Jordan Peterson: How Autism and Intelligence Connect

[@Brodown14]

I have Aspergers and Ive done things people said I would never do. Believe in yourself

[@kidcitylynnwood6324]

Dylan Mitchell that's awesome, share that with others, spread your story!

[@Brodown14]

KidCity Lynnwood Thank you so much😊

[@lunawolfheart336]

Me too

[@athleticaesthetixfitness6937]

I can attest to this, don't let a label dictate your career prospects...think as a neurotypical (typified normal person) and you'll eventually develop into one.

[@xycxo8335]

Yep, Don’t let it define you my dude. I’m sure you kick ass...

[@splatninja9447]

My wife has autism. Until i met her i thought what a lot of people think, autistic=stupid. She proved me so wrong. While she has trouble in some areas, what shes good at, she excels at. That woman has kept us whole through the most trying of times, doing things i didnt think could be done, approaching issues from angles i would never consider. She is a genius in her own right.

[@NovasYouTubeName]

What a lovely comment

[@lukewalker1051]

Engineers create the world and doctors try and help those that are sick. Many within these two groups are on the autistic spectrum. Likely the smartest and most prolific scientist and businessman in America if not in the world, Elon Musk is a high functioning autistic. The smartest among us have autism, and the reason why the false perception about autism is, society as a collective, isn't very smart.

[@carolgarrett1786]

God bless you for realizing this💖

[@luisprieto4589]

Nikola Tesla, Newton, Einstein Cavendish were autistic just to name a few. It's sad people automatically label autism as stupid when arguably the brightest minds in history were autistic. It's a wide spectrum.

[@ShanaShana-d4f]

This makes me happy to hear! I have high-functioning and I have been scared to tell men this, so I mask a lot. We need to replicate you :)

[@user-no8vs9bv9s]

As a girl with Asperger's, I generally have struggled speaking with other women. It sounds harsh, but the emotions tend to drain me completely and it feels quite unnatural. I tend to find hanging around with boys or tomboys easier, as they tend to lean more towards talking about things and ideas as opposed to feelings and people.

[@washefuzzy]

I hung a round with the boys. They didn't care what you wore what your hairstyle was. Boys were less catty and judgemental. Women see other women as competition so they do their best to belittle each other. Which explains Til Tok!

[@jesserochon3103]

Mary me. Please

[@Mrs.Silversmith]

I was the same way growing up. I've gotten better about being able to communicate well with fellow women, but its definitely still more tiring than dealing with stereotypical male communication styles.

[@nadiasaurusrex]

Same here. I found that if boys/men have a problem, they tell you about it more directly. In my experience, girls/women are more prone to trying to drop hints and have a more subtle form of communication that I struggle to understand.

[@Takeru9292]

Here we have it, even a girl says women are generally more emotional.

[@BanjoPixelSnack]

I’m on the spectrum. Autism and ADHD. As a female, this was very much ignored because I was very quiet and I just always felt weird having mainly male friends and being interested in tech rather than people. Couldn’t ever connect with girls who wanted to talk gossip and make up and boys and my mother would ask me if I was a lesbian because I wasn’t feminine and was more interested in video games than shopping or makeup. Never had many female friends, mostly male. I struggle to connect with people. Yet people say I am a great listener because I am very accepting and don’t get emotional in return. I am sometimes very slow to get a concept because I can’t keep my thoughts in one place and everything connects to everything else so nothing is ever simple for me. My mother used to call me stupid and slow but she didn’t realise I was *processing* *everything*. I wasn’t diagnosed until I was 40 so I spent my whole life beating myself up - why am I not like everyone else, what’s wrong with me, etc. I’m still getting my head around it now.

[@AnnaSenPrice]

Same, totally same.

[@aliolcayelmas2884]

Same disorders

[@MeliM2023]

Same

[@CatNolara]

Sounds like me, only that I'm male and undiagnosed. My dad also always thought that I'm slow and lazy, but that's because I want to do things properly and often find myself kinda paralyzed if I'm lacking information about how to do a task or if I'm too unsure about how to go about it. I mostly found my way around that, but sometimes I still get into conflicts with those issues.

