The Asperger's brain and how it can learn social skills

Post Reply New Topic

The Asperger's brain has a miraculous power to rewire itself when learning new social skills and how to put yourself out there so you can have healthy, happy, and meaningful relationships for life. Social skills don't come naturally to aspies but other skills come natural to us so we can become stronger through it.

How?

Yes, how? I do know it can, but how?

Lots and lots and lots and lots of practice.

I agree that someone with AS can learn to be more sociable, but if you want to stay with what is "comfortable" there will always be limitations because you'd otherwise force yourself into situations you'd rather not be involved with.

I don't know every time I put myself out there I either just burn myself out, or get used and rejected by people...also I am able to learn how certain social skills work but I seem to lack the ability to implement it. Like I understand eye contact perfectly and see why people do it, but that does not change that its painful and distracting for me thus impractical and sometimes impossible due to the discomfort it causes.

Also call me a skeptic but I am very skeptical of all this new age talk of the brain having miraculous power to re-wire itself. If it was that easy there would be no need for mental health treatment of any kind because everyone could just rewire their brain at will. You're not going to undo years of autistic brain development and rewire the brain to a neurotypical state. It reminds me of the people who cant leave it at 'eating healthier, taking care of your mind/body can improve your life.' and have to take it way further to the point of 'all your problems will go away and life will be wonderful if you do this. ' First it sounded good, then the optimism kills it for me because its just too much.

I am trying to correct my mind, but its defintly a challenge. As soon as I move out on my own June 1st I'm devoting 100% of my time to meaningful friendships. I cant really do anything where I am at now because I live with someone else, and all this external stuff is driving me crazy. If I have my own space I'll be able to calm this puppy down, and focus. That's the plan anyways, or maybe I should ditch all plans.

I'd be the first to say that I haven't mastered my social skills ... but my social competence took a huge leap forward when I took a performance-training class for a few years that emphasized a lot of mirrored sound and movement work. If there's any theater classes in your area ask the instructor if they do sound and movement. If they do and there's any way you can go ... go!

Like so many other things in Psycology, they took something that's well known (creating new neural pathways) and took it to an absurd conclusion.

I've mentioned it in other posts, and I'm not suggesting to accept it as scientific truth, but the Polyvagal theory proposes that social deficits seen in ASD are related to deficits in vagal physiology, which would typically inhibit the fight-or-flight SNS that is initially activated during a social encounter. 80-90% of the vagus consists of input-receiving nerve endings of the peripheral nervous system (i.e., outside the brain).

So regardless of if one with ASD has wired the higher parts of their brain (i.e. cortex) to act as a 'substitute' for the vagus, it is an intellectual rather than intuitive method of facilitating social behavior, and of course will not be a true replacement -- as implicated by the tendency to tire quickly.

Yes Nick 744 ... which is why a somatic-based approach like sound & movement work ... rewiring the brain underneath the pfc ... could be so effective for some. It certainly was for me!

But that's only part of the story ... other parts appear to have to do with reducing brain inflammation ... modern industrialized diets are pretty pro-inflammatory ... some of us seem to sense that, which is why we're such picky eaters. Me ... I'm a very picky eater who never grew up. I helped start a health food store in my 20s just to have a place to get decent grub ...