Is it asperger's or is it just me?

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OK now there are a few things about me I couldn't find related to asperger's so it would put my mind at ease to know whether or not anyone else with asperger's has these certain things:

1. I have a genius IQ (over one-hundred and sixty)
- That is rare in and of itself but is there any link between it and asperger's syndrome?

2. I am ambidextrous (I write with both hands)
- Even though I can't write legibly with either does anyone else have this?

3. I feel like having asperger's is like the next step in human evolution but I'm a Christian and I'm not supposed to believe in evolution but isn't it logical that God made us evolve? - That was rhetorical, sorta, or a two-part question.\
- Does your religion get in the way of some of your personal beliefs or can you form a conclusion based on a combination of two different things?

4. I am very random, my Youtube profile is a testament to that. (youtube.com/leesz)
- Does anyone else blurt out random thoughts and are you able to control it when you need to?

5. I can do fairly well in certain social situations but it has only been recent, (my job requires social interaction, this was before I knew what asperger's was) normally I am still very shy when it is just me and one other person and I don't know them. It is still hard for me to make eye contact and I look away often but not for long because it seems to make people feel like I'm not paying attention or I'm uninterested.
- It feels like my eyes are burning or getting tired when I look into someone's eyes, is that normal?

6. I can read basic facial expressions but I mostly listen to the tone of someone's voice while I'm looking at them so when someone makes a joke or sarcastic comment and their face remains the same I have difficulties distinguishing whether they are trying to be funny or serious and makes for awkward encounters. I also like to laugh (even if it is not a real laugh) at people's remarks or comments when they say something to me while I'm at work, they aren't always trying to be funny and well there is the awkwardness again.
- Well my question is this, even though number six is common for asperger's (or so I thought) what are your most difficult facial expressions to read if you can read facial expressions well at all?

Just number your answers and I don't mind if you only answer a few or just one, as long as I can reach some clarity on these subjects I will be happy.

1. High IQ is common in AS
2. No idea, although someone told me that I was ambidextrous today.
3. I'm not sure.
4. Random? I don't get it.
5. shyness, no eye contact and seeming like you're not interested is common with AS. I'm all those things. Also if your eyes burn when looking at people get glasses and see if things change.
6. The easiest face expressions to read are telling if someone is happy, sad or angry. I have difficulty reading anything more subtler than that. I never can tell when a person is being sarcastic. It's hard to tell when someone is interested. I show interest by leaning in, but no one else seems to do that. When someone is attracted to me and tries to give off signs I'm lost unless someone points it out.

1: Of the several times my IQ has been tested, it has been as high as 180 and as low as 120. All of these tests were considered accurate, which leads me to believe that intelligence is just not that simple to measure. To me it seems as though there are several different layers of intelligence and within those layers it's all but impossible to measure individuals against each other, but that's a digression. IQ tests are generally logic-based, and since logical processing is a common strong suit among Aspies, we tend to score higher on these tests.

2: I can't write legibly with either hand, either. I also don't attempt to with my left hand, but I probably use my left hand more frequently than most right-handed people. I don't think there's any real connection between AS and ambidexterity.

3: My religion is logic. Since religion defies logic by its very nature, I ponder it but refuse to consign myself to any beliefs as to the nature of the universe that I have no concrete proof of being true. As for the 'next phase of evolution' thing; I think we're more of a constant that has always been present throughout human evolution to ensure advancement. I guarantee that the person that first figured out how to make a sturdy spearhead was not busy spending his time chatting around a fire with the rest of the people.

4: My understanding is that most people on the autism spectrum have impulse control problems. It takes practice but usually I can stop myself if I need to.

5: I also have issues with eye contact, but my eyes don't burn. It's more of a terrible anxious discomfort for me, but perhaps you're simply straining to maintain the contact so intently that you forget to blink, which may cause your eyes to start burning.

6: I have a terrible time with facial expressions, I generally misinterpret nuances in tone, but I can read body language with some accuracy so I use that in conjunction with intuition to determine someone's attitude. There's an undefinable look in a person's eyes that can tell you exactly what they're thinking if you can take your mind off of the fact that you're looking someone in the eye. It's much easier when they're not looking back into yours.