[@robotron1236]

I’m 31 and it’s the same, but with my father instead of my mom. Pretty much everyone in my life thinks I’m stupid, but my IQ was tested and it’s 127; that’s not necessarily high, but it’s certainly not stupid and it’s well above average. I process everything and I hate it. I feel like I can’t function in the “normal” world. I haven’t been diagnosed yet, but it’s the only mental illness that fits my personality; it’s absolutely perfect. Every test I take says I need to get diagnosed because I’m “likely on the spectrum.” I wish I knew this earlier, I would’ve designed my life around it. I always thought my freak outs were from my drug problem, but I think it’s the other way around. I’ve been clean for 3 years and I still can’t function in society. The more people there are, the worse and worse I function. I don’t even remember how to do my own job, unless I’m by myself and there are no distractions.

[@tangerinefizz11]

I wouldn't say that all autistic children dislike people. I'm on the spectrum, and I was very outgoing when I was little. It was only after years of bullying and rejection that I learned to loathe humanity.

[@Deathy-zt5je]

Same

[@gigawariatrotterdam]

same

[@TGNXAR]

This

[@charlottemunday7311]

"A tale as old as time"... My fav is when i expressed the same sentiment and a comment assumed i had anger issues... i dont feel angry, i feel numbed.

[@thedonzo506]

autistic or not.. dont all bullied kids grow to hate people?

[@tannerstone1102]

Grew up not knowing I had Asperger’s but after learning about it more I realized that it was more of a help than a hindrance. Growing up was a little rough not catching on to social signals as quick as other kids but once you get past that it turns into a superpower. Big thanks to my parents for treating me as a normal kid and not allowing me to believe I would be harmed as an adult by this condition.

[@n0nexreb0rn4]

On the same token, kudos to your parents for not pretending it isn't real and blowing up when one of your quirks inconvenienced them.

[@mrbeans2425]

Hell yeah man! I have a Friend who has it and always says he wouldn't change a thing!

[@jerryjanik480]

I have the same thing I was never diagnosed as a child for some reason I do have Asperger's I also have learning disability with dyslexia also a physical disability all from my birth defect

[@kaitlinpeterson726]

I also grew up not knowing I have Asperger's until my psychology teacher told me because she had taught 5 students that are on the spectrum and my mom suspected that I'm on the spectrum before that

[@sleepyhead8681]

I'm kinda low functioning but my dad denied it after diagnosed at 4. There are A few advantages for me especially with reading or studies and being open minded to others.

[@kaiceecrane3884]

