Do you have the Power?

[Dragon_Smoke]

Is there any foundation to the idea that an Aspie can recognise another Aspie without being given any information?

Before I heard about the condition enough to ask myself about it, I have always connected best with Aspergic people.. so.. Yes, I think so..

 

[Madame Catfish]

Yes. I can see it in their eyes. I'm not good with recognising emotion, but I can recognise the aspie power-stare. It just kind of happens. I once met a lady at the high school office (she was really nice, she would let me hide in her supply closet whenever I had panic attacks) and once her autistic son came in to tell her something and then left. I just looked at her and said "He's autistic isn't he?" and she laughed and asked how I knew. Same thing happened at my new school- This kiddie sat behind me and had the aspie eyes and I didn't want to ask him about it because he was very shy and didn't like to talk to me. When I saw his mother, I asked her and she was really surprised that I knew. Apparently, the school hadn't even been notified as to his "aspieness". Funny, a few weeks later I found him stimming while hiding in his mother's car.

I've recognised every aspie I've ever met as being autistic before they told me. There are also a couple of people who I recognised as aspies and ended up getting diagnosed after I told them about the traits.


I'm the same way with actors, too. Other actors recognise me and I recognise them. It's kind of eerie.

 

[Harrison]

I believe I can spot an aspie, although some are more subtle than others.

 

[clg114]

I live in a low population area and have never met another Aspie that I know of. It seems to me that if I spent some time with another Aspie, I should be able to tell by recognizing the traits. I haven't ever done that, so I do not know for sure.

 

[Judge]

Since I was "in the dark" about even being autistic most of my life, I'd feel a bit silly implying that I have some sixth-sense in being able to identify others on the spectrum. For me, how I relate to being an Aspie and identifying others is mostly a matter of hindsight. Now that I am self-aware I MIGHT be able to spot other Aspies where before it never would have occurred to me.

However in my present orbit I inherently have very little consistent contact with any particular individuals beyond my NT cousin. So I see the prospects of meeting one of my own kind in person somewhat unlikely.

 

[deema]

Is there any foundation to the idea that an Aspie can recognise another Aspie without being given any information?

No. But that doesn't mean it isn't possible. There is no way for any human to answer that, possibly, ever, cause it could be anything and everything in quantum reality that does just that. That is a question whose answer could only be given by someone that--- well, no evidence either way always leaves all options open. As there are only two, yes or no, there is a 50% chance either way.

 

[Epicurean Pariah]

I think so, I think one can gauge intelligence via the alertness in the eyes the quickness to grasp a thought or the way Aspers read between the lines or fill in the blanks. The NTs need everything spelled out and that is why they find it difficult to expand the envelope or get out of the box and we get frustrated with the slow plodding dithering that they live with every insecure day. I loath mediocracy, and the NT live for it.

Furthermore, I think that the strong self actualizing Asper has little use to manipulate, prevaricate or genuflect to others.

On the other hand those that spend their time and energy trying to please others also seem most displeased with their own lives, according to the " how happy are you with your life " survey thread on this site, somewhere.

 

[Epicurean Pariah]

No. But that doesn't mean it isn't possible. There is no way for any human to answer that, possibly, ever, cause it could be anything and everything in quantum reality that does just that. That is a question whose answer could only be given by someone that--- well, no evidence either way always leaves all options open. As there are only two, yes or no, there is a 50% chance either way.

S, the mind is in fact like a quantum analyzer, a risk/reward calculator, a potential assessor.
The state of existence is determined by the measurements of the observer. Each of us can make our own bed.
The universes are the platforms, the matrixes, the algorithms of the minds experiences are the keys. It is so easy. Mind over matter.

 

[Warmheart]

I believe I've a fair degree of "A-Dar."

 

[Epicurean Pariah]

I believe I've a fair degree of "A-Dar."

Warmheart. That is a perfect phrase for the discussion here.

 

[Progster]

No, I can't tell just by looking at someone, unless they are rocking or stimming, then the thought will occur to me. I can sometimes pick out traits in people who I've known for a while, or in a student, and if I know something of their history or that they are having trouble fitting in at school, I will suspect it, but unless the person tells me "I've been diagnosed with AS" then I really can't know for sure. Only a trained and qualified specialist can make that judgement for sure. I've realised that a couple of friends I had at Uni may be on the spectrum, one I'm 90% certain about. About 3 of my past students had strong autistic traits, but I don't know if they were diagnosed. One current friend has strong ASD/OCD traits - again, I don't know if he's been diagnosed with any condition. I doubt it, he doesn't like doctors.

