Aspieness and computers

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I read on this site and elsewhere about some people who are aspie and who do not understand computer skills. How can this be? We aspie types are supposed to have a technically-motivated mind. I was reading on another site about a parent who was asking about how to teach her aspie son computer skills, in that he wasn't picking them up too well. Well, I don't know how you ask those on a forum such as this how to receive instructions for computer skills, because there's so much involved. Even using the Internet, it depends on the sites and so forth. Sure, you can say, "You just click on what you want." But, it's much more than that. There are forms, menus, buttons, etc... You have to know what to do to print this or that. There's lots to it, and a little reply is not going to teach computer skills.

But, the thing is, why would an aspie have this problem? Maybe it's because of a severe deficiency in multitasking, but overall ... most of us have no problem with a computer.

- Ray M -

Yeah.... That's really interesting, and pretty rare. I mean, I myself, I'm not the smartest Aspie around. I'm not one of those who are really good at math or science, or really technical with computers stuff. But I LOVE computers, videogames, and such related technology. Man, I can't live WITHOUT it! I mean I am by no means addicted, because I don't necessarily use both all the time, but I do depend on it for many reasons. Hard times for me are camping, which is no holiday for me! Especially if I really had to 'rough it', with no TV, and no handheld gaming, no music player - I would just go nuts!

Well, maybe the kid was really more Austistic, cause aren't saverely disabled Austistics a bit on the ret*d side? Computers would be a nightmare for people so low functioning. Aspergers is a different thing all together, but no matter which case - everyone has their own personalities and skills, and do not necessarily fall under what is most common.

I'm really not into computers, except for internet and word proccessing. i don't know my way around them very well or understand how they work. However i don't think that is because my brain wouldn't like them or be able to understand them if i looked into it. Its just that i was quite technophobic as a child, i didn't have much access to computers until i was an adult and i'm not really into them that much, i prefer writing, to the extent that when i was younger i only used a pen and paper.
I guess computers may be easier for Aspies to understand then NT's (perhaps) and also Aspies will enjoy them so much that they become really compatent but if you don't find them interesting, by definition of AS you wouldn't learn them at all well, would you?

I looove computers.

I use computers as a means to an end, but I'm not really obsessed with them, and I have a very short tolerance when the software goes haywire. Bad software is all to common in the microsoft Windows world, and it's really turned me off of getting seriously interested in computers lately. Because of that, I've been sort of "out of the loop" with the latest computer technology and stuff.

I spend the majority of my work and free time on the internet and I have a fair feel for some of the more technical areas of computers.

My older brother, who has an aspie personality, was a computer enthusiast since he was a little boy in the 1980's. He's been a professional computer programmer for all of his adult life.

I Think the reason why there would be aspies who are technically challenged is because everyone is different

I would have to say that a good majority of my life has been spent on my computer.

People have personalitys even though theyr aspies.
For instance i am behind a computer alot but i don't know much about the technical part.
I don't care one bit about how it works either as long as its usefull.
My brother usually fixes my computer.

I would be lost without my computers. They give me at least some purpose.

While I didn't start out being good with computers. I had to learn. Mind you it turned out I was very well suited towards computers (I do a lot of programming), but I still had to learn how to use them.

I actually still have a lot of trouble with computers. I think everyone does.

I mean when you get down to it, you have to define what 'good' and 'bad' with computers actually means. Are we talking about being able to turn the power button on, and type stuff?
Install things?
Configure your system?
Program?
Write your own video card drivers and/or Kernal?
Hack the Pentagon?

I'm not great at computers. I mean, I can work the Internet and most fairly basic programs well, because I'm good at figuring out how to do things if I can find instructions, but the concepts behind making my wonderful Net or even hardware baffle me. On Xuincherguixe's little scale o' questions, my ability ends after 'Installing things.'

Aeturnus--I don't have a 'technically-motivated' mind. I enjoy the luxury of technology, but it ends there. MY Aspie genius areas tend to focus more in biological sciences. Aspie =/= computer geek.

I think to me I have to "do" the work on the computer in order to understand how something is supposed to work. If someone is trying to explain it to me it really doesn't mean anything unless I am working on the keyboard. The abstract concepts of the computer mean very little to me if it is something I am not interested in although I use the computer all the time. I had to ask how to cut and paste and do other things because it is not some natural knowledge I was born with if that is what you mean. I didn't look at a computer and just "know" how to do everything on it and my skills are kind of uneven. I have figured alot of things out for myself though. I have also found out that alot of people have illusions of grandeur regarding their computer skills and are not as knowledgeable as they claim to be. I think it is like a status thing.

Why many of us are good with Computers is because we have good critical thinking skills. We combine various aspects of what we know when using them.

So while we do for the most part have a genetic predisposition towards computing, that doesn't neccesarily mean we're going to be good at it.

Don't know if i'm obsessed, i know how they work, like to build them upgrade etc.

I subscribe to the view that the way AS manifests itself in someone relates to their personality. Perhaps the kid(s) in question just aren't interested in computers, so don't pick it up for that reason. Or maybe they're not aware they are meant to be good at computers. That sounds odd I know, but bear with me ^_^. I'm the girl who had to be told she was bright and was good at certain subjects at school. I was 15 maths books ahead of the rest but I didn't know and consequently I didn't give 100% to my work. I was not diagnosed (obviously, no AS existed then!) but I was constantly scolded for doing x or y wrong and so I thought I was pretty thick and that there wasnt much point in doing things if I was just going to misunderstand or mess them up.

On the computer theme - I have three computers of my own. I run websites and have done for 8 years - but no matter how hard I try I *cannot* master complicated scripting that is beyond HTML or basic, basic CSS scripting. I type at hyperspeed and I can do a lot of softwareish things - in fact I spend most of my day at work digging members of the public out of IT holes - but I cannot open up a PC and do anything inside of them. And I wouldn't say I was obsessed with computers = but I use them as a means to further my obsessions of collecting and writing

So I wouldn't say I'm right on the top of the technical mind hill - and I'm not at the bottom either. Not all Aspies share the exact same symptomology anyway - we'd be pretty dull (and sinister!) if we did. I mean, I can multitask just fine and do it intuitively - always have. But I keep reading that Aspies don't do that. And my imagination is usually on overload - but again, that's not meant to be an Aspie trait.

Some things are just down to us as people, not as Aspies

Apple