Hi, everyone

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I'm new here. I'm 16 years old I knew about AS for quite a while now, I also know about NVLD, and I am having much confusion between the two. I hope to be able to come here to sort things out. I had posted something on the Aspies For Freedom board under the same alias but didnt get much help.

You see, my perception of detail is very good. But I think my visual/spatial abilities are terrible. I can't really accurately gauge the quality of my mental images (its all I ever known...I've never seen anyone elses mental images) but I'm always confused directionally and frequently get lost. But because of my highly detailed drawings, people always called me a good artist. The things I tend to draw are insect-like monsters with blades, spikes and claws Lately I've been drawing buildings, The kind seen in medieval Europe. But then again, I don't really get my proportions right. (Perhaps I can scan in some of my pictures and show it to all of you.) I've also dabbled in anime.

My verbal skills are great, just like in NLD. In fact, I was won an award for my essay.

However, I have been feeling quite down as of late. You see, reading many things off NLDline.com had crushed my hopes because it is said that NLDers can develop ritualised and highly detailed drawing (like I have) but no real visualization ability. There was also an article which suggested NLDers should stay away from art and architechture.

I had always wanted to work in the videogames industry. I would construct elaborate storylines for videogames, along the lines of RPGs like Final Fantasy, in my head, and I was always hoping that I can bring them to life someday. That was before I heard of NLD and was praised for my drawing "skills" and "artistic ability". I was even aspiring to take a course in 3D graphics design in college. But after reading about NLD, I thought it explained my poor mathematical ability and poor sense of direction. Chances are I would be poor in art as well. So I am having these doubts now because I'm not sure what's in store for my future, whether any possible visual spatial deficits might undermine my efforts in media designing.

I would really appreciate some help. I have been very passionate about videogames and if I can't acheive what I set out to acheive, I don't really see a point.

Oh, I thought that AS was an NLD.
Maybe I have been confused. At any rate you shouldnt let any of the negative stuff you read get you down too much. Im horrible at math too.
I am also good with words, and I always wanted to be an artist. But I never felt like my drawing skills were any good. I am not too good with proportions still, but I have found that I enjoy working with visual arts and that enjoyment is enough. I have worked at painting for many years and seen great improvements. I do not enjoy math.
My point is that if you enjoy something then you will learn to work with the obstacles you encounter. You must have some ability with art or you would not enjoy it. If you truly had no aptitude for the visual- spatial stuff, then you would not like it at all, as with me and math.
Don't let anyone else tell you what you can't do, ever.

By the way, welcome to the board.
I'm a big fan of Radiohead.

Hi Radiohead,
NVLD is what I was diagnosed with myself in 1992. However, I remember that AS wasn't added to the DSM-IV until a bit later, nor was it widely known about at the time. As far as I know, NVLD and Asperger's are identical...NVLD is perhaps slightly more generalised, but not much.

You actually sound as though we've got a fair amount in common, in that I love doing computer-aided 2D/3D artwork myself, but my diagnosis claimed that I'd never have any artistic ability. One thing the psychological community doesn't seem to take into account is human potential. It's true myself that thinking in three dimensions at once does overwhelm me...however, if I can remove just one of those and focus on the other two, I get along very well. I'm not doing it at the moment, but for several years I was using an earlier version of the graphics package 3D Studio MAX. I was passionate about it and was told that I was also very good at it...I had actually come to believe for a while that it was my "destiny-interest" as Edan talks about...although I haven't done it for a while.

Increasing navigational and pathfinding ability is also very possible. I think I used to have problems there myself, but the way I improved it was that I used to (and still do sometimes) do game map editing for 3D games such as Unreal Tournament. When creating maps for that game, you have to actually create a series of waypoints or paths for the artificial intelligence to follow in order to get around the map...and having to come up with ways to do that in the game helped me figure out how to perform pathfinding for myself in offline life. If you're having trouble figuring out how to go somewhere, maybe you could actually plan it out to a degree before you go. If you get a map of the area you're likely to be in, you could actually assign waypoints or milestones at certain points in the route. That way, when you get to each one you can re-assess where you are and how best to move on to the next one. If you can afford it, a mobile device such as a palm pilot with a GPS (global positioning sattelite) connection could also really help there...I am not entirely familiar with the GPS's co-ordinate system, but if you could work it out you could possibly use that to help you as well.

I could help you with your math!! !

I am a 7th grader in algebra, and I have a 98% in the class, so maybe I could help you!! !!

Thanks for you offer aly, but I'm doing quite okay with my Maths now. I'm bringing in A's now, but not consistently however.

As I have said before on the Aspies For Freedom board, the rationality and openess displayed on Asperger forums in general is something I could get used to . This goes especially for AFF as it is a website with rather, for lack of a better word 'militant' goals (this is by no means an insult ), compared to other 'militant' forums I've been to, its members are capable of holding a logical discussion for extended periods of time.

My main fear is not so much my sense of direction, but whether joining a media design course, which is heavily visual (yet I am passionate about) will put me at a disadvantage. The course itself is highly competitive, and I've been told that by the end of the first year, more than half of the class drops out.

Furthermore, i still havent gotten past the initial confusion between AS and NVLD. I certainly think verbally, but usually when I am formulating a peice of writing, such as this message. I've heard of some people with AS having poor visual skills as well. Also, I am unsure whether my inability to find my way around is due to faulty visual spatial perception or my lack of paying attention to my surroundings.

You see, even up to today, I have been brought around by my dad in a car, or if I go out with friends, I tend to follow them around and then simply take a cab back home. So I have cultivated a bad habit of blindly following people. Also, I tend to have that weird imagination/dreamworld that many autistics seem to have. The imagery is vague and details are missing, but I just seem to 'know' it (I don't know if this constitutes visual thought, I'm not clear on the definition of it, perhaps some of you can describe your experience? )and once it has my attention, everything else falls away and I am captivated by it. I ocassionally have some dreams which are visual in nature, the most recent one being watching Teen Titans on TV and thinking to myself, "this is SO stupid."

Visual aids, demonstrations and diagrams help me when accompanied with verbal instruction, and i understand flow charts and mind maps, but when given a choice written notes or mind maps, I will choose the former.

I'm also good with understanding number patterns, and I can see what number comes next in a sequence almost immediately. Other people seem to take some time.

So, my big question is, would you require good visual spatial skills to use 3D programs like Maya and 3D studio max? Is it possible to be visually deficit and use them? Also, How's life like in tertiary education ie. like polytechnics/community college/college? Are tutorials verbal or visual in nature? Do social skills play as big a part as in Secondary School?

Once again, any help/advice is greatly welcome, I might not be posting very often, as the important end year exams are coming and I need to study...Its now or never...to determine if I ever get to college or not...