As an autistic person who sees a lot of misinformation about about autism, I wanted to write a short description of not only what autism is but what it is like to have it. This is based off of my own experiences as well as other autistic people I have talked to. Autism is a different way the brain can be "wired". Some observations may lead an outside observer to think one way, but without the rest of the context it can be very misleading. People with autism take in more information from their surroundings. While doing some activity the neurotypical person (not autistic) may take some time to process said activity and some of their surroundings, an autistic person takes in everything around them that is going on while doing an activity. Take eating lunch in cafeteria for example; while sitting with their friends a neurotypical person will be eating food, talking with their friends, and listening to what they are saying while an autistic person will be doing the same while taking in every sound difference in their friends voice, eye movement, body language, and doing all of these things with anything they also see and hear. Because of that a delay in time to respond may occur as they are taking in and processing more information before they can respond. A lot of autistic people also have Sensory Processing Disorder, which is a disorder that manifest itself in such a way that the individual with it processes their senses either more dramatically or less. Let’s use the cafeteria example again: the autistic may be hearing every noise and conversation at once in that room, and while the lights may be fine for some people, they may be so bright for an autistic person it is physically painful. This can get overwhelming as all of this stimulus can be too much. Stimulus is any information gathered by any of your 7 primary senses: sight, touch, hearing, smell, taste, proprioceptive (sense of where you are in space and movement), and vestibular (sense of balance). While these are external stimuli, internal stimuli can affect an autistic person in the same way; internal stimulus being things such as stress or anxiety to name a few. It is important to let an autistic person know how they live and process information is normal and fine, there is nothing wrong with them. They are perfectly normal people, just with a nerotype that isn't typical. Too much stimulus can cause a meltdown sometimes, or a shutdown. A shutdown is straightforward as they just shutdown like a computer and need to rebute away from all that stimulus. A meltdown is when the autistic person goes into a fight or flight response, where they will act accordingly as does anyone when their subconscious feels threatened. Keep in mind, too much stimulus is painful, and can be drastically so. You could say that a shutdown is when the fight or flight response goes so extreme they freeze. To combat all of this stimulus an autistic person needs to do one of two things, and may sometimes need help doing them: 1.) Remove the negative stimulus, say like going somewhere darker or quieter 2.) Stim. Stimming can be with any of the 7 primary senses as it replaces bad information, or stimulus, with good. This may be repeating some sound, rocking back or forth, touching some textured object, or hand flapping. These are just a tiny few examples of stimming. Stimming is good stimulus, so an autistic person may stim sometimes just because it feels good to do so with no other reason or maybe to express themselves as is natural and feels good to them. Sometimes when an autistic person has too much negative stimulus they may become nonverbal, or in other words may not be able to talk or use their words. Sometimes they may still be able to make sounds, write, or communicate in some other alternative fashion. Some autistic people take in more stimulus than other autistic people, and can be prone to experiencing more meltdowns and being nonverbal. Nonverbal occurs when the mind and body has to divert resources to dealing with other tasks. An autistic person may normally not be nonverbal but become so during a meltdown or when overwhelmed. Sometimes instead of being nonverbal, there might be a stutter instead. An autistic person has a certain amount of “spoons” they have for every day. Spoons are the resources (mentally, emotionally, physically) you can use to do some task. Some days you may have more spoons, and other days you may feel like you have none. Getting up out of bed cost spoons, dressing oneself cost spoons, brushing your teeth, showering, eating breakfast, going to work, going to class, anything you do cost some amount of spoons; with little resources of spoons available, you may only be able to accomplish only a few tasks, and that is perfectly okay. Sometimes a task can cost a lot of spoons, and sometimes the same task may cost more spoons than other times. Sometimes looking at a person's face or communicating with someone can be difficult. Communication is like a dance, and can be very difficult to follow. There are 3 ways of communication: what is said, how it is said, and body language. A person's face goes through a lot of changes over a short period of time to reflect how they are feeling, and looking at a person while talking can take a lot of spoons at time. It can be very overwhelming to try to pick up on a lot of cues people have in any form of communication. A lot of times an autistic person may only focus on one form of communication, if any, to be able to communicate. Communication in of itself (talking, listening, changes in subject) yet alone looking at some, taking in all the noise, and light, among some many things happening at once can be too much. If things feel that way, that everything is overwhelming, it is okay to remove yourself from that situation or choose not to be there in the first place. There is nothing wrong in taking care of yourself.

[@kaiceecrane3884]

