Lets make a list of inaccurate stereotypes of aspies!

Post Reply New Topic

I was talking about COGNITIVE empathy and not affective empathy. In reference to the so-called "Empathy Imbalance Hypothesis of Autism" (http://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/tpr/vol59/iss3/9/).

Wish i could say otherwise, but i used to be a social kid, who was friendly with everyone, and considered everbody a friend, however between 3rd and 7th grade i gradually became the anti-social sarcastic jerk who generally dislikes everybody until i find a reason not to that i am today. Unfortunately that's who i am now and it's not likely to change.

Aspies don't get different interests and theirs stay the same for life and never get any new ones

Aspies have no imaginations

Aspies don't care about other people

All aspies are geniuses or just very smart above average

All aspies are nerds and geeks

All aspies are savants

I just downloaded the article. I read a part of it and I think I understand: Cognitive empathy means figuring out what people are up to, "reading" other people. I know that I'm deficient in this. I need to have issues spelled out, I don't "get" implicit stuff or non-verbal stuff. So it looks as though we agree on this.

However, lay people only think "empathy." One of my brothers thought that my other brother has Asperger's because he "lacks empathy" as in not caring what other people think or being inconsiderate. I don't know if my brother has Asperger's or not. He took one of those "autistic quotient" tests and didn't score in the Asperger's range. I did and later got a formal diagnosis of high-functioning autism.

I think we now have the same idea about what cognitive empathy is.

I think it is logic to say that people on the autism spectrum lack empathy, because empathy is affective empathy and cognitive empathy together, and incorrect that Aspergers have not empathy it all.However, it is much more likely to happen to Aspergers to switch of their affective empathy as well, either because their lack of cognitive empathy makes it much easier to not see the consequences or to ignore them, or when feelings ("I absolutely want or need this") and most of all anxieties come in. Or with people who have developped kind of a revengeful attitude to their environment. See Baron-Cohen s video on "The erosion of empathy" and his book on "The Science of Evil".

Well, interestingly, I'm actually pretty good at analyzing people after the fact, but while I'm there my mind goes into WTF mode. I feel that the whole "cognitive empathy vs affective empathy" thing is kind of stupid, and aspies that show this trait have "slightly less empathy, but still have sympathy". I can't really add on, as I don't really know enough facts to.

On a semi-related note, my social awkwardness doesn't really come from a lack of cognitive empathy, but rather a lack of natural intuition when it comes to knowing what to say, and still half the time saying the wrong thing anyway. The important thing is I know exactly when I just told a really lame joke, and making it funny by laughing at myself. This also works really well when my friends are joking with me, and they see the "WTF I thought we were friends" look, and say "I was just messing with you". It still makes me look stupid, but let's face it: we all will never run out of reasons to make fun of ourselves.

Can we please acknowledge the elephant in the room... There is not a single symptom that applies to all people with ASD. Here's some definitions for y'all:

A stereotype is a preconceived notion where one assumes groups are homogeneous. A stereotype is an example of an ecological fallacy, which is a logical fallacy in the interpretation of statistical data where inferences about the nature of individuals are deduced from inference for the group to which those individuals belong.

A symptom is subjective, observed by the patient, and cannot be measured directly, whereas a sign is objectively observable by others.

Basically, autism is a spectrum therefore it's not homogeneous by definition. Therefore all stereotypes are inaccurate, so listing them is pointless. /end thread

we are also not all gay, liberals, single to our day of death and we are not all smart, and the most important we are capable to love .most aspies i''ve meet was averge joe and not somekind of Sheldon cooper asexual ,egotistical ,repetitive and self centered "geniuses". we are human beings

First, social intuition is nothing so "natural" to NTs that it would not be based on cognitively achieved levels through their development in childhood and require cognitive practice in each conversation, even if it is a much more effortless exercise for them than it is for a person on the spectrum. Our cognitive practice is partly automized, more aggregated and the operations are done much quicker, plus we have accumulated more people knowledge over the years, because of all the things we see and you not, which helps a lot. That is why it looks like as it comes "naturally" to us.

Then NT people consciously analyse conversations, too, analysis is not an Asperger privilege. It appears like as if we dont analyse that much, because the part that we do unconsciously is done consciously by you (or at least you try), and because the part we do consciously is much less laboriously done. But there is a lot of conscious analysis in our social interaction, too. Without that conscious analysis, I would have never got how a high-functioning person on the autism spectrum perceives and reacts to the world, and I got it (mainly at least) without explanation.

The unconscious part of social reasoning is what I call "cognitive empathy", and Adam Smith e.a. seem to understand it in the same way.

Social interaction is cognitively the most challenging exercise for both, aspies and NTs. We just do it on different levels.

All aspies are Atheists
All aspies are Liberals
The best way to help an aspie through a hard time is to yell at them and take away their Special Interests.
It's okay to make aspies feel bad about themselves by attacking them on account of their Special Interests.
It's okay to deny aspies their comfort objects.
It's okay to make aspies feel unwanted by taking their interests and comfort objects away from them.

- All aspies are miserable and sick and and only a cure will make their lives worth living.
- Aspies got that way because of vaccines, poor diet, poor parenting, breathing oxygen I don' t know...
-Aspies are rude, selfish, and annoying
-Aspies use their disorder as an excuse to be rude, selfish, and annoying.
-Aspies don't have empathy.
-Aspies are all axe murderers. I've never murdered an axe in my life.
-Speaking of which... Aspies don't have a sense of humor.
-Aspies have no emotions
-Aspies are all either mute or speak in a monotone.
-Aspies have very interests that are very unusual or limited, and therefor worthless.
-Aspies all love math and numbers.
-Aspies have two very large beef-patty sandwiches where their buttocks should be.
-All aspies are shy and introverted.
-Males have Asperger's more than females.
- Aspies have a very short life span and/or all kinds of health problems.
-Aspies are are dirty and smell bad with greasy skin and hair, and they dress like slobs and still live in their mother's basement where they spend all their time playing xbox instead of going out and getting a job.
-Aspies are always flapping their hands or doing some other obvious stim that is weird and annoying to NTs.

Aspies are 'black & white' thinkers.....I'm not that!

Not useless because since autism is a spectrum not all Autistics and WP members are as knowlegeable about autism as you. Some autistics because these stereotypes have been repeated to them over and over again believe them and should know these are stereotypes. Many here have been told they are not autistic because they do not fit these stereotypes so knowing others have had the same experiences may be useful. Others just need to vent.

S#!T Ignorant People Say To Autistics

Stupid s**t People Say to Aspies

Aspies have no emotions