I have recently gained the ability to determine what someone means when they use phrases that I would normally interpret literally, but I usually have already started making a comment about it by the time I realize I made a mistake in my interpretation. Fortunately, I've learned that if I continue saying it anyway and just smirk as I finish saying it, people think I'm hilarious and witty.

You use too broad a word. It's not true that Christians aren't supposed to believe in evolution. Rather, some Christian groups feel that way.

As one that thinks for myself rather than blindly thinking what I'm told to think, no, religion doesn't get in the way of personal beliefs. I guess it helps that I'm part of a church that's pretty tolerant of diverse beliefs, so long as you don't go broadcasting heresy and calling it truth. Teaching wrong stuff can get you in trouble, but there's no "believe this or you go to hell" or any such. No pressure to conform my beliefs to the system. (And, yes, I'm a Christian.)

So, religion is something that supports my spirituality, and something that has helped me in coming to my own beliefs, even where those beliefs differ from the official viewpoint.

Average IQ of Aspies is higher than the average. But I don't know if there is a real connection or if is only a statistical illusion (because all people with IQ<70 are excluded from a diagnosis of AS)



"can't write legibly" is an aspie trait; but I read somewhere that aspies (our autistics in general) have MORE pronunced differences in hability between the two side of the body than normal people

1. IQ tests are not a very good indicator of intelligence, nor is there any proven link between AS and intelligence.

2. I am right-handed, and my handwriting is extremely poor though mostly legible.

3. I am not religious, and I feel the ''AS is the next step'' is total crap.

4. Randomness changes witheach perception. To others we may appear random because we talk almost exclusively about our interests and try to bring them up, though we may not see it as random.

5. I can't say I've felt burning or tired eyes.

6. Facial expressions are overall just hard.

Never been tested.



Yep. Tho, despite the fact that I'm a righty, my left hand printing is apparently passable. In 6th grade after the teacher saw me print with my left hand, she made me do my spelling tests left-handed, because it was easier to read. But yeah, pretty much fully ambidextrous, except I can't write cursive with my left hand.



I sometimes wonder if AS is the next step in evolution too. I'm not religious, so my religion doesn't get in the way of what I believe.



All the time, and sometimes. Depends on where I am and what I'm doing and who I'm with.



Nope, just anxious and my eyes bounce from eye to eye.



I can tell when people are happy, angry, or annoyed. Sometimes sad, depending on whether they're trying to hide it or not. Tone of voice I'm even more blind to.

There is no real correlation between high IQs and having Aspergers. Most likely aspies show above average in some areas of expertise while below average in other skills. This is due to their ability hyperfocus in one or more areas of their interest and obsessions. It is also common knoweledge that most people who fit under the subtypes of autism have trouble in moving from one task to another without being distracted by their interest.

1. As for standarized IQ tests, I have my own views about them since I learn things differently. I find that quality not a fixed quantity help in my abilities to learn.

2. I do not let any faith based religion get in the way of facts. I highly doubt that AS is anything new or evolutionary since it has not been proven yet.

3. I'll do pattern based activities at random such as posting, walking, rummaging through papers or websites over and over, and so on.

4. In social situations, I'm very poor in small talk but very strong in talk of interests or subjects that I have interests in.

-I use to be bad at eye contact but now it no longer bothers me.

-I have trouble reciprocating feelings from others such as a smile or a laugh. I even have trouble faking a smile.

-I've gotten better with some social cues but still have trouble reciprocating that cue.

-When people talk to me, I will eagerly listen but depending on how much time is needed for them to speak, I will find myself suddenly zoning out.

-I can't initiate a friendly conversation worth a toot!

5. I find myself more interested in animals than people.

6. I have trouble keep track at time so I have to keep setting little minature alarms for myself.

7. I am good at ideas but have trouble expressing them through means of communication.

8. Sometimes I am unaware of my tone of voice. I've had people constantly tell either to stop talking loud or speak up.

9. While I do experience many emotions, I have trouble showing them externally.

10. There are times when I have trouble misinterpreting what people say especially when it comes to jokes.

Wow, that is quite a lot of responses and somewhat diverse on the answers as well. That did help me out, I would like to reply to each individual answer but I would be late for work.

