What are some of your positive effects of being an aspie?
I read what everyone else wrote with great interest.
I would have to say that my positive effects include:
The Ability to Role Play: Many years before learning that I was on the ADS spectrum, I developed a coping mechanism to help me face my first class. Terrified that the students might ridicule or ignore me, I developed the persona of a teacher by adopting the attitude and mannerisms of a teacher whom I had liked and respected in high school. I wrapped myself in this persona and wore it like a mask ... and it worked. I have been channeling my inner teacher ever since I first stepped into a classroom back in 1982 and doing this has allowed me to pursue a highly successful career as an educator.
The Ability to Sort Information: I love information that's related to anything I have an interest in such as politics, ancient history, military history, the Victorian and Edwardian periods, sociology, Culinary Arts, and restaurant operations. Whenever I encounter new relevant information, I'm like a magpie, all aflutter over a shiny bauble. I'm a news junkie, a lover of esoteric facts, and I love breaking information down into component parts and sorting them into different patterns. As a teacher, this trait has been very useful because I can take complex information, break it down into smaller "bite sized" parts and create an instructional unit complete with sequenced lessons, reinforcement assignments, hands-on practicums, skills assessments, enrichment activities, quizzes, and tests using diverse instructional approaches and multimedia tools.
The Ability to Convey What I Know: Coupled with my love of information is my ability to share what I know. Although I would quail at the idea of attending a large party, I have had no problems with delivering lectures or lessons to a a thousand people in a crowded auditorium. So long as I have my teacher persona in place, I can teach anything that I'm certified for.
Project Oriented Blinders - Other people in this thread have commented about how they are project oriented. I am too. Most of my projects are work related and involve creating lessons and supporting instructional materials (such as video imagery, power point slides, or worksheets). Once I get started on a project, I don't allow petty distractions to bother me and I can be extremely productive within a relatively short period.