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2. While having role models can be inspiring (for anybody), an ASD person should not compare him/herself to Jefferson, Einstein, Gates, Copernicus, etc. as they are drastically the exceptions to the rule, just as non-(suspected) ASD neurotypical great names are the exception to the rule.
IMO, all these "look at all these great people who may have been autistic!" examples we see/read about only put more pressure on a high-functioning ASD person. It's like asking a person with legs, "Why aren't you Jackie Joyner-Kersee?"
The point of people posting these lists and writing these books is I think not to say all ASDs are geniuses or will become famous; it's to show that having an ASD diagnosis doesn't necessarily limit someone in what he/she can accomplish.
For example: novelist Samuel R. Delaney is profoundly dyslexic and dysmetric yet he produced the brilliant postmodern science fiction novel Dhalgren, as well as a number of other significant works.
From the perspective of positive psychology, these stories are examples of thriving through adversity. Whether a person labels and limits himself due to a diagnosis is a choice -- and considering the stories of others who have chosen not to limit themselves provides an alternative viewpoint. I'm sorry you're seeing it as an attempt to put pressure on high-functioning ASDs -- I didn't mean it that way
It can also be tempting, at times, to highlight a splinter skill and pronounce it an indication of giftedness, which is not necessarily accurate. Splinter skills do not a genius make.
Right. Nor does "really smart and kind of odd" an autistic person make. There's so much more that goes into an ASD DX than that.
(And BTW, I really don't get aggravated by this but I have definitely noticed that people who don't know my son well will ask whether he's a "savant" or "really good" at something. The stereotype of a non-genius autistic person is that that person is all but non-functional...except for one AMAZING superpower; the piano, Vegas card counting, mental math or whatever. All autistic people are Kim Peek [or Ray Babbit]. No. So-termed "savantism" is a comparatively marginal portion of the population just as genius is. Autistic people DO tend to overfocus on certain subjects and can therefore be amazingly well-versed in them, though that's not universal either.)
I love hearing from TabulaRasa ^ regarding autism. As a parent of autistic people, let me just say this poster knows her stuff and presents it all clearly, fairly and calmly, IMO.
The point of people posting these lists and writing these books is I think not to say all ASDs are geniuses or will become famous; it's to show that having an ASD diagnosis doesn't necessarily limit someone in what he/she can accomplish.
For example: novelist Samuel R. Delaney is profoundly dyslexic and dysmetric yet he produced the brilliant postmodern science fiction novel Dhalgren, as well as a number of other significant works.
From the perspective of positive psychology, these stories are examples of thriving through adversity. Whether a person labels and limits himself due to a diagnosis is a choice -- and considering the stories of others who have chosen not to limit themselves provides an alternative viewpoint. I'm sorry you're seeing it as an attempt to put pressure on high-functioning ASDs -- but that's your choice, too.
Don't misunderstand me. I don't think such comments always put pressure on all autistic people, and I definitely don't think they're designed to do so. I did comment that it's good to have heroes of various kinds. Most of us (universally) have heroes or have had them at some point.
I just think that it can be a byproduct of such comparisons and I believe that's a point worth nothing. I believe autistic people have value just by virtue of being people.
Right. Nor does "really smart and kind of odd" an autistic person make. There's so much more that goes into an ASD DX than that.
(And BTW, I really don't get aggravated by this but I have definitely noticed that people who don't know my son well will ask whether he's a "savant" or "really good" at something. The stereotype of a non-genius autistic person is that that person is all but non-functional...except for one AMAZING superpower; the piano, Vegas card counting, mental math or whatever. All autistic people are Kim Peek [or Ray Babbit]. No. So-termed "savantism" is a comparatively marginal portion of the population just as genius is. Autistic people DO tend to overfocus on certain subjects and can therefore be amazingly well-versed in them, though that's not universal either.)
I love hearing from TabulaRasa ^ regarding autism. As a parent of autistic people, let me just say this poster knows her stuff and presents it all clearly, fairly and calmly, IMO.
Thanks, I'm flattered and touched. I was trained by a very good group of pros, but my most useful training came directly from years of working closely with the kids themselves. My current studies in counseling psych are helpful with more knowledge about diagnostics and assessment, the current DSM, etc.
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I just think that it can be a byproduct of such comparisons and I believe that's a point worth nothing. I believe autistic people have value just by virtue of being people.
Absolutely right and no argument there -- as do anyone with any cognitive or physical challenge.
Thanks... I was trained by a very good group of pros, but my most useful training came directly from years of working closely with the kids themselves. My current studies in counseling psych are helpful with more knowledge about diagnostics and assessment, the current DSM, etc.
Am I wrong to say that an autistic person is more likely to have special quirks that make him or her very good at certain things, though? I mean, if you think about something night and day, to the point of obsession, isn't there a good possibility you could become better than average or an expert at that thing if you found a way to get it to work for you? I'm not saying NT people can't get totally absorbed, too, but I thought the autistic brain was wired for obsession and niche interests.
Am I wrong to say that an autistic person is more likely to have special quirks that make him or her very good at certain things, though? I mean, if you think about something night and day, to the point of obsession, isn't there a good possibility you could become better than average or an expert at that thing if you found a way to get it to work for you? I'm not saying NT people can't get totally absorbed, too, but I thought the autistic brain was wired for obsession and niche interests.
It's possible and it happens, although in my experience, one can miss a well-rounded view and interest-taking that would make one a true pro at a given occupation by being so intensively focused on certain specifics.
