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INSIDE PERSPECTIVES of AS & Neurodiversity |
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TALENTS
Aspies usually have normal to high IQ and many are gifted in one or more areas.
SPECIAL INTERESTS
Special interests is one of the most common characteristics of an Aspie. Some alternate between favourite interests, others stick to the same one until they feel they have learned or done all they wanted in that area. Not every Aspie has special interests, gifts or talents, but a great many do.
“My interests vary. New usually replace the old ones. Right now it is autism, physics (atomphysics, optics and general physics) and to sew/knit. Previously I was into biology, math, optics, electronics, programming, various computer games. I also draw a lot.” - Matilda, adult Aspie from Sweden
“Mythologies and Mesopotamia are my special interests. Languages are also interesting, have besides English and German also studied Spanish, French and Turkish. Turkish is a wonderful language for those who are interested in linguistics!” - ‘Pazuzu93’, female Aspie from Sweden
“7-13 years of age: * Sorting, systemising and organising: mom never had to tell me to clean my room; I was the nursery’s own little überführer. * Books, books, books... read read read read read read read... * Math..... * Stamp collector of fantastic proportions. * Geometry and patterns; find, memorise and internally visualise and play with patterns I discovered around myself.... still do; though not as intensively as when I was a child.
“13-34 years of age: * Webbprogramming; math and a bit of this and that has sneaked in. * Chess: discovered it when I was 13; have been fascinated by it ever since; definitely my biggest interest today.” - ‘DooM’, male Aspie from Sweden
PERSERVERANCE
Many Aspies have extraordinary perseverance and are able to hyper-focus intently on the same thing for hours, days, sometimes weeks on end, and keep up a special interest for years.
“I’m good at turning inwards and focus 100% on a task. I’m tenacious and persevering.” - ChristofferC, male Aspie from Sweden
“I liked BIG and FUN projects when I was a kid, It took me 12 years to do a 2.5 feet by 36 foot mural using colored pencil. I did one segment a year for 12 years. It was of a mine tunnel. You could see coal cars in it, cross tunnels, fossils in the walls. I started it when I was 12.” - Tom, adult Aspie from USA
LANGUAGE SKILLSApart from a dyslexic minority, Aspies often have a fascination with language and a much more advanced vocabulary than their peers. Important to an Aspie is to be able to express oneself with utmost accuracy and precision.
“I am very good at writing. I’ve always liked it. People usually compliment me on my language.” - ‘Lilla Gumman’, female Aspie from Sweden
“I have a large vocabulary. I’m good at languages. I’m good at spelling, I think I’d make a good proof-reader.” - ‘Alien’, female Aspie from Sweden
“I read quickly and have a large vocabulary. Both in Swedish and English. - ChristofferC, male Aspie from Sweden
“I’m very good at spelling. Always have been. I hear, when someone says a word, how it should be spelled. This goes for both Swedish and other languages. It is very easy for me to learn languages. I have a large vocabulary and good all-round knowledge of things. (Always win quiz games, which some find annoying. I have a talent for writing and easily think up whole stories quickly in my head. Easily find rhymes and synonyms for words.” - ‘Verbena’, female Aspie from Sweden
“I can spell any word in the English language and after seeing words once I know them. As a kid I learned the make of every car on the road and could name it from 200 yards away.” - Nick, adult Aspie
“I’ve always been better at spelling than others. Regardless if it’s Swedish, English or German. Sometimes amuse myself by figuring out how French words and sentences are spelled and pronounced. Have never studied French, wich makes it a challenge.” - ‘KrigarSjäl’, male Aspie from Sweden
“I find that speaking is sometimes a hindrance because people say I talk like I am a doctoral dissertation legs. People find me hard to understand for that reason. But when I speak I want the precise word, not a word that comes near to the meaning I am looking for. Thus my vocabulary is quite extensive. From my point of view, it is irritating to talk to some people who do not use precise diction because their imprecise vocabulary tends to cloud their meaning and intent.” - Tom, adult Aspie from USA
Much to our surprise and dismay, many of us discover that enthusiastically assuming the role of self-appointed language-police in various social situations, rarely gets met with the appreciation one expected...
MATH SKILLS
While some have trouble with math, others are extra skilled. Some have extra good memory for numbers.
“My talents are spelled numbers. I can do head calculations very easily, have since an early age been able to multiply two-digit numbers, something most people can’t do, unfortunately there are computers and calculators who can do it even better so one doesn’t have much use for it:( Can also express itself in easily remembering birthdays, doesn’t matter how well I know the person, often it’s enough to have seen the birthdate once and I’ll remember it without effort, still remember most birthdays of classmates from junior high and high school although I don’t have any contact with either of these persons now (25 years old today).” - D.A., Aspie from Sweden
“I’m one of those geeks who wants long intricate mathematical calculations with only a bunch of Greek letters. Read math at university and that suits me. Differential equations are fun to dig one’s teeth into. - ‘Kaks’, female Aspie from Sweden
“There was a case of me trying to calculate something at the dining room table during a discussion (and I multiplied three digits by three digits) and then the adding machine proved my numbers correct after dinner. Mom was stunned because this was the first time (in the 37 years of my existence) that she had ever seen me do something like that, even though I knew I had the skill for ages." - Tom, adult Aspie from USA |