Personally I don't correlate intelligence with IQ. To me intelligent people are people who like to think, not people who can do complex calculations in their head at lightning speed. Even a person with a below average IQ can appear very intelligent if they are curious about the world. By this definition Aspies might be more intelligent on average just because they spend more time thinking and less time socializing.

1. My own IQ is 192. Though I don't think it means anything, to be perfectly honest, other than that I'm good at standardized tests I can see a relationship between profound giftedness and AS in that both might cause feelings of alienation and more logic-oriented thinking, but I don't know if they're genetically linked.

2. I was born lefty with my writing, then switched predominantly to right, and now I use both equally.

3. I have an opposite problem - my logic gets in the way of the spiritual beliefs I develop.

4. Heheh, YES. I am very, very random, and most of the things I find humorous center around how random they are.

5. The burning/tired eyes are a sensory overload issue. I have this sometimes myself, though only when I'm about to melt down.

6. I sometimes mix up expressions of sadness with anger. Other things I'm generally okay with, though I have a disturbing propensity for distinguishing fake smiles from real ones.

Most people who know me would probably say I'm well above average in intelligence, although I do not know my IQ score or remember being tested. Not as much emphasis was placed on IQ numbers when I started school 40 years ago. I always did very well in school and graduated very high in my class in college despite not applying myself as much as most of my classmates. I think one of the reasons people tend to perceive me as highly intelligent is because I am very interested in facts, ideas, nature, biology, computers, you name it, and seem competent to speak on a wide variety topics. As a child, I was quite the annoying little professor know-it-all and always happy to give lectures to anyone who would listen. The downside of my intelligence, such that it is, is that no single subject holds my interest long enough for me to become a true expert - at most I have a glib, limited knowledge of many things, though because of my lightening ability to dredge up relevant facts a few people might mistake me for some kind of genius, which certainly I am not.

As far as use of my hands, I am cross-dominant and write with my left hand but do large muscle activities with my right. I can also write backwards. My handwriting is terrible due to poor fine motor coordination and I have developed a weird mixture of writing some letters in cursive and some in print. This wiki entry describes me perfectly:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross-dominance

I would consider myself agnostic in matters of religion but not atheist. Should solid evidence of a supreme being come to light, I would certainly reevaluate my views, but so far I cannot say I've seen any. I do not however despise or ridicule people who hold strong beliefs so long as they do not try to impose them on me or anyone else.

I too can be handle myself in standard social settings, but do not achieve lasting friendship easily. My business is such that I meet with people daily but essentially I am not socializing but giving them a presentation, after which they ask questions. Much easier than small talk which I do poorly. Eye contact is difficult but I have gotten much better in maintaining enough contact to avoid making the person I am speaking with uncomfortable. I tend to look others in the eye but find pauses and interludes to glance away briefly.

I seem to share much with the OP and I do think many of these traits traits are related to AS. However, I think there is a danger of falling into the trap of linking everything that is odd about ourselves to AS when it can be explained as natural variation.

I call that more "intellectualism" than "intelligence".

But, for diferent reasons, I agree that IQ does not matter much, at leas above certain leves: IQ tests are not really designed to measure very high IQs.

If a test gives you an IQ of 140, or 170, or 190, etc, these only mean that your IQ is probably >130

About the whole "Next Step" thing, the guy who came up with Evolution was probably an Autistic/Aspie

sethzack:
1. My IQ had been tested to be over 154.
2. I have always had very poor handwriting, generally Autistics have impaired fine-motor skills. I myself couldn't tie my shoes until I was 13 or 14.
5/6. I am the exact same way, I have decent social skills and am able to make friends and get along with everyone but I just cannot keep eye contact for more than a second or two.

Wow that really answered my questions, thank you all.

If you have aspergers then you should think logically and embrace evolution....right?

Anyway my IQ varies by around 50 points from day to day, that is a fact Sometimes I can be real smart, other days I am totally braindead.