Aspergers and a compromised central coherence of sight

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Aspies frequently doubt that the world is real - perhaps it's only them that's real, and everything is a dream in their heads. Or maybe everythings a simulation made by a computer program, a la the matrix. Or maybe they're actually in hell, and the 'world' is a punishment designed to torment them.

NTs don't have this problem. They simply look at the world around them and it's obvious that the world is real. The world is right there, in front of them. They can touch it and taste it and hear it. They just know the world is real just by looking at it.
Why can't aspies do the same? Something is wrong with our visual sense. Our eye-sight is often bad, but mine is 20/20 so it isn't bad eyesight. My hearing is fine too (although not as good as others I suspect, as my ears probably need clearing of wax).

It's a problem with the brain and how it interprets these senses. I think it's a problem with 'central coherence'. It's how the brain prevents all the sense input from become overwhelming - it sorts it into what's important, which lets you concentrate on that. Aspies have a compromised central coherence. It means they can't concentrate on one thing. So NTs are able to switch focus from one thing to next, their eyes only on each thing for less than a second, their concentration effortlessly switching focus. Well for aspies it's like being in a fog - you can't 'concentrate' to begin with. So instead, you find less than natural to delineate objects from each other - its why on the GFCF diet I'm finding it easier to do this. Things have more depth too. Quite early into the diet I found myself stopping to marvel at how the light reflects off surfaces. I find joy in the complex movements of thousands of leaves on a tree being blown about in the wind. These things were always there, but I was incapable of noticing them because my visual concentration was spread over everything in my vision.

Today, some part of me had a realisation that yes, everyone else, like me, views the world through their eyes, experiences breathing, you know, experiences the world like I do. Because, as a child, I found it hard to believe that everyone else views the world through their eyes. Other people were able to switch focus quickly to look at something different. They were constantly changing what they looked at, for seemingly no purpose, perhaps just to look around and pass the time. People used their eyes for social purposes too e.g. looking into each other's eyes, which I didn't know how to do.

Anything which required head movement e.g. nodding or shaking I found hard to do as I couldnt keep up with the sudden changes in what I was seeing. For me, sight was the main way for me to connect with the world. I guess it was like seeing a picture, not really being a part of the world. I had to keep that picture constant as much as possible. I learnt to make it look like I was bored so people wouldnt think it was too weird.

Anyway, that is my 'thought of the day'!

greyshark wrote:

I guess I mean 'can't concentrate *visually* on just one thing'

Of course, we all have above average IQs which should mean we have better *mental* concentration than most? After all, aspies often get absorbed in what they're doing don't they? I.e. the aspie 'special interests'. We're able to mentally block out all other things at the expense of the special interest.

But in my post I was just talking about one of the senses, sight. Sight, as a sense, and mental thought, are 2 different things.

I think you're overgeneralizing.

Going to be picky here, but that's actually not true, greyshark; Aspie IQ scores range from 70 and up; many of us got below average scores, and most of us are in the average range, just like NTs. (Had to correct that. Pet peeve of mine: People assuming Aspies are geniuses. It makes people think AS isn't something you ever need help for; and it's no good even when you are a genius because they figure geniuses can never have any problems!--it's often been used as a way to deny help, in terms of, "You're too smart to need to be taught how to do grocery shopping or how to schedule your showers or..." etc.) Sure, there are some above average, but it's not like that's a standard feature. The only thing actually in the diagnosis is "you can't have developmental delay". Maybe it's even a self-perpetuating myth, because a lot of smart classic autistics are being diagnosed Asperger's just because they seem "too smart to be autistic"... Silly doctors.

Anyways, yeah, Aspies often do have a different kind of concentration. There's a strong trend toward focusing on details rather than on the big picture; and when used in doing things that require details, this kind of focus can be highly preferable. (Not so much for big picture stuff; there are always trade-offs.)

The ability to concentrate on one thing can get in the way because it can be difficult to switch from one thing to another. I may for example start my homework and spend forever on the first assignment because I can't switch tracks to the second one.

It's even possible to have Asperger's plus ADHD, and to have the typical disorganization and inability to control focus, along with the hyperfocus and detail-orientedness of the Aspie brain. That's an interesting combination, and often results in someone who gets buried in one thing, forgets to do the other stuff, and has serious transitioning issues. (I should know; that's my personal combination. The ADHD is Inattentive-type.)

The OP's talking about vision does seem interesting to me; and being distanced from the world around you is not at all an uncommon autistic phenomenon. We seem to have to process things at a higher level than most people; for example, when my NT neighbor looks at a tree, she sees "tree" immediately, her first conscious thought about the object. For me, it's a matter of leaves-bark-branches-sunlight-patterns-motion-breeze and I have to put it all together before I can think "tree". So I'm much more conscious of how I process the information coming in through my senses (auditory most of all; at some points I have to concentrate just to get any information out of what's coming into my ears.) I wouldn't be surprised if, from that, people got the effect of being distanced from their surroundings, as though they were being "fed" and interpreting data rather than simply living in the world.