What are the personality traits that exemplify asperger's?

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Hello,

After a couple of weeks of reading over websites, forums and blogs I have come across a plethora of characteristics that a typial 'aspie' supposedly tends to have. These have ranged from poor social skills to a bad posture and dislike of deodorants!? So what I would like to know is what characteristics do you think are essential for a person to be considered an aspie? In other words what trait(s) do all aspies have in common, if this common link exists at all?

I know the DSM sets the criteria for what asperger's is but I'm really looking for a more qualitative account of the characteristics you feel exemplify asperger's.

Thanks

Right now the research regarding both Asperger's and Autism is pointing to deficits in Theory of Mind. Theory of Mind is basically the ability to reflect upon one's own inner states (mental and emotional) as well as the ability to infer other people's inner states (thoughts, feelings, etc). Since autism is a spectrum, this ability is too. Many people with Asperger's and High-functioning autism do eventually develop a "theory of mind," but it is different from the NT "theory of mind," being analytical rather than intuitive.

Being HFA and if you read my posts
I would definely fall into analytical,
or "Speaking AT you" not to you.
So lets say for the sake of argument
if someone were HFA, they are over
wording(pictorial words, poetic in nature)
and "Spock Like". The AS part is still
vague except that HFA is one who is
held back in a early age from school for
learning disabilities, and the AS person
is literate and a genius at a young age,
they just don't know how to convey it.

Hmmmm?
Describe yourself if you choose to do so.

Thats interesting, I find that of the characteristics of autism and asperger's this is the one I don't find in myself. Although admittedly I find it hard to imagine what it means to have a fully functioning 'theory of mind.' I suppose its impossible to know if you are lacking in this area without an objective test. Thanks, possibly you have aided me in abandoing asperger's as an explanation of my apparent non-NT disposition.

Well concerning the remark you make "I would definely fall into analytical, or "Speaking AT you" not to you." I feel the same. I am overly analytic when it comes to conversational chit-chat and can find myself being thrown by logiclly flawed statements that people make and people think me pedantic for it. The "speaking at you" is somthing I find myself being accused of also. Escpecially from family, they believe that I am relentless and extremely tiring. One reason for this is because I tend to only talk about my current interest.

I don't seem to fall into any extemere concerning learning abilities I was neither held back from school or exceptionally clever, would just consider myself of average intelligence...

PDD-NOS is one to consider. It implies to the
best of my knowledge a person exhibiting similar
traits but don't have the full spectrum, Here is a
example document......!

3. PDD-NOS (PDD-Not Otherwise Specified)

This category should be used when there is a severe and pervasive impairment in the development of reciprocal social interaction or verbal and nonverbal communication skills, or when stereotyped behavior, interests, and activities are present, but the criteria are not met for a specific Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Schizophrenia, Schizotypal Personality Disorder, or Avoidant Personality Disorder. For example, this category includes atypical autism --- presentations that do not meet the criteria for Autistic Disorder because of late age of onset, atypical symptomatology, or subthreshold symptomatology, or all of these.

http://www.pediatricneurology.com/autism.htm

I hope this helps you find some clues since these disorders
started at a young age, and adults experience it on a different
angle later(a mature clue and result)

Sincerely,
Ghosthunter

Thanks for the suggestion, I will look in to it. Is it very rare that someone has asperger's and doesn't discover this until after childhood? I'm just finding it uncanny how I have personality traits described as typically aspie.

Not at all. This site is full of people who didn't find out until adulthood or who are self-diagnosed. Part of it is that few people know what to look for in a kid, some kids are just shrugged off as shy, withdrawn, klutzes etc. Part of it is that the older a person gets, the better they learn to compensate.

There are some(I want to say alot) that have
been pushed into the pharmacudical industry
(pill pushed) and made phobic of things. They
often think they have, because these pharmacudical
companies neglect to say that the symptoms
are lifelong(developing of coping skills) and
not pill popped resolved. That just creates
business, from a business point of view(create
a market place).

These children know no better. They think that
all adults know best. Nope! a pill pusher is a
pill pusher, be they legal or illegal. ADD,OCD,
Ect.... are some of the tags and they don't even
have the physical symptoms but will believe
they do.

It is interesting that autism texts suggest behavorial
help, not Pill help unless the symptoms are extreme.

Sincerely,
Ghosthunter

I never even heard of AS until I was an adult. As a child I was medicated for being "nervous" (vocal & physical stims) and bored stiff in school (IQ above 150). No friends, loner, "Spock"...

Now it all makes sense!

I do an awful lot of introspection....what I usually have a hard time with is figurign out what soemone else might be thinkign or feeling, if it isn't obvious.

For example, if there is a line of customers waiting to be helped, all the workers (including me) are standing around goofing off, and the boss walks by and frowns at me, I will think he probably wants me to stop goofing and wait on the growing line of customers. (I don't actually goof off, it was an example). This is obvious, our job is to work.

But if I am already working and my boss is frowning, (IF I even notice it) I will have no idea why and will question everyone in sight until I find out why, because until I do, I'll be eaten up with anxiety that I might get fired!

If I cannot read someone I usually assume that they might be angry at me, even if their face is smiling. People are phony, so smiling faces mean very little.

I still don't have a good handle on what theory of mind means!!
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In answer to the question, the clinical description isn't explicit enough IMHO. Autism (including Asperger's) is a spectrum, so if you were to list a couple hundred autistics traits or patterns, you might match some of them, but nobody is going to match ALL of them. Have you tried taking the AQ and EQ tests? Aspies usally score h igh on AQ, low on EQ.

To answer your original question, I think the one common problem is probably eye contact. I've never met these people, but I was never diagnosed with AS until I started having problems with eye contact. I think that's the "red flag" for doctors.

A doctor has already said to me : "You probably don't have it (AS) cause you have good eye contact"...

If only she knew all the efforts it takes me to fake a good eye contact (I'm happy to know it looks good though...)

I have that trouble, as well, coyote. I did not even know I was supposed to make eye contact until I was around 15 years old. Now that I know, I have been working on it.

Just a question I want to ask. How many are freaked out by looking at a face? It inspires in me a sense of dread. Is not making eye contact just something you don't naturally do, or is it because it gives you such a feeling?

There are alot of things I do not have in common with other aspies, such as the bright light thing and sounds. I don't know if I understand it. I guess everyone is just so different, but then again one doesn't need to fill the entire criteria to get diagnosed...?