Are you on the "autism spectrum"? And if so, what are your + and - skills?

I attribute many behaviors, quirks that put me on the modern spectrum. I was a challenging child but my mom did well with me and no special services.
 
I don't think so but I'm sure a few family members will strongly disagree with me.

I have uncontrollable humming when I'm in an extreme state of concentration. Not like singing a song humming. It's more of a guttural groan. I have to put the tip of my tongue near my two top front teeth to stop it.

I can do numbers in my head faster than 99.9% of the population. I have yet to find anyone who is faster at it than I am. Nobody. Ever. However a big part of that ability came from my love of baseball when I was a kid. I would calculate batting and slugging averages in elementary school along with won/loss percentages in my head whenever I was bored. In high school I would write car brands and models in alphabetical order and Ben Franklin various stock investments.

There's a lot of other skill sets I have that are way up there in mental acuity, and I also dig pretty deep into all things automotive. However I'm also a very social person and if you came to my home (and overlooked my garage), you would never realize that I was a pretty hardcore car guy.

Minimalist. Frugal. Love sports. Writes articles and creates studies just because they interest me. Never shop unless I absolutely have to. I may be a mild Aspie. But behaviorally I'm probably just a normal everyday guy who values self-actualization and parenthood above all else.
 
My 2nd wife thought I was Asperger, but she was just super emotional about everything. I thought she was undiagnosed bipolar. Unfortunately she passed away from cancer.

I am a bit on the engi-nerdy side in real life, would like to have the CIO job, but don't have the charisma. That's OK with me, I don't like kissing rears.
 
I was a hyper daydreaming kid, and would make 100 on spelling on Thursday so didn't have to take test again on Friday. I took a Aptitude test when 15 and maxed the 99+ percentile of mechanical ability, too. Could make A's in science or math, or C- in other stuff. Maybe should have been an engineer, but quit UT after 2 years and fell into Dad's work of fuel distributor. Didn't make much, but could do lots of different stuff and run by myself.
I have a mild muscular dystrophy so quit when 54, and traveled a lot. I built a home in Indonesia for my wife, and had to draw what she wanted. I drew it up, made a cardboard model of wing roof, and got an architect to draw some more and be the contractor. That's when I discovered that I had a spatial concepts gift that many don't have.
My language skills are really crap, and I met an Egyptian guy at DFW airport who said he spoke 7 languages. I asked him what kind of motor oil he used in his car, and he said, "I grew up with donkey cart. I don't know anything about cars. I take to my guy." Wow! Now that's what I thought! I prefer to know mechanicals.
 

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I was a hyper daydreaming kid, and would make 100 on spelling on Thursday so didn't have to take test again on Friday. I took a Aptitude test when 15 and maxed the 99+ percentile of mechanical ability, too. Could make A's in science or math, or C- in other stuff. Maybe should have been an engineer, but quit UT after 2 years and fell into Dad's work of fuel distributor. Didn't make much, but could do lots of different stuff and run by myself.
I have a mild muscular dystrophy so quit when 54, and traveled a lot. I built a home in Indonesia for my wife, and had to draw what she wanted. I drew it up, made a cardboard model of wing roof, and got an architect to draw some more and be the contractor. That's when I discovered that I had a spatial concepts gift that many don't have.
My language skills are really crap, and I met an Egyptian guy at DFW airport who said he spoke 7 languages. I asked him what kind of motor oil he used in his car, and he said, "I grew up with donkey cart. I don't know anything about cars. I take to my guy." Wow! Now that's what I thought! I prefer to know mechanicals.
You designed this? That's a beautiful home!
 
I am 19 and I have autism, ADD, ADHD and Asperger's. I am super low on the spectrum (high functioning) and most people wouldn't know I have any of it unless I told them.

Back when I was little (think elementary school) I was a lot worse I had a weighted jacket I had to wear and I used fidget toys and I was on tons of medication but as I got older I got more "normal"? Maybe I outgrew it I don't know but I don't need any medication or anything now.

My main skill I guess is being too good at remembering the wrong things. Like, I could not do simple math in school to save my life but I can tell you off the top of my head that a Buick Roadmaster won't have working cruise control if the 3rd brake light bulb is out.
 
You designed this? That's a beautiful home!
Yeah, thanks. I didn't know I had it in me, but I had to fight the architect somewhat. He wanted 3.1 meter high rooms like most Indonesian homes, but that's to help cool. I wanted 2.6 meter since the main open living room would be 2 open stories. We picked a 3300ft altitude mountain on a cliff so it turns out that we don't need any AC and it stays approx 75-80 all the time. I envisioned the 2 meter offset and the 2nd story overhang. Also, the garage door the blue led lights under sink in bathroom, etc. The main part of me is the winged roof that runs a waterfall off the back. That back of home is before I had to add 80cm to the roof all around. The architect decided I should have smaller roof, but we fixed that.
 

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this thread is great! I'm the father of a 14 yr old girl on the spectrum. She was diagnosed with Aspergers in pre school? Nowadays you'll only get an ASD diagnosis, i believe.

I'm 55..back when i was in school I know there were a number of kids on the spectrum..but we just called them weird or other words back then (karma is a *****). They never had a real diagnosis.

It's great reading others' experiences - my daughter had a 200+ word vocabulary as a 2 year old...and never crawled, either. We thought we had a genius in the family. She always sat and read books as a little girl..we thought she loved them..and she did..but it was also her way of not socializing with the other little kids.