A couple of years back, I had a student who showed a couple of traits - extremely intelligent, reading way beyond his age, high IQ score, difficulty staying on focus. At some point he started becoming very unhappy at school, and he started acting up. He also wasn't getting on too well with his classmates, and he had an obsession with zombies, difficulty with handwriting. His mum mentioned Aspergers and ADHD to me, and I said yes, he does have a couple of triats, I sent her some info which she read, and said that some applied to her son, and some didn't. I said, well, just to be sure you could take him to a specialist and get an opinion. So he saw a specialist, and it turned out that he was gifted, had a couple of ADHD traits, but not ASD. The specialist said that the reason that he was acting up was because he was unhappy at school, and gifted kids often have this kind of problem. Gifted kids can often find it hard to fit in at school, too, and it can look like ASD. I'm glad to say that he has changed schools, jumped ahead a year and is now doing much better. Those 'traits' have now mostly disappeared.

I guess the point I'm making is that other conditions can produce ASD-like symptoms, and without a more detailed investigation it's easy to mistake symptoms of other conditions with ASD - just because a person shows traits it doesn't mean that they have it.

 

[Epicurean Pariah]

No, I can't tell just by looking at someone, unless they are rocking or stimming, then the thought will occur to me. I can sometimes pick out traits in people who I've known for a while, or in a student, and if I know something of their history or that they are having trouble fitting in at school, I will suspect it, but unless the person tells me "I've been diagnosed with AS" then I really can't know for sure. Only a trained and qualified specialist can make that judgement for sure. I've realised that a couple of friends I had at Uni may be on the spectrum, one I'm 90% certain about. About 3 of my past students had strong autistic traits, but I don't know if they were diagnosed. One current friend has strong ASD/OCD traits - again, I don't know if he's been diagnosed with any condition. I doubt it, he doesn't like doctors.

A couple of years back, I had a student who showed a couple of traits - extremely intelligent, reading way beyond his age, high IQ score, difficulty staying on focus. At some point he started becoming very unhappy at school, and he started acting up. He also wasn't getting on too well with his classmates, and he had an obsession with zombies, difficulty with handwriting. His mum mentioned Aspergers and ADHD to me, and I said yes, he does have a couple of triats, I sent her some info which she read, and said that some applied to her son, and some didn't. I said, well, just to be sure you could take him to a specialist and get an opinion. So he saw a specialist, and it turned out that he was gifted, had a couple of ADHD traits, but not ASD. The specialist said that the reason that he was acting up was because he was unhappy at school, and gifted kids often have this kind of problem. Gifted kids can often find it hard to fit in at school, too, and it can look like ASD. I'm glad to say that he has changed schools, jumped ahead a year and is now doing much better. Those 'traits' have now mostly disappeared.

I guess the point I'm making is that other conditions can produce ASD-like symptoms, and without a more detailed investigation it's easy to mistake symptoms of other conditions with ASD - just because a person shows traits it doesn't mean that they have it.

Progster, like so many things it has a lot to do with not only the definition but the interpretation as well.
My personal understanding is simple, but my own. To be Asper, one must have intelligence beyond normal mean, if IQ is an acceptable criteria in this thread let's say 120 and up, and socially inept, clueless, abrasive, obnoxious, to the point that even teachers or worse family does not care to interact with the problem child unto expiration. That is ok and works for me. I don't care a hoot what others think of me as they fail in working out their own multitude of problems!

 

[Progster]

Progster, like do many things it has a lot to do with not only the definition but the interpretation as well.
My personal understanding is simple, but my own. To be Asper, one must have intelligence beyond normal mean, if IQ is an acceptable criteria in this thread let's say 120 and up, and socially inept, clueless, abrasive, obnoxious, to the point that even teachers or worse family does not care to interact with the problem child unto expiration. That is ok and works for me. I don't care a hoot what others think of me as they fail in working out their own multitude of problems!

Yes, I agree that it is a question of interpretation (as is the diagnosis itself), given that it is a spectrum and not two people will present all the possible traits to the same degree. Some will be highly intelligent, others of average intelligence (intelligence is not a diagnostic criterium). One must not forget that many aspies have learnt to act NT in order to fit in by the time they reach adulthood. They have learnt some social skills and go by scripts, and know how to be polite, so they may not immediately come across as 'socially inept, clueless, abrasive, obnoxious' as you put it. Some are introvert and others are shy and don't speak much, and the traits are often a lot more subtle in those people. I can walk around in public and interact on my day to day business without anyone knowing that I'm an aspie, but as soon as I come under stress, or something unplanned for happens for which I don't have a script, I don't know how to deal with it, and then you'll know that I'm an aspie.

