds for the rest of my life. And I accidentally get a girl pregnant.

Basically i'd be f****d.


At least I wouldn't be a virgin.

mee too, I'd be like my dad who did all those things.

If I were born a NT, I would not be the person I was born to be, and I wouldn't have helped the people I've been fortunate enough to get to know and were ignored by more average people just because they were different too. Two of the best people I've had the pleasure to meet were aspies as well; I talk to one of them everyday.

If I were NT, I would be very different. I might still be shy and anxious, but I definitely wouldn't be as knowledgeable as I am; I wouldn't have the drive or obsessive tendency towards exploring every interest, no matter how small. I'd spend my whole life saying, "Gee, I wish I knew X" without ever putting any effort into actually learning about X. I might not have become the avid and highly proficient writer and lover of literature that I am, because my wide split gifted verbal and low average nonverbal IQ scores wouldn't exist; both subscores would be closer to average, and I'd lose my gift along with my deficit. I would never have bothered learning sign language, both because of the lack of drive I mentioned above, and also because A. talking would be entirely instinctive to me, and I'd never imagine that I could need a non-verbal form of communication for when I "lost my words", and B. I wouldn't have any connection with disability culture, and would be as unaware of the unique communication styles of the disabled as any average NT today.

Assuming that I would retain my shy, anxious personality, I might have gotten into trouble at school, succumbing to peer pressure concerning drugs and alcohol in an effort to get kids to like me. I might also have become depressed by my lack of friends, or conversely, been marginally popular, and thrown over my school work for the opportunity to socialise more. I can also say with relative certainty that I would have gone to college with an undeclared major, and would have settled for something practical, or "not too boring", or I would have spent a lot of extra time and money jumping from one major to the next. There's a reason my college only has a 34% four-year graduation rate; all the NTs can't make up their minds! As it was, I knew from the time I was seventeen that I was going to study psychology, jumped smoothly into the program, and finished on time with a degree in a subject area I love and am totally obsessed by, and I mean autistic obsessed, not NT obsessed.

Overall, I'd have to say I'm glad I got to be autistic. If I had to do my life over again and got to choose whether I was autistic or NT, I'd choose the autism every time.

Thanks for all of the replies so far. It has been interesting reading all of your ideas. Wow, some of you sure have some pretty negative views of what NTs are like. I am sure there are some like what you express, but I have also met plenty of NTs who are truly good persons, and who don't seem to be superficial or ignorant.

In some ways I think Asperger's made me more concerned about appearances and what people thought of me. At some point in elementary school I figured out that I didn't fit in but I didn't know why. I wasn't diagnosed as having Asperger's until I was 47. Anyways, I thought it I wore the right thing, had the right haircut, watched the right thing on TV, etc, then I would fit in and my peers would accept and like me. It didn't really work so I even tried harder. Those habits are hard to break. I no longer worry about the brand name of clothing I wear (I am really cheap) or what car I drive, but I do still find myself worrying about my personal appearance too much and still worry about what people thing of me.

I am glad that my Asperger's is at a low enough level to let me appear like everyone else-I am married and have a full time career, own a house, 2 cars, all of that stuff, but there are times that I wish I had just had a little more severe Asperger's, to the point where I didn't care whether I fit in or not. That might have made growing up easier.

If I was an NT, I would think that I would have higher self esteem and a better self concept today. I probably would have had more romantic relationships also. Don't know if that would have made my life better today or not. I would probably have better memories of college and grad school, though.

What does this question mean by NT?

If I didn't have any symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder or similar conditions, that would be pretty much a net positive. Can't think of any downsides.

If you mean, what if my personality changed so that I got a low neurodiversity score and high NT score on the aspiequiz... I wonder if I'd have less programming skill or if I'd be one of those people who make weird assumptions about food and drug labels. (How do most people not die of acetaminophen overdose?!) If I were extroverted and talkative, that would be pretty terrible. My mom probably wouldn't get along with me. It would have been hard to be well-behaved in school, and if the teachers had gotten mad, that would have made my evil step-dad act out against me even more. Even with better social skills, I'd probably be lonely a lot, and I'd hardly have any time to work on all my art stuff. And then there's the whole "I wouldn't be me" thing.