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Do you NEED to know?

firelight77

firelight77

Member
So I put off my introduction for a long time because I really didn't know what to say. Also just getting use to how the site works.

Thought I would start with a question, then all the personal stuff, just to mix things up ;)

The question is...do you, like me, have a super strong drive to know things and understand them fully? It's a huge part of who I am and I've been wondering if it's common for autistics. Perhaps what drives the special interests and obsessions? For me, I can get very stuck when there's something I need to know and it's hard to break free. Of course there is good to it, like being well informed. But, it does seem to tax the NT's in my life. If this is an "everybody knows that" type question...sorry. I am new to all this.

About me. I live in a house with 5 girls, 3 my own and 2 step daughters, likely most on the spectrum (testing currently) and my probably also on the spectrum spouse. I often feel we are akin to a house full of cats, with me being the cat "herder" which is a tough job since every cat wants to go his own way and have his own way and really, I don't want to herd anybody, but so far they're too young to do it on their own yet!

It is my youngest daughter who got me reading about Aspergers, she was a very different child from even in the womb as I knew from working with kids for many years. I read the description and it was a mic drop. I saw myself. That was about 3 years ago. Since then I have had a therapist tell me I have it, then tell me oops, I can't diagnose, you have to go through other testing so...that is slated for June. Yay. It's hard coming into this at my age (41) because so much out there is about 10 year old boys and from all I've read it's very different for girls and also as you age and have learned both coping and camouflage.

Anyway, hello all...would love to hear from you!
 
Welcome :) Yes, I like to know how things work, I like to be able to understand things in detail and don't like things to be dummed down.
 
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Welcome! I'm not good at not knowing things. I'm somewhat of a compulsive Googler, you could say. I'm so predictable that my boyfriend can tell when I try to suppress immediately grabbing my phone to find out something.
 
Hi there.... I have an Aspie partner.... And a middle son aspie...(not related)
What you have just described is massive..... I am NT but... And this is a relatively new thing... I feel that I have so many things in common with what you have just said.... Any way ... Welcome..!!
 
Bolletje said:
Welcome! I'm not good at not knowing things. I'm somewhat of a compulsive Googler, you could say. I'm so predictable that my boyfriend can tell when I try to suppress immediately grabbing my phone to find out something.
Click to expand...

At some level though, don't you think using Google is cheating?

All those books I read,stuff I knew that no-one else did..

Nobody asks me what a palimpsest is anymore.
 
Fridgemagnetman said:
At some level though, don't you think using Google is cheating?
Click to expand...

I understand that some might think that. It's akin to that old fashioned belief that using a calculator for arithmetic is cheating. But it's simply making use of the tools available at that time.

Googling when sitting an exam that requires study and revision, that could be deemed as cheating, but for those 'need to know instant gratification moments' - no, not cheating.
 
Juliettaa said:
I understand that some might think that. It's akin to that old fashioned belief that using a calculator for arithmetic is cheating. But it's simply making use of the tools available at that time.

Googling when sitting an exam that requires study and revision, that could be deemed as cheating, but for those 'need to know instant gratification moments' - no, not cheating.
Click to expand...

You trying to start an argument? :)
 
answers to my questions only spawn more questions then it relives. the more i learn, the more i question and the more i want to answer those questions. things can get out of hand fast.
 
Yes. If you don't understand how something works it will likely create problems in the future. Or cause harm out of ignorance.

But then sometimes when you simply bring something up to inform an NT on why something is bad you become the hated one and "know-it-all".
It's kind of funny when you think about it. Isn't everyone a know it all to the person who doesn't do (and never does) any research or any studying? :p

"I found this binaural beats thing that helps me sleep, you should try it!"
"Oh ya binaural beats, hemi-sync. I use to use that but can't now because the drug i am on crosses the blood brain barrier. it's not a good idea to be synthesizing vibrational waves in your brain using binaural beats in this case" (a small hint given, this person is on a handful of BBB crossing drugs)
*cue hulking hatred mode*

Lmao
:D

Didn't save them from further problems nono, took away a sleep aid of course // how it's viewed by them hahaha
 
firelight77 said:
The question is...do you, like me, have a super strong drive to know things and understand them fully? It's a huge part of who I am and I've been wondering if it's common for autistics.
Click to expand...

Welcome firelight77. Absolutely, it's been my reason for existence, to know and understand as much as I can cram into my brain since I was a young child.
 
Last edited:
Greetings. It'should one of my main traits to require additional information. Especially I always need to see a thing to make a choice. When I have to make a choice between food such as meat. To say "chicken" won't be enough. I need to know if it's a filet or nuggets and if it's inot sauce or not.
Or when I do Maths I need to know where any formula got from. If I won't know it I won't be satisfied about my ignorance.
Sometimes it happens different - I get overdosed with information and I say "No more, please!"
 
firelight77 said:
The question is...do you, like me, have a super strong drive to know things and understand them fully?
Click to expand...
Yes, without a doubt. I always have had this drive.

Fridgemagnetman said:
At some level though, don't you think using Google is cheating?

All those books I read,stuff I knew that no-one else did..

Nobody asks me what a palimpsest is anymore.
Click to expand...
I don't. In the past I'd have to wait to go to the library to find something out, now I have instant access at my fingers. I still go to the library, just for different things than when I was younger. But people still ask me things since there's things a quick google search won't answer. It might be to do with tech, with maths, with where to find something, with something someone said in the past, etc. I really seem to have built a reputation on the facebook group chats I'm in on knowing answers to questions, and that's really helped me socially. Google only helps me, so I don't see it as cheating.

Juliettaa said:
Googling when sitting an exam that requires study and revision, that could be deemed as cheating, but for those 'need to know instant gratification moments' - no, not cheating.
Click to expand...
Not necessarily. In university, I've had access to google for practical exams - they're testing applied understanding, google really doesn't help you at that point. In those situations, if you know what you have to look up, you already know what to do. If you don't, no amount of random googling will get you the answer.
 
Hi and Welcome.
The need to know, yes, defininately aspie trait.
It's been like that all my life. Like I live to learn.
And every little thing I want instant answers to on a
daily basis is as close as a Google.
Just get wrapped up in a subject sometimes to the point of
not knowing when to let go.
Internet access I always said is the closest thing to accessing the known information of everything.
Google addict here.
 
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