what causes all the weird aspects of a/s?

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i understand why many aspies feel stressed by - eg- noise- some bad neuro wiring or whatever, but what explains all the really odd things?

like not sitting in chairs but on the floor to work, or needing to be alone? or having a hot head and ears as a child? these things seem to be completly random.

i keep discovering more weird things about a/s, but cant fathom how they fit in....

My initial discovery of Asperger's came from a NOVA documentary a few years ago called "What makes us Human?" Kicking myself that I can't find the print version of that segment or the followup study, because I hate saying, "I read/saw this thing..." without being able to better cite my source. Anyway...

The gist of the segment was noticing differences between NTs and Autistics in a specific segment of the brain that is an empathic, I-feel-what-you-feel part of our gray matter. It's thought to be a sort of caveman-holdover part of the brain; the part that among other functions, allows one wolf to see an approaching wolf, and instantly, emotionally assess "Friend or foe?"

Autism appears to involve (if not totally stem from) a sort of hearing impairment in this part of the brain for Aspies, (so I imagine, more like a profound deafness for low-functioning Autistics).

When comparing brain activity between Aspies and NTs, for instance, when someone walks in the room, smiles and waves at us: It was noted that the Aspie brain will have noticeably less activity in that I-feel-what-you-feel section of the brain, but noticeably more activity in the frontal lobe as we are consciously, intellectually processing what for NTs should be an unconscious, instant, emotional-level communication.

Whether or not that relates to hypersensitivity in the 5 senses, no idea.

But I can see where a root that deep can branch out into behavior oddities. We process information differently, so we are likely to come up with some different-from-the-norm conclusions about how to utilize that information.

This is also where I get REALLY frustrated with nearly every media outlet (including WP unfortunately) as describing AS primarily by describing common behavioral differences from NTs. Behaviors that not all of us share, and an explanation that says nothing about where those behaviors might come from. E.g.; I have no problem at all with eye contact or casual touch. So it's useless for me to show a media description of AS to a family member, who's just going to look at those first 2 and say,, "Well that's not you."

A better laymen's definition imho would be something like; "Autism, to varying degrees, is a fundamental difference in the way the brain takes in and process information. Namely; less from the empathic/emotional center of the brain, more from the conscious, rational-intellectual part of the brain than normal. This leads to any number of communication difficulties and behavioral differences. Some common ones are..."

Anyway, that's my $0.02. While we have some commonalities in how we work with our cross-wired brains, we have differences as well as we are all unique individuals.


- Jo

You're right, Jo. That's why it frustrates me to see so many Aspies who believe it's all about learning social skills and that's it. We process information differently, we hear differently, our output will therefore always be different.

We're different. Some people view this as weird; in either a good way, or a bad way.

I must admit that I like to think of myself as weird, in a good way.

I agree it's brain wiring. I read Oliver sacks latest book, and in it he explains how musician's brains are wired differently from NTs. Our brains are wired the opposite of musicians. We can't distinguish individual sounds, like in a noisy restaurant. We are physically different. Someday soon, some scientist will discover which genes cause AS, and then the game will be up ! !!

That could be everything. It could be sensory seeking (liking the texture of a floor). Or feeling discomfort at reaming in a sitting position (autism can come with other disorders, including motor disorder that somehow influence the movements of a person to out it simply). Or it could be that sitting on the floor offers an autistic person much more sensory input. And that additional sensory input leads to that they feel better, can concentrate better... that's what I can think of right now.



To do something that is very hard drains everyone. It causes stress and it is an effort to do what one has trouble with. Socialising is such a thing for autistic people.

It could also be that an autistic person is just the type of person (like some non-autistic people are too) that recharges and relaxes best when on their own.



I seriously have never heard that this would be realted to autism?

I am more on the cold side too. Really cold skin and all.


Anyway, basically autism, including AS, affects almost all your abilities in some way. Because it influences your perception of the world - you literally see, hear, feel things even more differently than is normal (everyone perceives the world a bit different from another). The others already said so too. Autism significantly alters, improves or impairs your abilities compared to the abilities of non-autistic people.

What game?

The one where they hunt down the mutants. I do not think it will happen.

I have heard both hot and cold, and immune to either.

I have heard unable to focus, and total focus that cuts out everything else.

