• Welcome to Autism Forums, a friendly forum to discuss Aspergers Syndrome, Autism, High Functioning Autism and related conditions.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Private Member only forums for more serious discussions that you may wish to not have guests or search engines access to.
    • Your very own blog. Write about anything you like on your own individual blog.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon! Please also check us out @ https://www.twitter.com/aspiescentral

The Symmetry of Autism

Nervous Rex

Nervous Rex

High-functioning autistic
V.I.P Member
I find it interesting that - for me at least - autism comes with a set of challenges, and also a set of compensatory skills.

Difficulty feeling, understanding, and processing my own emotions - paired with a hypervigilance of my own mental state, so I can notice when I am having difficulty.

Trouble negotiating social situations - paired with an ability to recall and analyze them later and create rules to do better next time. Also an ability to quickly run every social interaction through a large set of 'social rules' before I say or do anything.

Complete cluelessness about business and no professional ambition - paired with the ability to analyze and solve every math or engineering problem thrown at me to help me get and keep employment.

In most of these symmetrical relationships, the upside is the same - I have the ability to analyze everything and everyone around me, and I use it for everything. When all you have is a hammer, everything in the world is nail. Still, I'm grateful that I was given a Very Useful Hammer.

Are there symmetries you have noticed in your life?
 
Symmetries? Not so much.

Perhaps more of a balance? Maybe compensation?

Somewhat lacking in one or two areas but to balance (or compensate) I make up for it in other areas.

I think I liken it to the principle behind the awesomeness that is the human brain compensating for the loss of a sense, (for example)

Experience permanent sight loss, other senses become more acute to compensate.

I had a cat called tripod once.
An accident meant one of his hind legs had to be completely removed.

Over a short period of time, his remaining hind leg centralised at the rear and his tail was used slightly over to the side of his missing leg.

His mission in life was to sit atop a six foot fence and irritate the terriers adjacent to his garden.
His body adapted to continue his lifes work.
(climbing fence, balancing on 2" wide frame, running, escaping etc)

I think we adapt, compensate, to balance things up.
 
I always used to tell people not to envy my brain because it came with lots of maintenance issues. I likened it to trying to commute in a manual transmission sports car that could, on occasion, blow your mind away, but for the most part spent its life in the garage or burning up way too much energy in traffic.

Now I know those maintenance issues are autistic ones. Are they worth it? Probably not. But I wouldn't trade my brain because it would trade who I am.
 
I go through up and downs with having aspergers.

Currently fed up with it and cursing aspergers, due to anger issues. I find it so very hard to stay passive and that alone drags me down, knowing how anger damages the body and mind.

And yet, due to aspergers, once I learn something, I become quickly an expert on the subject.

So, there is definitely the good and the bad of having aspergers or being on the spectrum of asd ( which is what I was diagnosed with).
 
I've never tried to make the comparisons - just know that I'm lousy with some things and very good at other things.
 
Autism is basically just anti-social religiosity on steroids. That is why organised religion cannot handle us and that is why Blake is the king of autism.
 
oskar said:
Autism is basically just anti-social religiosity on steroids. That is why organised religion cannot handle us and that is why Blake is the king of autism.
Click to expand...

I honestly don't understand any of your comment. Are you saying that anti-social attitudes are the cause of autism? I don't understand how to interpret the "religiosity" modifier. I am a member of an organized religion and they don't seem to have any problem with me.

And who is Blake?
 
Pinkie B said:
I always used to tell people not to envy my brain because it came with lots of maintenance issues.
Click to expand...

Someone once told me that, "for every hour on the road, a Lamborghini's requires two hours in the shop." I don't know if that's true, but I use it as an analogy for my brain - I can do some great stuff, but then I require a lot of downtime.
 
Not really. Autism for me is just more challenges. It's a curse. I wish I could get famous and challenge the perception that Autism is some sort of "gift" or something.
 
This disorder is what it is for me and others with it. There is so much I'd like to be able to do but can't because of it but still I persevere despite the challenges Autism brings with it.
 
I struggle with these types of things with my son.

He is the sweetest little pea, as quiet as can be, and when things sync up for him, I get to find out that he has stuff going on inside that head of his.

On the other side, I worry about his future. He doesn't talk, doesn't notice people, struggles to eat foods other than store-brand Cheerios, struggles with any sort of personal care whatsoever. Will he ever be able to care for himself...what will happen when I am gone?

I hope I get to have a conversation with him some day.
 
I don't know how symmetrical it is for me. I have some great strengths, both innate and developed, but also some really pronounced weaknesses, as well as emotional and mental health issues. I've spent the last 10 years trying to sidestep or overcome those problems. I study, I condition myself, I plan and prepare and organize, when possible I exert control over my environment. I did all of this blind, since I didn't figure out I was on the spectrum until about half a year ago. Now that I have a (self) diagnosis, I've been able to understand why I struggle with certain things, and really narrow down exactly what challenges I have and what to do about them. It's made a world of difference.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

New Threads

Top Bottom