Tamsin
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28 Jun 2011, 2:19 am
nick007
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28 Jun 2011, 2:47 am
I'm the same way. A lot of stuff I've read about Aspie kids says the same thing but they also say one of the noticeable AS symptoms with kids is problems with pretend play. Lots here didn't have that problem but I never got pretend play at all. Perhaps I'/m more extreme stereotypical Aspie than most
28 Jun 2011, 2:58 am
I'm not sure
Neither am I.
That wasn't how my psychiatrist defined it. He said that, from a psychiatric point of view, imagination is not about "playing pretend" or the ability to fantasise or daydream. It is the ability to picture unreal things in one's mind.
He tested if I had imagination by asking me to visualise myself in a place or scenario I had never been, and asking me if I could see it in my mind. "Imagine you're flying / imagine you're on a beach." I was only able to visualise things in my mind if I could associate them with an actual visual memory. I was easily able to see myself on a beach, because I have been on a beach before, so I just thought back to that real beach I had actually been on. I was NOT easily able to visualise myself flying, because I cannot fly and have never had wings. I checked to see if he meant "flying in a plane" as opposed to "flying like a bird" but he did, in fact, mean "flying by flapping my non-existent wings!"
This psychiatrist said nothing about so-called "Theory of Mind." He just explained the difference between imagination and hallucination: internal (mental) manifestation of things that aren't real, versus external (visual) manifestation of things that aren't real.
I don't know if his methods were correct but I found them interesting nonetheless. Mind you, I am not seeing him any more, anyway.
28 Jun 2011, 3:01 am
28 Jun 2011, 3:03 am
I'm not sure
Neither am I.
That wasn't how my psychiatrist defined it. He said that, from a psychiatric point of view, imagination is not about "playing pretend" or the ability to fantasise or daydream. It is the ability to picture unreal things in one's mind.
He tested if I had imagination by asking me to visualise myself in a place or scenario I had never been, and asking me if I could see it in my mind. "Imagine you're flying / imagine you're on a beach." I was only able to visualise things in my mind if I could associate them with an actual visual memory. I was easily able to see myself on a beach, because I have been on a beach before, so I just thought back to that real beach I had actually been on. I was NOT easily able to visualise myself flying, because I cannot fly and have never had wings. I checked to see if he meant "flying in a plane" as opposed to "flying like a bird" but he did, in fact, mean "flying by flapping my non-existent wings!"
This psychiatrist said nothing about so-called "Theory of Mind." He just explained the difference between imagination and hallucination: internal (mental) manifestation of things that aren't real, versus external (visual) manifestation of things that aren't real.
I don't know if his methods were correct but I found them interesting nonetheless. Mind you, I am not seeing him any more, anyway.
It is good that you aren't seeing him anymore. I grow tired of hearing people twist what imagination is when imagination encompasses several areas. If what he says is the truth then why oh why are they so fixated on our so called lack of imagination when not playing pretend with other children? I think sometimes they just sit there and pinpoint your deficit and claim that is really what it's targeted at.
Imagination is about so many areas! Just more fuel to call us freaks.
Verdandi
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28 Jun 2011, 3:15 am
nick007
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28 Jun 2011, 3:36 am
Have you heard of something that can have some similar symptoms as AS that would cause lack of imagination &/or lack of theory of mind other than Schizoid Personality like maybe another type of developmental disorder
Or perhaps a separate disorder that would cause lack of imagination & theory of mind
Verdandi
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28 Jun 2011, 4:00 am
Have you heard of something that can have some similar symptoms as AS that would cause lack of imagination &/or lack of theory of mind other than Schizoid Personality like maybe another type of developmental disorder
Or perhaps a separate disorder that would cause lack of imagination & theory of mind I don't understand your question.
I don't think the research indicated that autistic people had a strong imagination in all ways, and that there are no deficits. I wish I could find the paper or relevant articles. It didn't work quite the same way as NT imagination and was constrained in some ways, I think.
I also think that even if autistic people characteristically have stronger imagination in particular ways, you're still looking at a range of ability, not everyone at the same level.
nick007
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28 Jun 2011, 4:11 am
Have you heard of something that can have some similar symptoms as AS that would cause lack of imagination &/or lack of theory of mind other than Schizoid Personality like maybe another type of developmental disorder
Or perhaps a separate disorder that would cause lack of imagination & theory of mind I don't understand your question.
I don't think the research indicated that autistic people had a strong imagination in all ways, and that there are no deficits. I wish I could find the paper or relevant articles. It didn't work quite the same way as NT imagination and was constrained in some ways, I think.
I also think that even if autistic people characteristically have stronger imagination in particular ways, you're still looking at a range of ability, not everyone at the same level.
I'll try to reexplain
I have very little imagination compared to NTs & lots here on WP & I also lack theory of mind. I used to think that was AS but from what I've read by lots of here; that is not the case. I'm wondering if it could be related to another kind of disorder. This has been a major thing for me all my life
28 Jun 2011, 4:28 am
Verdandi
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28 Jun 2011, 5:37 am
nick007
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28 Jun 2011, 9:44 am
Verdandi
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28 Jun 2011, 12:13 pm
nick007
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28 Jun 2011, 12:44 pm
Verdandi
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28 Jun 2011, 12:49 pm
nick007
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28 Jun 2011, 12:58 pm
