What is the most "non-autistic" thing about you?

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I'm pretty sarcastic and fairly witty. Although most of the people I know aren't familiar with lack of a sense of humor as an aspie stereotype.

before I start, this thread is so great! thank you all for the things you've said because I never have seen this side of the discussion and its very helpful for someone like me still in the middle of self-analyzing all the reasons that I must be too happy to be able to describe something about myself to be objective.

America's funnies videos is painful

as for me... probably eye contact... but its practiced... very intentional... I look up for a period of time, then through rhythm I can tell its time to look away so if I am not too wrapped up in the conversation I look away then I look up again... etc...

I try not to let it distract me as much as it used to but for the most part I can make it appear NT (I think... hard to tell if people don't give feedback)

Same with me. When I take my ADHD meds, I'm way better in social situations (knowing what or what not to say, reading faces and nonverbal cues, etc.) Without meds, social situations feel impossible. As for the OP, my most non-autistic trait is probably my humor.

The most "non-autistic" thing about me is probably that I can only think of two sensory sensitivity issues: nails on a slate chalkboard, which I think hurts at least 90% of everybody (and you younger folks can thank God that they've mostly stopped having them in schools); and I can taste something absolutely nasty in aspartame (in addition to the sweetness), which means that I've ruined my day (unless I can locate some Listerine) if I accidentally get hold of diet soda.

I have _learned_ any number of things very well, but I started out Aspie at them -- I guess in the one area where Aspie seems to differ most from "autistic", I was very verbal very young.

For me too it has been a very long journey to understand emotions of others and to feel for them. I started off with having hardly any understanding and now I'm a very opened minded person, but this at times can be overwritten by stress from environmental factors and my lack of emotional control. And these crazy chemical imbalances or whatever they are that make me very stubborn and argumentative when I wouldn't be otherwise.
I even find with this deeper understanding of human behaviour that you catch people out that aren't on the spectrum for being close minded or lacking that theory of mind.

I can be adaptive when I want to be too and I think this is from my sub-type of autism known as Pathological Demand Avoidance syndrome. It has triggered recently with my exhaustion of socialising and having people put pressure on me to continue it. The result is my extreme stubborness I've not seen since I was a child. This gives me a stubborn amount of determination to succeed just because I want to. My mum has been saying this for years and I of course denied it. But things are still difficult for me and when I was a child everything truly felt impossible to me that I fought against.

Another thing is that when some autistic people even though they may be struggling with their symptoms they still did ok in school or were able to learn things. I'm talking of course about the non verbal girl who could type in full sentences, but where I get stuck is how did they learn it? I think it's my learning disorder and ADHD that held me back. And the PDA, of course. I also didn't talk (selective mute) but I felt it greatly affected my education and life experience.

I'm able to organise myself better too. They say executive dysfunction is an issue in autism. I am able to take that driven determination and turn it into something more productive. Lists help and so does my ADHD medication, but I'm not so bad when off them.

Same with me. When I take my ADHD meds, I'm way better in social situations (knowing what or what not to say, reading faces and nonverbal cues, etc.) Without meds, social situations feel impossible. As for the OP, my most non-autistic trait is probably my humor.[/quote]
I do this too, apart from reading facial expressions.

On medication I actually go and look for people to talk too. Despite knowing the social rules a bit better these days I will just rant on and on and on.

My face is very expressive. I have many many facial expressions.
I can easily identify and express my emotions and I can understand the emotions of others.
Figurative language and metaphors are very easy for me to understand.
I have a decent sense of humor. I am capable of feeling an emotional connection with other humans.

I understand sarcasm and other implied messages very easily.
I have good eye contact with people.
I can make small talk.
I find social gatherings incredibly fun if I have friends with me.

I am, always have been and always will be extremely verbal.

My poor mother.

Ditto. I'm also decent in social situations.

I've never segmented myself. I believe everything is connected and therefore affected by everything else.

forgot to mention this about myself! My understanding is ASD but my talking is ADHD!

I think probably using the phone but that's taken me years to do, I still get worked up about having to phone someone unless I know them well (like my mum). I always try to get out of using the phone, it's odd if it's something about me I try and pass it on to my husband to sort out if it's something to do with him or my daughter I'm straight on the phone. For example I need to make him a follow up appointment with his doctor, I keep forgetting to call but I'm not worried about calling. However I need to phone up about my own appointment and I really don't want to so I will probably get him to do it.

I'm very good at sarcasm, making jokes, puns etc etc but at the same time I very often don't get other people's jokes or it takes me longer then everyone else to get it.

My 18 yo daughter (NT) is very shy and can barely use the phone to make business type calls. She usually gets me to do that for her. Her fiance is shy too and can't do it either. I don't know what they are gonna do when they move out.

They can call for one another. I can call my sister's home owner, a friend's banker when they're in the red, the fact that it's not about me (even though I do not tell them I'm not the person it concerns) makes it feel like a play, a "fake call", and I'm exceptionally relaxed about that.
Can't call for myself, even if there is not risk I could be in trouble with this person (for example calling the gaz company when my bills are all paid already).

I don't have "meltdowns"/tantrums
I've always been good at sport (even though I'm not a fan unless it was an interest. Basketball was an interest for half of high school)
I always had friends at school (though I became more distant as high school went on)

(Pick one.)

How did you get diagnosed with ASD, Dillogic?