To give a more indepth example of SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder), this is what it is like for me. To preface this, SPD is very individual on what senses it effects, how it effects them, and to what degree. For me sound and light isn't just uncomfortable, it is physically painful. I find some issue with making a person have to "push" through the pain so they can go do what other people think they should do. That is really unfair and what I'd call mistreatment. It is still painful, regardless if you can learn to manage the pain. What is a normal level of conversation for the average person sounds like what you would call a loud rock concert; it really hurts. Sound is a wave of disruption through some medium. When moving through an atmosphere, such as ours, it is easier for sound to travel due to how far away atoms are to each other in a gas like state. When sound moves through water it is harder to travel due to how close the atoms are to each other as compared moving through a gas. Sounds is commonly referred to in two ways: how loud it is (decibels) and the size of the wave (frequency), which we also call pitch. There is a decible exaplme chart at www.industrialnoisecontrol.com/comparative-noise-examples.htm. On this chart there are two decibel ranges I’d like to refer to: 60 and 110. 60: “Half as loud as 70 dB. Fairly quiet. Conversation in restaurant, office, background music, Air conditioning unit at 100 feet.”. 110: “Average human pain threshold. 16 times as loud as 70 dB. Steel mill, auto horn at 1 meter. Turbo-fan aircraft at takeoff power at 200 ft (118 dB). Riveting machine (110 dB); live rock music (108 - 114 dB).” I wanted to point out these two examples because as I mentioned before, what sounds like a normal conversation to me sounds like a rock concert to you. I am able to say this with confidence because at 110 decibels is when sound starts to hurt the average person, for me it starts to hurt at 60 decibels on an average day; some days are worse than others. That would mean on average I hear sound at about 32 times as loud as the average person. Like I said some days are worse than others. When ever I started to need to stim, the more I have to stim to more sensitive my sensory processing becomes. There have been times that at 40 decibels (“One-eighth as loud as 70 dB. Library, bird calls (44 dB); lowest limit of urban ambient sound”) sounds was too loud and started to hurt. During those times in which sound at 40 decibels starts to hurt me; that would make my hearing at around 64 times as loud as the average person. When ever I am in an area I can hear every little thing around me at once; this, ironically, makes it hard to hear what an individual is saying. There are so many sounds coming at me I can’t decipher where what is coming from sometimes, and when someone is trying to talk to me I can’t hear them over everything else going on around me. It is hard enough to carry on a conversation already, then with all the noise around me it can make it practically impossible. Light, oh boy. As a kid being outside, period, all I could see was white light. It wasn't till I was in my later years in high school I didn't need to wear sunglasses inside, though I still prefer to. Unless I'm in an isolated area in the middle of night (and I mean around 10pm-3pm, or else there is too much sunlight) I prefer to always be wearing my sunglasses. When ever I start getting close to a melt down any light is just like looking at bright white beams in my eyes. I have a black bandana I wear over my eyes like a blind fold and put my sunglasses over it and close my eyes. Even at night time that usually isn’t enough and the light still bothers me. Something people confuse is how light works. Photons are particles of light. In the day time there are more photons from the sun to light up the sky, which is why it is brighter during the day time. During the night time there are less photons so it is darker, but when photons are there they are still really bright. At night time it is like looking at a very contrasting picture. Where there is light there is alot, where this is not there simply isn't any light to be seen. Flashlights, or objects that illuminate in a similar fashion (like a phone, laser, or light bulb) have focused light, or in other words photons are focused in a specific area. During the day time, when directly at me, yes that is very bothersome and does does hurt, but because of the contrast at night it really hurts even more. It's like having a migraine in your eyes. As far as taste, I can't have bitter things in my mouth. They make me want to throw up. I happen to also have ASD, when ever I have to stim, outside what textured object I'm feeling, things, especially people, rubbing up against me or touching me is really uncomfortable and distressing. Tags on my clothes feel like knives on my skin and heat is a lot hotter for me. I feel comfortable more in 30°-40°F weather. To clarify why, cold doesn’t actually exist. Cold is the lack of heat, so cold and are the same thing. I wouldn't call these problems. In certin circumstances they make things difficult, but in others they help. I look at the sky and see where the atmosphere ends, I can see the physical curve of the earth in the sky. I can see light from stars no one else can. I can see every color of the night sky and how they all blend together. I can see details no else will efer see. I use my hearing subconsciously to help me know I'm breathing, I can hear everything around me so I use my ears to guide more than my eyes, useing my ears I can "see and feel" everything around me. I can hear air move, and if I focus hard enough and hear my partner communicate in code using her nostrils to push out air so only I can hear her. I can see amazing things you can only imagine, hear everything and everyone, feel everything, and it is the best thing in the world.