 

[Epicurean Pariah]

Yes, I agree that it is a question of interpretation (as is the diagnosis itself), given that it is a spectrum and not two people will present all the possible traits to the same degree. Some will be highly intelligent, others of average intelligence (intelligence is not a diagnostic criterium). One must not forget that many aspies have learnt to act NT in order to fit in by the time they reach adulthood. They have learnt some social skills and go by scripts, and know how to be polite, so they may not immediately come across as 'socially inept, clueless, abrasive, obnoxious' as you put it. Some are introvert and others are shy and don't speak much, and the traits are often a lot more subtle in those people. I can walk around in public and interact on my day to day business without anyone knowing that I'm an aspie, but as soon as I come under stress, or something unplanned for happens for which I don't have a script, I don't know how to deal with it, and then you'll know that I'm an aspie.

Progster, I'm sorry if I was not clear. First I was referring to myself as inept, clueless ...... And only generally was this about others. Second, I really thought that intelligence was a criteria for Aspership. Can a person of let's say limited bandwidth be an Asper? Thanks for info.

 

[Rocco]

Oh! Snap! Did some one say, "I got the power!" ???

 

[Progster]

Progster, I'm sorry if I was not clear. First I was referring to myself as inept, clueless ...... And only generally was this about others. Second, I really thought that intelligence was a criteria for Aspership. Can a person of let's say limited bandwidth be an Asper? Thanks for info.

My apologies if I misinterpreted your post.

My understanding is that high intelligence is not one of the diagnostic criteria, though it's generally accepted that those with Aspergers will have an at least average IQ. A low IQ could be due to another condition, and those with classic autism may score lower on traditional IQ tests - but I think it's possible to have an around average or even slightly below measured IQ and Aspergers. I don't think that intelligence is mentioned in the DSM 5 criteria, but the fact that those with AS have an at least average IQ may have been referred to in the DSM IV.

I don't know my IQ score, I was never tested, but I'm sure it's at least average - 110? 120? 130? I have no idea, and it's not important to me anyway.

 

[Epicurean Pariah]

I live in a low population area and have never met another Aspie that I know of. It seems to me that if I spent some time with another Aspie, I should be able to tell by recognizing the traits. I haven't ever done that, so I do not know for sure.

Cig. I've been to Nampa, we needed some help once building a Kitfox Skystar plane out there. I go to buy some rare Jasper rocks from the area from Stewarts.
You are far more urban than us. From my mountain top on the upper back deck, there is not another light as far as the eye can see. Paradise is all in the perception. Pleasure to meet you.

 

[Epicurean Pariah]

My apologies if I misinterpreted your post.

My understanding is that high intelligence is not one of the diagnostic criteria, though it's generally accepted that those with Aspergers will have an at least average IQ. A low IQ could be due to another condition, and those with classic autism may score lower on traditional IQ tests - but I think it's possible to have an around average or even slightly below measured IQ and Aspergers. I don't think that intelligence is mentioned in the DSM 5 criteria, but the fact that those with AS have an at least average IQ may have been referred to in the DSM IV.

I don't know my IQ score, I was never tested, but I'm sure it's at least average - 110? 120? 130? I have no idea, and it's not important to me anyway.

Thank you for that. Processing and re evaluating. Awaiting other feedback. What and why do you choose the title" Progster"?

 

[tree]

Is there any foundation to the idea that an Aspie can recognise another Aspie without being given any information?

If there were no information there would be no way to know.
I am balking at the phrase "without being given any information."
With no information, I wouldn't even know there was a person.

If the question really means to ask, is it possible to get an idea of
a person's condition by observing his behavior, then, yes. Certainly.

But as it stands...if I have no information regarding someone,
(never seeing, hearing, watching the person, or reading accounts about him)
there is no way I can know anything about him. I wouldn't even
be aware of his existence.

 

[Epicurean Pariah]

If there were no information there would be no way to know.
I am balking at the phrase "without being given any information."
With no information, I wouldn't even know there was a person.

If the question really means to ask, is it possible to get an idea of
a person's condition by observing his behavior, then, yes. Certainly.

But as it stands...if I have no information regarding someone,
(never seeing, hearing, watching the person, or reading accounts about him)
there is no way I can know anything about him. I wouldn't even
be aware of his existence.

Tree, you are correct on the point you make but to carry it further to the point of absurdity, every thing that is experienced is subjective and thus the question is , is there an objective reality? If there is how is it defined and measured? How can we prove that we exist, objectively?