Problem solving

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Is it an autistic trait to be a poor problem solver? This is something I've observed in myself. I'm going to college for IT and if someone throws a problem at me, I'm usually the last person to solve it.

I've been a poor problem solver my entire life. Every time I have a problem to solve, I find myself asking one of my friends or one of the staff at my clubhouse for help, to solve my problems.

I wouldn't say so, as i'm fairly good at solving problems... BUT I usually require a good bunch of details in order to do so...

Depends what the problem is. If I didn't understand the work I wouldn't be able to solve it, but I'm usually a really good problem solver. Left brain thing.

depends on the problem. If its something mechanical or so people flock to me to help them out. I am very ingenious with that type of thing. As a kid i would get pissed off when i had a brilliant idea and designed it on my head and then put it on paper just to hear someone say "they already invented that".

Any other problem fu gedd 'bout eet.

A poor problem solver? No. However due to the way I process information, if given a problem to solve, which is within the capability of most individuals to solve, I may be the last to solve it, but I will likely understand it and the principals behind it better.

If given a problem which is beyond the capability of most individuals to solve, I will likely solve it.

My issue is one of processing speed when intaking the information. For example, an analogy would be if you were to blind fold three people and give them a rubik's cube to hold and later solve. They may only take the blind fold off and begin to solve it once they have figured out what it is that they were holding.

Let us say the first individuals figured out what it is in 3 seconds, takes the blind fold off, but and solves the Rubiks cube in 3 days.

The second individual figures out it's a Rubik's cube in 2 seconds, and never solve it during their life time.

It would take me three minutes to figure out it was a Rubik's cube, and (baring any knowledge of solving algorithms from the start) 30 minutes to solve it, at the end of which I will also have discovered a few solving algorithms and some random facts pertaining to the Rubik's cube.

well I was just reading a book on aspergers and it explains pretty clearly why people with aspergers have difficulties problem solving and this presumably applies to the broader autism spectrum.

I'll copy and paste my notes on the book because I found it really interesting. It seems difficulty with problem solving underlies uneven skills. Sorry about the referencing. I'm in the habit of doing that because I'm studying and its easiest if I keep things consistent.

Hagland, C. (2010). Getting to Grips with Asperger Syndrome: Understanding Adults on the Autism Spectrum. London, UK: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

As there is a difference in the brains of people with aspergers (AS), their problems are ‘hard-wired’(Hagland, 2010, p. 59). The person with AS can adapt and develop coping strategies (Hagland, 2010, p. 59).

The frontal lobes of the brain which deal with attention, short-term memory, planning, organisation, sequencing of actions and starting or stopping an activity is the most affected part of the brain in AS (Hagland, 2010, p. 55).

People with AS struggle to pay attention or hold information in their conscious mind long enough for it to be come part of their short-term memory (Hagland, 2010, p. 50). That is why people with AS will struggle to follow conversations (Hagland, 2010, p. 96) or verbal instructions unless the sentences are short, simple and one thing is asked at a time (Hagland, 2010, p. 52).

Although people with AS may have poor short term memory, their tendency to learn about things that interest them through constant rehearsal often results in good long term memory (Hagland, 2010, p. 51). Consequently, people with AS may be able to remember certain things but not recent or everyday things (Hagland, 2010, p. 51).

This difficulty in holding information in mind and remembering recent information also affects the ability of the person with AS to make decisions necessary for solving problems and planning (Hagland, 2010, p. 53). Therefore doing something the way it has been done before reduces the need to struggle with attention and short-term memory problems which is usually stressful and tiring (Hagland, 2010, p. 54).

The part of the brain responsible for getting started on an activity or knowing when to stop is also affected (Hagland, 2010, p. 55). Even when the person with AS does know what they need to do they may still have difficulty ‘remembering to remember’ (Hagland, 2010, p. 56). They may also have difficulty knowing when to stop, which is known as perseveration (Hagland, 2010, p. 55).

Timetables, lists, a diary, calender or card system displaying only one item at a time can act as supports for poor memory and reduce stress (Hagland, 2010, p. 61).

"As a kid i would get pissed off when i had a brilliant idea and designed it on my head and then put it on paper just to hear someone say "they already invented that". "

oooh aaah.

How I know that one. Why I am languages not a mathematician. I am in I think 9th grade, I one weekend work out great understanding of onde mathematical phenomenon. I come downstairs, show my father. Ah, yes, very good, they already figured that out.

Talk about offputting.

Happens to me all the time, I have even come up with ideas and then found out that they were invented years after I came up with the idea.

I swear, they are bugging my house!

I also agree that it depends on the problem.

I definitely have a lack of short term memory and concentration, as well as anxiety when I'm asked to solve a problem quickly.
I would need to see the question written rather than told so I could read it several times.

Depending on the problem, if I have time to solve it, I am usually pretty good.

Strange...I've been told by people I work with that problem-solving skills are a main strong point of mine.

I wonder if it has to do with where you are referencing the information required to solve the problem. Like, maybe a person could do better with solving something that requires information from long-term memory.

I work for a software company and frequently figure out issue that baffle my peers. Most of these issues require a knowledge about how various areas of the software function. That's information I have in long term memory.

My problem solving in another type of situation seems noticeably weaker though. An example would be sitting in on a conference call where a lot of new information is presented. I'll frequently come to a bad conclusion because a forgot about one of the new bits of information that was discussed on the call.

For me, it depends on whether I WANT to solve the problem. If it's a problem that fascinates me (an electronic malfunction, or a mechanical problem), I can't sleep until I figure it out. And I WILL figure it out! If it's something to do with the English language; such as a word that's just "a word" for which everyone knows the definition, but the word origin or a peculiarity in its spelling exists, I MUST find out where it came from, and why it's spelled that way. In other words, a problem pertaining to one of my special interests is a great and fun challenge.

On the other hand, if it's a problem presented to me by another circumstance than my own interest, I feel burdened and will look for a way to pass it off to someone else. If someone hands me a mind-bender puzzle, or some sort of a problem that I have no motive to solve, I will allow myself to get frustrated and give up on it very quickly.

Charles

I get obnoxiously restless every time I have an unsolved problem right in front of me, so in a way I'm an excellent problem-solver.

I rarely notice that a problem exists until someone points it out to me, though. I'd dreamed of becoming an inventor once, but I just wasn't creative and observant enough. And it doesn't help that I'm the type of person who doesn't believe in anything beyond basic necessities and in supporting general laziness. I always wonder, among other things, why we need a remote control for a TV when we could just walk up to the TV and change the channel using our fingers.

depends on the problem, if it's something i'm good at (any thing computer related or video games) i can usually solve problem but if its something i'm not good at i'm lost.

It's one of my strong points. I extrapolate the situation, structure it and get the pieces of information I miss. Talking about people problems here though.

It's part of my future job in mental health care .