If you could be nuerotypical...

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So if you had the opportunity to have a choice between AS and its associated blessings (and the accompaniying social/sensory issues), or to be "normal", which would you choose?

Although I waver, (most frequently on lonely saturday nights), I like who I am. I don't want to change. My gifts allow me to be VERY successful at my job. I like my abilities, and feel it is more than a fair trade.

What about you?

If I could choose, I would say NT growing up and until I got established in some career, then AS could come back as it would not create any problems then and if it did not to the degree it already has. Perhaps the question should be, I Clarence from "Its a Wonderful Life" gave you the choice of never having been born. If he had me as an assignment, he would never get his wings. I am still annoyed that I was created at all, what kind of being or force would do something like that. Honestly, I never asked for it, and if I had, it would have had some joy in it or at least much more so than I ever had.

I would probably choose AS, but then again, I don't really think I am gifted at anything except making an ass of myself.

NT.

Well at least there is underwear or TP to fix that problem. What do you do when you need a reset button, but don't have one?

Ha... some parts NT and some parts autistic would be ideal... As it is, there are just different versions of autistic in here.

If I have AS the only thing I will miss is a potentially better finanical situation. My terrible first impressions doesn't help much when I go out for job interviews, and I don't bother with the office politics game. I never try to impress the people I am supposed to impress, I just act like myself towards everyone.

And I have missed out on some of the dating relationships that most people my age would have. But it doesn't bother me that much, and I am hoping that I'll be able to find a woman as unique and quirky as I am. So as long as I can find one woman I'll be content, unlike most of my contemporaries who have many relationships during their early to mid years.

Besides these two issuies I am happy with who I am, and don't really desire to change who I am. And I wouldn't want to miss out on knowing about all the things I find interesting.

Cant really say what I would want other than to be me.

That is all I have ever wanted to be.

I am responsible to myself to be me. No one or nothing else can change that. If I am not me for any reason it is my responsiblity. I refuse to let anyone other than myself to determine who or what I am.

I believe the average NT person is happier than I am, but I think the concept of wanting to be a completely different person is meaningless. How does one extrapolate one's desires to an imaginary entity?

i agree with both dce and wowbagger. howver, in my case, my IDEAL is to be how dce is, but, unfortunately, my lack of self confidence/self esteem a a lot of the time means that i do allow others to influence who i am. i'm working on it...

lol sorry didn't mean to say that I am always in control of who I am. I become a mirror in many social situations. But for me what I mirror is my responsiblity. I also have self esteem problems and the related issues that goes with it.

It comes down to personal responsibility for me. If I release any responsibilty to others then I loose. Not in anyway anyone can see. But I have then let myself not be me. I accept that I have large issues with many things. If I was to not accept my issues as part of me I would no longer be me. My being is all parts of me. To ignore any part is to ignore the whole.

I wish I could explain it better. If anyone want to discuss it more I am willing to try.

you don't need to explain it better dce - well, i think you've explained it perfectly, anyway. and, of course, you've got it spot on, as usual.

Alot of people say that Autistic people are gifted in some area..

How many of you would consider yourself gifted in an area? If so, what? Note: This is not an ego thing or anything, if you think you're pretty bang flash talented at something I really want to know.

I don't see myself gifted at anything... I mean, i'm ok at most things, above averege at science and art, and excellent creativity, but not good enough to get anywhere.. I don't think.

I have good ddesigns for packaging but making the packages makes me go nuts as I can't concerntrate.

I can't sing, dance or act. I suck at sport. I don't have a 6th sense. I'm not thin enough to be a model. I'm not smart enough to write new laws for the universe or invent things, I'm not a very talented drawer, although some of my cartoons are pretty ok..

I'm wise to an extent, but not wise enough to not be in a complete mess most of the time.

all I can think of are ideas.. but I seem just average at everything.

I can't imagine being someone else so the first question is impossible for me to answer.

On the subject of self esteem mine seems to swing like a pendulum from one end to the other ~ I have times when I am very low and times when I feel good.

As for being gifted ~ I have always felt that the way I see the world is somehow a gift because I can get meaning and pleasure out of apparently simple things that most people seem to ignore.

I have some minor talent for musical composition although I don't know whether it would be considered a gift. My composition is really just a way of formalising some of the patterns in my head ~ They mean a lot to me but I have no idea as to whether they would mean anything to others.

i would be an nt just to see if it was different. my guess is i'd probably be happier and more regular.

friends, girlfriends, job, qualifications etc

the first two being important to me

Giftedness-

1. I have a photographic memory. This has its ups and downs, but it allows me to analyze and retain things very well.

2. Effortless learning. Any subject I am interested in, I can learn more in a day than most people seem to be able to learn in a week.

It so happens that my job in the mortgage business is one thing that has tickled my fancy. I started as a very low-level data clerk, who needed to know how everything worked, so I read the book on lending guidlines, thought about it, and read it again. At that point, I could remember and apply everything in the book, as well as quote verbatim from it. The ability to apply and retain that information has allowed me a great deal of success at work, and in a few short years, I have been promoted half a dozen times. I am now on the management team, working as a trainer and general guru. I don't want this to sound like bragging, its just that I absolutely love my job.

3. Ability to come through in stressful situations- This is also a double edged sword, but in stressful situations, I can often put emotions aside and do what needs to be done. I just don't panic.

4. Openness and honesty- I feel these are some of my best traits. I like being a simple person. Most people appreciate the fact that I always give a straight answer. At work they count on me not to mince words and tell the truth- I can always cut through the BS.

5. Independence- While lonliness is a problem we all face, at the same time, I like being able to be my own person and do my own things. It seems many people out there define themselves by how others think of them, and that is definitely not me.

Sometimes, I wish I were NT because I am experiencing some of the bad sides of AS.
But when I think about it, I think about all the good sides of it. I do not know who I would be if I were not as I am, but it would not be me, so if I could snap my fingers and not be AS (and all the associated conditions) anymore, I would not do it.