[@kaiceecrane3884]

As far as language goes, verbal communication extremely difficult for me, I hate it. Communication via body language is what makes sense to me and how I primarily communicate. Look, you don't cure autism and you don't get "better". By the way, that pursuit of fixing autism is just trying to make autistic people not autistic. To put this into context you may understand, what people do to autistic people is like telling someone to never smile when they are happy, never cry when they are sad, never express themselves in a natural way, never feel emotions, shame someone for being who they are in a natural reflective way. ABA forces extremely unnatural behaviors on autistic people and tries to erase the natural ones. It is like telling someone you have to speak this way, walk this way, emote this way, feel this way. It creates So many issues. Try to never smile when you are happy and click your tongue 3 times in a strange order. Whenever you smile you get told over and over again how wrong it is and shamed for doing so. Imagine that is life for you growing up as a kid. That stupid manner of communicating happiness via tongue clicks and nerve smiling is very unnatural, very distressing, and very displeasing. When ever you do it gets rid of all joy you may of had. ABA does that to autistic people. Not literally making you click your tongue, but do completely unnatural things for the sake of someone else because people don't like you, find you uncomfortable when you express yourself naturally, and are scared of you for just existing (as is autism is a bad thing and it is a disease). It is awful. Looking at someone in the eyes in an example of that. When I look at you in the eyes I can't pay attention to what you are saying or what is going on around me, but people get upset when you don't. Looking at someone in the eyes is extremely unpleasant like electric shocks running though your body that causes an anxiety and stress, yet people still want me to look at the eyes. Going through ABA has forced that extremely unnatural and unpleasant behavior on me, and now I can't stop doing when I talk to someone because of the shaming people have done to me to force me to do so. Now, wether I look at your eyes are not, causes distress, heavy stress, anxiety no matter what. As I said verbal communication is fucking hard for me, and forcing these kinds of behaviors only makes it harder to express myself, feel happy, and communicate to you.

[@maxonmendel5757]

I relate to some of this. Like stimming. I notice I do that sometimes. Like if I hear a sound I really like, I’ll “look” for it again vocally. And sometimes when I get overwhelmed by everything I’ll just stop and *do* something or.. nothing. It’s hard to explain. Sometimes I’ll get like a wave of nausea in public and I’ll have to stop and retrace my steps or just take a deep breath and not do anything. It’s similar to deja vu, an it feels the same every time. “Spoons” is an interesting concept. Is that like the pro term or just something your parents or Doctor came up with for you? I like the idea cause it might help me motivate myself. Can you talk yourself into having more spoons? I know that’s something that people would try to do as a form of self-help. Thank you so much for your input. My family has a history of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, and I’ve always understood my mom to be a little different, but I’m not sure to what effect mentally- could be the known disorders, could be all the weed and alcohol in high school and early twenties, could be something unknown. And idk how much of an effect it has on me but: 1. I know I’m really smart and 2. I know it must have *some* effect because I *do* tend to think differently than my peers. I’ve wondered quite a bit recently about all this, and your comment definitely helps me understand a little bit more about myself and about others. Thank you for sharing 🙏 😊 ☺️

[@ashmontana]

Nice explanation. U described what im thinking. So isnt the fact that we cant process all pur surroundings into smaller and smaller parts etc, as jordan peterson explained on the white board, make us less intelligent than other people? Because of u look at JP picture, obv everbody can see the whole picture and the smaller pictures, but what i understood that u meant was that we cant see smaller pictures, only the whole picture which would make us lesd intelligent. But i have taken the IQ test and my IQ is higher than avarage, but also ASD. Hope u understand my point and can answer, english is not my primary language.

[@FatAmericanMantittys]

One thing I have to ask you if you don’t mind. Is it true that people on the spectrum tend to be more honest about things whether good or bad? Where neurotypicals hide truths , you know to save people’s feelings and what not?

