NT's claiming you're too smart to have AS

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As a matter of curiosity, how do you define intelligence? I ask because I am reminded of Kim Peek, who had incredible talent with regard to studying, learning, and memorization that are out of virtually every average IQ individual's league, and yet, he was also intellectually disabled and unable ever to look after himself. How does one define such incongruent skills? Can he have been "smart" and "unintelligent" at the same time?

I didn't intend those examples to be examples of overstimulation, but as problems with emotional control. Adults don't just cry in public because they had a minor disappointment. But overstimulation could be part of it as I got too excited leading up to something. It is also connected to obsession, which I am not going to explain here.

You are coming across as your experience is the only legitimate one and if others' experiences don't match yours, they must not have AS. Now, I am not saying that I definitely do, but I have seen other people on this website who actually do want friends. I would not be the only one. I will just assume that is part of you being on the spectrum and not being able to understand where other people are coming from.

I would be careful, though, of trying to make any kind of evaluations on here. You are not a therapist. Someone could read what you have said claiming that my experiences are illegitimate in regards to AS. Perhaps they are, but it is not something you could know over the internet. I can't explain to you the whole entire situation and my whole life story here. But someone else who is searching for some answers and *does* have AS might look at some things you say, decide that they don't have it, and quit seeking further help. There are ramifications from trying to assess others' spectrum status online from just a few paragraphs on a random thread.

As far as answering your question about how I know I am not depressed.

People with actual depression are not just sad for a few days. Clinical depression lasts for weeks and disrupts life. People who are depressed have problems with motivation, often can't get out of bed, often have problems with caring for themselves (I mean basic functions of life.) They lose interest in things they love. They can also be angry.

I might have cried for 3 days, but it was because I "imploded". I let a lot of emotions get out of control, including positive ones like excitement, then mixed with some exhaustion, I crashed and burned.

I do not at all have problems with motivation. I am in school for music composition and finished about 10 small, 2 medium and one huge piece (the last one being a string quartet) in 9 months time. I also get up every day to take care of myself and family. I teach music privately a few days a week and have never canceled a lesson because of a lack of motivation or inability to get out of bed. I obviously have not lost any interest in activities. I do not stay in bed. In fact, I am the opposite. I am up before 6AM every day and go. I actually have way more energy than most that I know.

But I do not have ADHD. Again, I wouldn't have the life I have if I did. I take no medication, except for Advil when I sometimes I get a headache, so the ability to do these things are not due to a help from medications, whether for mood or focus.

Please don't now think that I couldn't possibly have AS because I "function so well". Again, there are myriad reasons why I suspect this in my own life, but this is not the place to go on about it. And I'm not obligated to explain it to you.

I'm not saying that I couldn't be wrong, just saying there really is nothing else I have come across that would explain the difficulties I have had, not even being "gifted." I have known plenty of other "gifted" people who have not/do not struggle with the same issues that I have and have had. Being smart, even "gifted" and having a high IQ does not take away AS characteristics. I have read articles talking about how among people with AS, there is a discrepancy between their actual performance and what their IQ would have predicted. (Yes, we could go on and on questioning the legitimacy of IQ...) But, their is some validity to this, I think. AS characteristics can interfere with a person's ability to *use* all their smarts. In my life, was I successful compared to the "average" person? Academically, yes. Socially, no. AND, though I was quite successful academically (compared to average), my performance was not up to what my IQ would have predicted. Ultimately, one must look at the individual, not saying someone is this or that because of how he/she compares to others.

Am I currently successful compared to other "normal" adults? Yes, in some ways I exceed them. But no, in other ways I am still like a teenager.

Now that's interesting. There was a thread here some time ago in which it was postulated that Aspie scores on IQ tests are often "all over the place," i.e. they'll typically score very high on some parts and very low on others.

To be frank, my traditional attitude to the whole notion of IQ is that it's not a real thing......my favourite definition of IQ is "the ability to achieve high scores in IQ tests," and I'm wary of such tests because I suspect they seek to measure the quality of an individual's mind, which might be used by the unscrupulous to promote social and economic inequality. I believe Eyesenck was accused of designing IQ tests for racist purposes. I'm much more comfortable with aptitude tests because they seem to be more objective - you can objectively measure a person's ability to do a defined task, but how do you decide on the aptitudes that should be included in a general intelligence test, without getting into subjective value judgements about the relative value of various skills?

If you're really bright, you'll spot that I'm being rather irrational in suggesting that Aspies are more intelligent than the average Joe while simultaneously arguing that intelligence is meaningless. Yet both assertions seem so watertight.

I score "all over the place" on IQ tests, though not as drastic as previously.

When I was shown pictures of social situations ("social sequencing") as a 15-year-old, I came out "borderline." My overall verbal score was in the "very superior" range.