Procrastination: Is it a symptom of Aspergers?

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mrmjb1960
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21 Mar 2013, 7:31 am

You know Procrastination,the inability to make up one's mind until it's too late..Well,I Procrastinate all the time! I can never make up my mind until the last minute..But,my question to you here,is,Is this a Symptom of Autism/Aspergers? I'd like to find out if it is or not! This feeling of the fear of "Can I make up my mind or not?" is Very real to me!



chlov
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21 Mar 2013, 7:45 am

It isn't. It's just a human trait.



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21 Mar 2013, 8:08 am

I solved the problem of procrastination by either putting stuff to do on a list, a calendar, or doing it immediately.



Kookygirl
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21 Mar 2013, 8:11 am

This is a common symptom for attention deficit disorder and I read in a book about autism (I forget which one) that most people on the autism spectrum have ADD/ADHD. So I would say that yes, this is more common in people on the spectrum.

I myself have been diagnosed with ADD and aspergers and I either make decisions too quickly without thinking through the consequences or leave it to the last minute until its almost too late (or sometimes is).

If I remember the name of the book ill let you know, you may find it interesting :-)


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mrmjb1960
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21 Mar 2013, 8:57 am

Kookygirl wrote:
This is a common symptom for attention deficit disorder and I read in a book about autism (I forget which one) that most people on the autism spectrum have ADD/ADHD. So I would say that yes, this is more common in people on the spectrum.

I myself have been diagnosed with ADD and aspergers and I either make decisions too quickly without thinking through the consequences or leave it to the last minute until its almost too late (or sometimes is).

If I remember the name of the book ill let you know, you may find it interesting :-)
Thanx,Kookygirl! Much appreciated!


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21 Mar 2013, 9:20 am

I will get back with later with an answer. :D



faithfilly
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21 Mar 2013, 9:20 am

Procrastination exists among all groups of people. Indecision is another matter. A good example of where Aspies get challenged is with multiple choice questions on exams. The choices tend to create more questions. I remember often thinking, "What does the teacher mean by that?" We think about details other people generally don't consider.

An Aspie friend of mine terms this dilemma, "Three cups and a ball." :)


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mrmjb1960
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21 Mar 2013, 11:26 am

faithfilly wrote:
Procrastination exists among all groups of people. Indecision is another matter. A good example of where Aspies get challenged is with multiple choice questions on exams. The choices tend to create more questions. I remember often thinking, "What does the teacher mean by that?" We think about details other people generally don't consider.

An Aspie friend of mine terms this dilemma, "Three cups and a ball." :)
Or,to be more exact,"Half Empty,or Half Full?"



marshall
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21 Mar 2013, 11:29 am

I don't know other than to say it's the bane of my existence. Look up "autistic inertia". It is definitely real and more than just an excuse but good luck convincing anyone of that.

I can either bash myself all the time for being "lazy" or try to accept that something is off with my neurology affecting things like motivation and quick adaptation to changes and interruptions. I always have a hell of a time getting started on things, yet once I start something I have to finish before I can move on to something else. This leads to me being a constant anxious miserable depressed suicidal mess when trying to survive on my own in a world that insists everyone be engaged in constant mindless fast-paced activity. What's worse is people can pretty easily say I'm socially aware and have outgrown most of the typical outward manifestations of autism/aspergers so I come off as nothing more than someone with an unusually introverted personality.



WrongWay
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21 Mar 2013, 11:31 am

Happens to me but not sure it's a symptom of Aspergers, many other people have the same problem as well. Though certain AS traits could potentially lead to procrastination - for me just generally getting overwhelmed by the task I need to get done, being a perfectionist meaning I'm reluctant to start if I'm going to find a problem with my work, and wanting to do other things. Though at the same time it's offset by things like being willing to get things done (even if late - in many cases I have the excuse 'it doesn't matter when you do it as long as it's before the deadline and you finish'), being able to finish once started (I find starting a task more difficult than carrying on one that's already in progress), and being able to stay organised by making a list of what I need to do and when I need to do them by.


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marshall
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21 Mar 2013, 11:35 am

faithfilly wrote:
Procrastination exists among all groups of people. Indecision is another matter. A good example of where Aspies get challenged is with multiple choice questions on exams. The choices tend to create more questions. I remember often thinking, "What does the teacher mean by that?" We think about details other people generally don't consider.

An Aspie friend of mine terms this dilemma, "Three cups and a ball." :)


Actually, I always preferred multiple choice quizzes to essay quizzes. As a kid I had horrible writers block in school and failed English classes as a result. I've come a long way in my ability to write since then but I still have trouble getting started when writing emails to people and such, especially if I'm not clear what the exact purpose of the communication is other than that I have to "stay in touch" or "build contacts".



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21 Mar 2013, 12:29 pm

I have experianced the same sort of thing, but not so sure its actually procrastination. For instance at school if we had to do writing in school it would always take me quite a while to get started and teachers would get on me about how I needed to just start writing but i needed to think of what to write and how to word it....sometimes I acted like I was writing without marking the paper so the teacher wouldn't notice.

So yeah its like a lot of times I do want to do something and am trying but it takes longer for me to get started, or I cannot figure out where to start so I get overwhelmed and confused which slows me down even more. Procrastionation to me would be more when I am knowingly putting something off for no real reason.


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21 Mar 2013, 2:27 pm

mrmjb1960 wrote:
You know Procrastination,the inability to make up one's mind until it's too late..Well,I Procrastinate all the time! I can never make up my mind until the last minute..But,my question to you here,is,Is this a Symptom of Autism/Aspergers? I'd like to find out if it is or not! This feeling of the fear of "Can I make up my mind or not?" is Very real to me!


Personally I think so. I think it is due to a broken executive function. You know you should do something, but never actually do it until you really need to instead of when the time is right. Bad bad habit.



marshall
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21 Mar 2013, 5:55 pm

Sweetleaf wrote:
I have experianced the same sort of thing, but not so sure its actually procrastination. For instance at school if we had to do writing in school it would always take me quite a while to get started and teachers would get on me about how I needed to just start writing but i needed to think of what to write and how to word it....sometimes I acted like I was writing without marking the paper so the teacher wouldn't notice.

I can recall the same thing. The sound of everyone else writing made it worse.



eegore
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27 Mar 2013, 4:47 pm

I have notice a lot of norms do it as well, it is a common trait to push off something that most people don't feel like doing and I can get you the statistics tomorrow or next week when I get around to it :wink:



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27 Mar 2013, 10:58 pm

No it is not a symptom of ASD, but the ASD can intensify it.