[@vyvienvp3413]

Only diagnosed at age 60yrs, cried with relief. Life has been perpetually exhausting trying to keep up reading, recognising and forming patterns. I speak several languages, am a good thinker and an artist, but cannot for the life of me fill in forms!! Loath bureaucracy, because it is so non descript. Life is pretty challenging.

[@nuclearcatbaby1131]

I'd say we can form abstractions pretty well; it's understanding the abstractions of others where we have trouble. I can't understand mathematical concepts as articulated by a professor; I have to study it on my own and abstract it into my brain's own, different machine language, which does not compile spoken language very well.

[@Widestone001]

Hah, that's how I always need to go at a new challenge: First, I have to think on it and analyze it properly. :-)

[@nuclearcatbaby1131]

Christian Breitenstein I find that if I have to do homework for a grade, that prioritizes in my mind the getting it done for a grade which deprioritizes my drive to actually understand it, as what happens if the homework is made "optional". I get a higher grade on the test if I worked on the homework at my own leisure and didn't turn it in.

[@thisispruf]

As an HFA I agree with this somewhat. I'd say one of my strengths is abstraction which naturally made me want to study PURE math as opposed to applied Math. I've always liked the idea of something having a "skeleton" or a "fundamental structure" in which a skin or design covers it. Algebra is my favourite subject right now because we look at say the axioms of an algebraic structure and the arbitrary set with it's operation/'s then we can play with it and see what the structure is. Once we through a certain set in there with well defined operation it's nice but now we've clothed it. Take it's clothes off then we have the abstraction of what that is which I think is the best part.

[@thaisdafonseca761]

@@thisispruf the fundamental structures - hidden in plain sight and applicable in one way or another to everything

[@aomorgancool1775]

@@thisispruf believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved. For God so loved the world that he sent his one and only son and whoever believes in him shall not die but have eternal life. If you trust that Jesus' death on the cross has payed the penalty for your sin you will have eternal life. There is nothing anyone can do to earn heaven, only Jesus can save a person from eternity in hell. You may be persecuted for putting your trust in Jesus but take heart, for anything you lose for Christ on earth God will compensate you in heaven. Obey Christ if you choose Jesus because that is expected of every Christian.

[@bealltho1]

I've found that the simplest way to live with having Asperger's (high functioning autism) is to not get hung up on whether I have friends or not. I look at it this way. My brain is optimized to do solo work, not group projects.

[@revengenerd1]

I did as well at least when younger but I still got lonely, and the older I get the more lonely I get.

[@ryanbaisden6137]

I’d agree, but I end up having friends of convenience, like school peers and work colleagues. Also, team work does generally suck, but I can find a niche of doing my own thing and asking someone else to integrate it into the group work, or go and pick holes and give advice on other’s work. I instinctively agree with the sentiment, but thinking about it it’s more complex than simply that, and integrating in one way or another is excellent for mental health. And if you don’t already I’d recommend finding similar niches.

[@happybubblemanfan]

Yes true and I’m still have social needs- it’s like needing food and not being able to process 75 percent of it

[@bealltho1]

@d spectrum: used to classify something, or suggest that it can be classified, in terms of its position on a scale between two extreme or opposite points. "the left or the right of the political spectrum" Please research more on the topic before you comment in the future. Diagnostic language is not inherently offensive. It's simply a way of communicating as accurately as possible on the state of something and where it lies. I have Asperger's because that's what medical professionals diagnosed me with. I sometimes add the (high functioning autism) because when the diagnoses were combined it became referred to as high functioning autism. Does the concept of IQ cause you emotional distress as well? We're not all the same and it's disingenuous to imply otherwise.

[@davidboss2160]

bro what. i have asbergers and i never thought of it that way but its so true.

[@JeffInThailand65021]

I’m autistic, but I most recently graduated from San Jose State University with a bachelors in software engineering, I’m serving in the Marines, and I’m a California state champion in Muay Thai. Back in my high school days, my mom and the people around me would’ve never imagined me achieving half of what I achieved today because of my condition

[@UserName-ln5ol]

My girlfriend is autistic and is a civil engineer and a college soccer player.

