Ask an Asperger

[[to_xp]Gekko]

@Erik Mesoy: I'm pretty sure they mention in the book that he definitely has Asperger. that is the only plausible explanation for me knowing what Asperger is at all, actually, since it's not something you come across every other day

 

[civ_king]

To the Aspergers, what do you have a fixation on? I read that most have a fixation with some form of mechanical things (the Aspie at my school has a fixation on steam locomotives), but didn't know if that was true

 

[Gustave5436]

Aspergers has nothing to do with narcissism. Lack of empathy is be a symptom of the disorder, but that's not narcissism; and more importantly there are other important symptoms, too.

And it is important to note that lack of empathy as experienced by NTs does not equate to a lack of compassion or concern for the well-being of others. In other words, holding a prejudiced view that autistic people are just arrogant and self-centered is extremely ignorant.

Okay, I'll take that. Using Asperger's for my description was off. I still think that a lot of seemingly autistic behavior is created and reinforced by faulty social interaction. If you're constantly invalidated by other people for a long time, who themselves need external validation to feel good, you're going to start doubting your emotions. Definitely not everyone's experience, but definitely for some.

Autism causes the difficulty interacting, not the other way around. There are identifiable structural differences between NT and autistic brains.

 

[ParkCungHee]

To the Aspergers, what do you have a fixation on? I read that most have a fixation with some form of mechanical things (the Aspie at my school has a fixation on steam locomotives), but didn't know if that was true

Not neccesarily. My primary fixations are historical periods/eras. One of my current ones is Tannaistry, which is about as non-mechanical as imaginable.

 

[Reno]

To the Aspergers, what do you have a fixation on? I read that most have a fixation with some form of mechanical things (the Aspie at my school has a fixation on steam locomotives), but didn't know if that was true

History, particularly from the Victorian Era to the interwar period after World War I. My grandfather has a hoard of old objects of our family from just that period, rings, jewelry, clocks, pictures, documents (land deeds, diary pages, etc. All mostly in Swedish, in near perfect conditions with even the coats of arms on the wax seals and everything still legible.). It's probably just this collection that got me fixated on history in the first place.

Also, English as a language is another lesser object of fixation for me.

 

[civ_king]

History, particularly from the Victorian Era to the interwar period after World War I. My grandfather has a hoard of old objects of our family from just that period, rings, jewelry, clocks, pictures, documents (land deeds, diary pages, etc. All mostly in Swedish, in near perfect conditions with even the coats of arms on the wax seals and everything still legible.). It's probably just this collection that got me fixated on history in the first place.

Also, English as a language is another lesser object of fixation for me.

wow, neat... are you going into history, so you could specialize in that period? you could do what you love and get paid I like those kind of jobs

 

[Turner]

My son w/ Asperger's is a big history nut too. He generally picks one subject and obsesses with it until he learns it completely, then moves on.

 

[Yared]

My son w/ Asperger's is a big history nut too. He generally picks one subject and obsesses with it until he learns it completely, then moves on.

Can he remember things he obsessed about last year today as if he had just learned it?

 

[Turner]

Oh yeah. He doesn't forget much.

 

[Reno]

wow, neat... are you going into history, so you could specialize in that period? you could do what you love and get paid I like those kind of jobs

It's one of my options I've considered, however it'll be easier to get a job in the field of languages than history. I'm planning to apply to study English in Uni, and if I fail to get into any of those than my just-in-case-application is to study history in Uni.

 

[Phrossack]

My son w/ Asperger's is a big history nut too. He generally picks one subject and obsesses with it until he learns it completely, then moves on.

Sounds a lot like me!

 

[J-man]

I was diagnosed with Asperger a couple of months ago, I'm 24 so it's a pretty late diagnose.

Due to my asperger I'm good in exact science (I study organic chemistry). But I don't have a good overview in long term projects (like an internship). That really sucks.

Even though most people describe me as a friendly person I have hard time making friends. During my internship colleagues always lunched together but rarely asked me to join them (don't know why) even though I liked lunching with them. (and when we did lunch together we could get along well.)

When I was a small child I was obsessed with cars. later I became very interested in dinosaurs, history and space (like in the universe). I'm still very interested in those subjects I don't think you can call it an obsession.

I've seen several people in this threat ask about savant abilities. Remember that savant abilities like those of Daniel Tammet are very rare. I have a very good long term memory (for facts), pretty common for aspies but mine is better then most other aspies (I'm very good in trivial pursuit).

If there was a cure for asperger I would take it, even though it has its benefits.

 

[Chukchi Husky]

I don't obsess with things anymore.

 

[Yared]

I don't obsess with things anymore.

Maybe you're obsessing with not-obsessing


Anyway, what do you guys think about misspells? Do their illogicality make you upset? (Aspies seem like very logical beings - at least from reading what Erik wrote.)

 

[J-man]

Anyway, what do you guys think about misspells? Do their illogicality make you upset? (Aspies seem like very logical beings - at least from reading what Erik wrote.)

Aspies are indeed logical beings. Misspells don't make me upset (I make them myself quite often), I don't really have an affinity with language. The only thing I can't stand is that when somebody tells a story or anecdote and get some details wrong. As I said I have very good memory and especially for details so this happens pretty often. Sometimes people find it annoying.

 

[Yared]

Aspies are indeed logical beings. Misspells don't make me upset (I make them myself quite often), I don't really have an affinity with language. The only thing I can't stand is that when somebody tells a story or anecdote and get some details wrong. As I said I have very good memory and especially for details so this happens pretty often. Sometimes people find it annoying.

Well, it's fine as long as you don't tell things wrong yourself

 

[Spidernova]

I have Asperger's also, but because I was diagnosed early, I have less trouble socializing. I dont really have any extreme abilities, but seem to think a little faster than most people. History and psychology are really what I'm interested in right now.

 

[Yared]

I have Asperger's also, but because I was diagnosed early, I have less trouble socializing. I dont really have any extreme abilities, but seem to think a little faster than most people. History and psychology are really what I'm interested in right now.

Is it weird studying psychology when there's a consensus that what you have and who you are is "merely" a disorder?

 

[Spidernova]

I'm not studying it yet, but am extreemly curious about why people think and act the way they do. I also think that the term disorder is relative based on which peson is using it

 

[Phrossack]

I can scarcely see how my condition is a "disorder" if it tends to grant me at least as many advantages as disadvantages.