Some things I do not hear until I do, the humming of lights is big, then I cannot stop hearing them.

Just read a good article of face blind, and it says it is not all one, we just see it that way, but it is a bunch of parts of perception, some missing in the face blind, but some gaps in other places.

I have a face blind for things, I keep seeing them as something new, I know what it is, but the perceptions are fresh, and often deeper.

I do sit cross legged on the floor, my preferred working place, at only 62, so maybe I will grow out of it. So I sit on the table, and I do not get up, but can hand walk and roll to get to the other side.

Being myself does not work so I have a reset button for some people, a range where we can converse. The kid told me she wanted me to be a dad person, and for her I am, but she knows there is more.

It seems to have a wide range, then much wider due to background, culture, being as cute and sweet as Sora, or my over six foot self.

Then it is in the needs around you, I get called to fix the machines, I rarely fail. I have a dance when printers go through their motions, and can smooth out the rough steps of my dance partner.

My eyes have all of the softness and kindness of a rattlesnake.

Dogs like me.

A bunch of loosely connected parts seems to fit, and more parts than most. I have various tool kits.

I didn't know sitting on the floor was an Aspie thing. I sit on the floor only sometimes. I can think of one chair in particular that is the absolute most uncomfortable chair in the entire world and it, in an almond shell, represents the dichotomy between me and other family members, who I am much shorter than and smaller, and weigh much less. It is so weird. Everyone's a giant but me and they buy chairs made for giants, chairs with weird bumps at the top that hurt my shoulders and back when I sit in them. They make my entire body ache, as strange as that sounds. It puts me in a bad mood and I complain too much. I just wish someone would buy a normal sized chair for a change!
I would say I am wired differently. Noise that doesn't bother others bothers me. Snoring a prime example. I can't help it, a certain person snores really loudly when napping (the only time I am around this person is during the day and a nap just happens) and it drives me absolutely crazy, to the point I feel like a guitar string that has been overtuned and is about to burst.
So, I complain when I reach my limit and the rest of them treat me like I am the most vile person in the entire world, being so inconsiderate to dare complain about something that someone else cannot help in this case, snoring.
"But it's just like fingernails on a chalkboard to me"
I explain.
That doesn't carry much water with them. They still think it's vile.

i'm AS and a musician and hear individual layers/sounds in everything...what does that make me then? XD

I'm AS, a musician, I hear individual layers in music but not in situations like a noisy restaurant, what does that make me?

You've probably taught yourself to do that. Had you not been a musician would you be able to do that? Or maybe this is just one AS trait that doesn't affect you. Just because one or even most people with AS are affected by something, doesn't mean all people with AS are.

And as far as I am aware, your average person isn't supposed to be able to identify any sounds in a noisy environment besides language.

The normal person who doesn't have any disorder like APD cannot pick apart the normal sounds in a restaurant- they can however process and be alerted by new sounds - which a person with autism may not be, no matter whether they perceive the sound or not - and they are supposed to be able to pick up on what is said. Pick up on the words.

This has nothing to do with musical hearing or not. Our brains are not wired opposite of that of musicians. Having APD does not mean you cannot have (been born with) fine musical hearing abilities. Besides, some of the most impaired autistic individuals are the most amazing musicians.

I used to sit on floors frequently, especially during family gatherings.
I think I felt less exposed there, less of a target for members of the
family who liked to give their egos a boost by trying to crunch mine.

Looking back I can remember feeling more contained, more all-in-one place when
I was sitting on the floor. I don't do it now because my house doesn't have carpets:
too hard and too cold. I would sit on the dog's cushion, but that's too furry.



bucket seats in cars are the worst! The headrest always pushes my head foreward
at an uncomfortable angle. I suppose they were made for taller people.

I'd say a deal of it is caused by dopamine levels, such as getting overwhelmed easy. Some of us experience tics or other impulses, otherwise known as stimming.. But other than that the social aspect of our brains are just defective for whatever the reason, be they genetics or possibly lead poisoning in our childhoods.

yeah i was always able to do that from a very early age, before i'd even picked up an instrument...i remember being like 4 years old, hearing "YMCA" at a holiday camp and being able to hear the separate parts, the bassline, the silly string countermelody, stuff like that.