[@backtoasimplelife]

How did you know the people around you never imagined you achieving these things?

[@Fuzmonster59]

Good on you man! Try to get back home from the marine corps alive 👏🤝

[@TSPH1992]

I respect you

[@Jack_howard_mayer]

Most people see autistic people as a weakness but everyone ik who is autistic is really successful don't let peopled opinion's strive who you are we all go threw problems and we learn from them embrace principles and masculinity and you can achieve anything

[@user-lx6pk9os2d]

One of the main positives for me of being an Aspie is a genuinely don't care what people think of me because I just don't feel any connection to them. I always enjoy watching the realisation they have no power over me - really freaks them out.

[@ThatNiceDutchGuy]

You might take a look into Schizoid Personality Disorder. My trigger: "genuinely don't care what people think of me because I just don't feel any connection to them".

[@clicheguevara5282]

I figured that out at a young age. It’s the same for animals. If a prey animal stands its ground without fear, it very often just confuses the hell out of the predator. They don’t know what to do. 😂

[@montycora]

@@ThatNiceDutchGuy - Are you autistic??? I suppose not to say that. it is very hard for us, autistic people, to connect to others and it comes a time in life where we just give up and understand that we just can't connect. It is not a personality disorder, it is a different way of brain wiring that neurotypical people don't understand and perceive us as cold, distant, arrogant and things like that... but we are not, we just can't connect...

[@ThatNiceDutchGuy]

@@montycora I don't have the diagnosis, but in terms of behavior I meet the criteria perfectly. However, I do have the diagnosis I referred you to.

[@montycora]

@@ThatNiceDutchGuy - My apologies then, I feel I have been a bit rude to you. Maybe you might take a look at autism then and look for another professional?

[@anime4life209]

i was told i would never even graduate, let alone be successful in life, thanks to autism, tourette syndrome, ADHD, severe epilepsy, and learning issues. here i am almost 30 years later not only graduated with honors, but also got a job i love, not even a single penny of debt, lots of money in the bank, i'm a martial arts instructor going on 7 years now, and i live on my own. we may have disabilities, but that doesn't mean we're completely broken and worthless.

[@Juggernaut1972]

That's great! My 19 year old daughter is autistic. I had to put her in a dorm. She's now doing things that I didn't know she was capable of. The program is wonderful. I miss her being home, but she loves where she is.

[@cMind607]

I bet your students are the best, I don’t believe I’m on the spectrum but I’ve heard individuals who are explain stuff really well, maybe due to them possessing a deep understanding. Having to find unique ways to understand and to convey if needed. Kudos.

[@anime4life209]

@@cMind607 i try my best to be a good teacher. i hate to see people fail at the things they try so hard at. i've been there and done that and it wasn't fun to put it mildly.

[@cMind607]

@@anime4life209Hey, I view it as I’m trying to give knowledge. If someone’s failing it doesn’t mean you’re a bad teacher. They just gotta get accustomed to it. No one’s a genius overnight, even if their teacher was mr miyagi. U trying to influence that’s all that matters. In elementary school I tried karate and still remember my teacher and classmates, Even if the audience ur teaching Are young kids just know they’ll remember that. I’m faded so I’m gonna stop but don’t think bad abt urself because people don’t understand what you’re saying. Maybe I’ll return when i have a clear head to expand but the worlds complicated and what they think abt u doesn’t always correlate with how u really are. I view it as they’re ignorant and can’t step outta what they perceive to be true In order to understand me.

[@anime4life209]

@@cMind607 oh believe me i never let anybody define who i am and do my best to help those who need it. there's a Vtuber i hold great respect for called Calliope Mori due to her stance on things. in her one song, Off With Their Heads she has a line that reads: "those with devotion to the mission straight devour the weak, an ocean full of competition get your actions to speak. you can't be strong if you give up after just a miss in your streak, i'll say so long with a slight of the Scythe and a light kiss on your cheek" as well as "You going to throw in the towel and quit when your body starts bleeding? you'll say goodbye to glory, next, 'hello' to never succeeding". these two parts i've made my words to live by and have even quoted them to my students if they felt like they weren't doing good enough or they needed a little motivation. the character "Calliope Mori" may be fictional, but the meaning behind those words hits like a bullet.