She is a 4.0 student, just starting 9th grade, but has the social skills of a 2nd or 3rd grader? Today is her first day of high school and I'm very nervous for her..hope it goes well.

Some of my biggest concerns for her are getting her to care about her personal hygiene (showering, teeth brushing, etc.). I really believe if we didn't make her she would never shower, etc. I'm also worried about accidents...as accident are a major killer of people on the spectrum. Drownings, getting hit by cars, etc. She NEVER looks both ways before stepping off the curb or crossing a parking lot..it terrifies me.

I'm also concerned with her future employment prospects. The unemployment rate for adults with Autism is extremely high (75 - 90%??)

It seems a new school of thought is to help make our world a little more accommodating to those on the spectrum...rather than forcing them to conform to what WE think is 'normal'. I'm a fan of this.

I know I'm rambling..just glad to see other adults on the spectrum speaking out about their experiences. Neither my wife nor I are on the spectrum (although we can both identify family members who likely are..but not diagnosed) but we both have many little traits that all seem to be amplified in our daughter. I also have a terrible ability to recognize people out of context...if i see a neighbor at the grocery store I won't know who they are!

The reality is that many Doctors, Engineers and Scientists are on the spectrum...we all know people who are brilliant but seem to have zero street smarts or social skills. Heck, some of the Doctors my daughter has gone to see for therapy seem to be more on the spectrum than she is!

So congrats to go all of you on the spectrum who have succeeded in spite of the challenges. I hope our world continues to be more accepting of those who are a little different.
 
Yeah, thanks. I didn't know I had it in me, but I had to fight the architect somewhat. He wanted 3.1 meter high rooms like most Indonesian homes, but that's to help cool. I wanted 2.6 meter since the main open living room would be 2 open stories. We picked a 3300ft altitude mountain on a cliff so it turns out that we don't need any AC and it stays approx 75-80 all the time. I envisioned the 2 meter offset and the 2nd story overhang. Also, the garage door the blue led lights under sink in bathroom, etc. The main part of me is the winged roof that runs a waterfall off the back. That back of home is before I had to add 80cm to the roof all around. The architect decided I should have smaller roof, but we fixed that.
Omg that’s a gorgeous home!
 
It's a definite paradise, but problem is I can only visit for 2 or 3 months at a time. We'll be lucky to go back 2 years after we planned with this covid crap. Flights on American Air were about $1k per person, and we'd go twice a year. I gave to wife so she feels secure knowing she has a store of money for her part of any inheritance. More unbelievaBLE STUFF is the property taxes are still around $230/year, and the electric bill is approx $30/month when we are there (total 75 LED 9 watt lights). I still keep us in West Tx apartment because I don't wanna play that $6k to $10k/year property tax.
 
iahawk, it seems that High Tech likes these kind of NERDS for programming or whatever so that's an idea for her.
 
iahawk, it seems that High Tech likes these kind of NERDS for programming or whatever so that's an idea for her.

she seems to be more artistic and creative than math / science focused. She's also a great writer...so we'll see which direction she goes in the next few years. It has been fun watching her grow and mature and figure out our crazy world as each year goes by.
 
I guess over all I am a fairly high functioning person on the autism scale.
Instead of a self-diagnosis, maybe get yourself checked out. Your behavior might just as well be shyness or anxiety. It's only in the last 30 or so years that doctors have put labels on perfectly normal childhood behaviors and phases just so they would have an excuse to treat them. And of course the pharma industry gladly came along for the ride.
 
Supposedly no. I was analyzed by half a dozen psychologists and a psychiatrist or two as a child. That said, I do find joy in some details, but no, I don't fit the picture at least clinically speaking based on a massive battery of tests I endured.
 
Overdiagnosed in the US.

I bet a good portion of the population would fall on the spectrum for one reason or another.
 
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Amazing engineer. Must be on the spectrum.
talks out of turn. Must be on the spectrum.
obsesses over (hand washing, placement of things, locking doors). Must be on the spectrum.
 
Buddy has five kids that are on the spectrum. Some low functioning.
they met a neurologist that removed them all off most of not all medications as they were all pre-pubescent.

neuro said, how can we expect out bodies to function and properly develop when shoving medications down the throats of children???!?!?

The kids are all doing much much better.
 
I don't know that I'm autistic, but I'm starting to think maybe I have ADHD that went undiagnosed when I was a kid.
It wasn’t invented when I was a kid, so apparently, I don’t have it, LOL.

And for the pedantic out there, I know it wasn’t invented.

I was a handful until about the 4th grade when I had an older Pentecostal teacher who didn’t put up with my kinetic ways in class.

But she also realized I was very intelligent and bored waiting for others to catch/keep up with the material.

We all learn at different rates. Mass production school doesn’t work well for those at both ends of the intelligence spectrum.
 
I have no way of knowing, really, but my parents did have me tested by multiple psychologists for any sort of defect they could find, and only discovered some adolescent depression. No autism, dyslexia, or anything else aside that manifested, except some OCD traits tied to the depression. That resolved...surprise...when I moved out at 13 to live elsewhere.

That said, I do see myself doing some things which are commonly associated with autism, but that's why they call it "a spectrum", so I don't really know when the "diagnosis applies", but none of the psychologists I previously interacted with seemed to apply it, so...
 
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