The autism spectrum

[BitBuster]

...to discuss thoughts/feelings/whatever.

[geodave]

I guess if it's a "spectrum" we're all on it somewhere.

I'm an introvert, which sometimes makes me anti-social. My wife says I get "all peopled-out".

Certain odd OCD-like habits also run in my family. My dad used to check to make sure the door was locked like 6-8 times every night. My brother is always checking to make sure faucets aren't running. Me, I just chew my nails -- but if I let myself I'd be checking things constantly.

I also count to calm myself down -- even when I'm not angry.

So, is that on the spectrum?

[BitBuster]

I guess if it's a "spectrum" we're all on it somewhere.

Good catch...I think.

I'm an introvert, which sometimes makes me anti-social. My wife says I get "all peopled-out".

I'm an introvert less by choice than by nature. I'd rather be social than not, but things haven't worked out that way. Lots of bad feelings left along the way...

Certain odd OCD-like habits also run in my family. My dad used to check to make sure the door was locked like 6-8 times every night. My brother is always checking to make sure faucets aren't running. Me, I just chew my nails -- but if I let myself I'd be checking things constantly.

I'm not really OCD (although I can't stop from biting my nails/hands), which is one of the things that makes me question whether autism's really an actual state, or if it's just a bunch of loose categories that therapists like to throw at people to make their own jobs easier.

So, is that on the spectrum?

http://rdos.net/eng/Aspie-quiz.php

No idea how reliable it is, but my results were:

Your Aspie score: 114 of 200

Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 69 of 200

You are very likely an Aspie



...of course, this is no substitute for a professional's opinion (not that one should necessarily place much stock in those, cough cough).

[quiznos00]

Well then:

Your Aspie score: 98 of 200


Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 93 of 200


You seem to have both Aspie and neurotypical traits

[geodave]

That was quite interesting! Thanks for sharing.

Your Aspie score: 43 of 200



Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 140 of 200



You are very likely neurotypical



Does this mean I'm not crazy?

[BitBuster]

Does this mean I'm not crazy?

No. It just means that you're probably not autistic.

[James]

Your Aspie score: 77 of 200



Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 147 of 200



You are very likely neurotypical



Interesting. My parents were always curious about whether I had Asperger's when I was a kid. I don't really identify with being neurotypical, though, at least in terms of the social aspect. I can function in social situations, I just find socializing a lot less interesting than most people do (introvert by choice ).

[BitBuster]

The funny thing is, no one suspected it when I was a kid. I was almost 21 by the time I was diagnosed.

I used to try to convince myself that I was an introvert by choice, but now I'm not so sure. Anyway, it probably is a lot easier being introverted, whether you choose that path or not...

Are other people interesting? It really depends. I think traditional modes of conversation are boring, whereas relatively unorthodox discourse can be quite fascinating. Shame most people seem to be more interested in the former...

[Hornlitz]

Your Aspie score: 81 of 200

Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 131 of 200

You are very likely neurotypical.

[James]

I always find it amusing trying to explain to extroverts how I just don't find social situations inherently exciting, since most of them react like they can't fathom the very concept. Like, if a friend phones me up and says "hey, want to join me, X, Y, and Z? we're going downtown", my initial reaction is not but rather at the thought of having to do the following:

1) Ride public transit for 1 hour while making pointless small talk

2) Walk around downtown for 1 hour while still talking about nothing interesting

3) Eat dinner for 1 hour while continuing to talk nothing about nothing

4) Walk around downtown for another hour while nothing talking nothing about nothing

5) Ride public transit back for yet another hour while nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing

More likely than not, if I accept, I get back to my house at the end of it all wishing I hadn't wasted 5 hours of my life (and some $) that I could have spent doing something actually enjoyable. Socializing is only enjoyable to me if I really enjoy being with the people involved, or we're doing/talking about something fun/important (which are all narrow categories). To anybody who has ever impatiently tapped their foot while waiting for something to get over with, that's my mental state whenever I socialize for the sole sake of socializing. Next time, I'm declining your invitation and getting back to my anime marathon / poker session / impromptu nap / etc. and feeling great about it.

/rant that I needed to get off my chest...I've met autistic people who feel the same way about social interaction, which I think is interesting and explains some of what I meant in my previous post.

Edit - also, practically none of this post applies to online interaction at all.