I mean let's say for example you (the general "you") are interested in as certain category; let's say it's football statistics. (I know I'm getting sterotypical here...sports stats...it's just what first came to mind.) You may then be able to rattle off a great deal of stats for, say, every single player in every season of the Rams including their longtime foray into St. Louis. That would make you amazingly versed in the players' stats but what could you then do with that information? Where would you go with it? If it's for your own pleasure that's totally fine - it's uniquely human to want to do things exclusively for pleasure. We want and need our own pleasures. But you're saying "good at"...I suppose...good at what, though? Talking about stats?
Obsessive interests can indeed be a hallmark of autism. Fixated interests and intense focus are listed among the criteria on the current DSM for autism (and I think this facet has always been there, in all of the DSM's incarnations, if I'm not mistaken). Obsessive interests can be stimulating and/or soothing (or both by turns) for an autistic individual but can actually be a hindrance rather than a help as for some, they may interfere with an ability to successfully socially interact, and if your interests are literally just for you, and stay with you, and interfere with you sharing them in a practical way with others, then they're a happy thing for you but they're not useful, per se. I don't know if that all together translates as "good at." JMO.
Now, for an autistic individual whose intense area of focus is a bit broader - say, engineering in general rather than pre-WWII engines made in some specific country or area (just throwing something out there as an example), then that person may have a broader *overall view* of the subject and therefore can become "good at" it. And yes, that for sure happens. I believe my father was one such individual, though I have no concrete proof. My son, by contrast, is not. For example, his intense interests revolve, but right now, specific letters in a name and the total number of letters in a name, and whether those are even or odd, is his very, very focused interest right now and it's not doing anything but driving all of us crazy, LOL. (But I indulge it to an extent, then gently redirect.)
What you need to remember is that autism is, in an overarching way, a social disorder (or if you will, a social condition/state of being). When you speak of success or being good at something, as a human being, that will usually mean an *overall* talent that includes extenuating information outside the intensively focused area of interest, and that is something some autistic people can do, and others can't. And it will also include being able to explain to others what is happening and how and in some way, sharing the information, another thing some autistic people can do, others can't, yet others can sometimes do but sometimes not, and will include every possibility along that spectrum. What it's hard to remember for a neurotypical individual is that autism is all about NOT being very good at generalizing, and at extending an idea to other circumstances. (Not a total inability; a difficulty. It doesn't come naturally for most autistic people, at least not that I've ever met.) So while one may think "if an autistic person is amazing at hyperfocusing on vintage video game specifics, she should then be amazing at hyperfocusing on her job," or "if an autistic person is beyond fantastic at speaking of industrial revolution inception-era farm machinery, then he will be able to become a mechanical engineer EASILY and be the best at his job, maybe the best in the entire company," that may not be true. In fact, it probably won't be true.
Am I wrong to say that an autistic person is more likely to have special quirks that make him or her very good at certain things, though? I mean, if you think about something night and day, to the point of obsession, isn't there a good possibility you could become better than average or an expert at that thing if you found a way to get it to work for you? I'm not saying NT people can't get totally absorbed, too, but I thought the autistic brain was wired for obsession and niche interests.
By the way, what's your input on your own questions? You're autistic, so your input is definitely the most important and significant here. Do you feel you have areas of obsession that make you good at certain things, for example? We can tell you all sorts of things, but your experience will still be your own, and unique. Do you have one area of hyperfocus that you'd love to develop further? Reach out from? Communicate? Use? Just enjoy? If so, go for it...this is your life, and it is up to you to develop and get better at what you really love, if that is your goal. That's true for anyone, including NTs. And it's 100% untrue that autistic people don't grow, learn and develop. Autistic people are just that, people. Like other people (though in a unique way), they absolutely can and do grow, learn and develop during the course of a lifetime. It's a myth that the autistic 5-year-old is a small version of exactly what s/he will be at age 40.
There are plenty of experts at autism but only you are the expert on you.
By the way, what's your input on your own questions? You're autistic, so your input is definitely the most important and significant here. Do you feel you have areas of obsession that make you good at certain things, for example? We can tell you all sorts of things, but your experience will still be your own, and unique. Do you have one area of hyperfocus that you'd love to develop further? Reach out from? Communicate? Use? Just enjoy? If so, go for it...this is your life, and it is up to you to develop and get better at what you really love, if that is your goal. That's true for anyone, including NTs. And it's 100% untrue that autistic people don't grow, learn and develop. Autistic people are just that, people. Like other people (though in a unique way), they absolutely can and do grow, learn and develop during the course of a lifetime. It's a myth that the autistic 5-year-old is a small version of exactly what s/he will be at age 40.
There are plenty of experts at autism but only you are the expert on you.
I'm interested in certain things to the point of wild obsession, but I usually just waste my time daydreaming about it. I may read more about certain subjects than other people, and I come off as intelligent because of it, but, no, it doesn't really help me do anything more productive than anyone else. In fact, sometimes it hampers it. I was just wondering if I was unique in this.
Thanks for sharing all this, guys; it's enlightening to hear your take on ASD from the inside so to speak.
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And it's 100% untrue that autistic people don't grow, learn and develop. Autistic people are just that, people. Like other people (though in a unique way), they absolutely can and do grow, learn and develop during the course of a lifetime. It's a myth that the autistic 5-year-old is a small version of exactly what s/he will be at age 40.