[@MrWaterbugdesign]

I have Asperger's, 65 year old man. My career was creating software. I worked at more than a dozen startups from video games to creating operating systems and other consumer apps. It has always amazed me that most of the other engineers I worked with were also likely Aspie. We were told often we didn't understand people yet here we were creating games and products people loved. NT people I've known struggle creating products. When I talked to NT engineers it seemed obvious to me they had no idea how NT people work. Aspies have to study people closely to see how they behave because we really don't have a choice if we have any hope of earning a living. NT people must be interacted with on their terms. IMO many Aspies understand NT people very well, but NT people do not like what we see so they reject it. But they love to use the products we create for them. I'm so lucky computers came along when they did, just as I was starting my career. I retired 20 years ago but still write code for fun. I've been a hermit for 3 years which I like. All the downsides of Asperger's went away with solitude. Also lucky I like solitude, not all Aspies do. I feel like the luckiest person in the world.

[@dropbear9526]

I'm aspey and a total recluse. I love my own company, and the company of animals. I was socially distancing decades ago lol I'm 51.

[@padywac1970]

I’m happy you’ve found peace.

[@flowerthencrranger3854]

If possible, can you tell me which games you worked on, just for curiosity.

[@rhllc8166]

You truly know happiness

[@nateshepardson]

Eye opening. I have a three year old daughter who is probably autistic. It fills me with tremendous anxiety, watching someone you love but not being able to connect with them. Your experience warms my soul and gives me great hope. Thanks dood

[@annebrasch-verhagen1771]

I’m a psychologist and I have Autism. It was difficult growing up. Later it all worked out ok.

[@Apxllxn]

Wanna share a rough story of how it worked out?

[@tirididjdjwieidiw1138]

i like the way you kept it concise :)

[@chrisjackson9626]

I'm a 52 year old nurse with autism and I'm still waiting for it to work out OK.

[@khfan4life365]

I’m a woman with Asperger’s. I don’t really see myself as very intelligent, but my dad told me that I have this ability to read any book and remember information from it. He described that my brain is like a sponge, constantly taking in new information and being able to repeat it. Mind you, it only applies to visual information, like books, websites, etc. A lot of times, I forget new information if it’s auditory.

[@theeguy9022]

similar for me except it's auditory i can remember any song i heard once whether that's 5 minutes ago or 10 years

[@babyinvasion]

I'm visual like this as well. I have a photographic visual memory. I also remember music in creepy detail. I totally relate to you!

[@babyinvasion]

@@theeguy9022 me too!

[@Movies2049]

Translates to all senses. They say all memories of all senses are registered. I welcome forgetting things because remembrance of pain and useless trivia isn’t always beneficial. Hearing, sight, olfactory, touch and taste (in sequence) are what I recall. I don’t have anything specific on the so-called spectrum. Intuition is just as important as logic for me

[@evanevanf4033]

I heard females on the spectrum have hyper masculinized faces and that they don’t shave their legs. Plus they tend to be lesbians or LGBTQ because they have male brains as explained in the “extreme male brain” theory of autism. Also I heard autism is caused by prenatal testosterone

[@Carolinacaveman]

im mildly autistic. Its made me have many hyperinterests. jumping from one almsot obsession to the other. negatives. social difficulties. major ones. dating almost impossible. work and education has suffered. takes a very long time to get in the hang of things or to learn something. Also its made me not recognize abuse for long periods of time from relationships and church.

[@estebanb7166]

Do you make music?

[@Carolinacaveman]

@@estebanb7166 had an interest in guitar for a time but never pursued it

[@NoizuStudios]

@@estebanb7166 I'm high functioning autistic and I make noise music

[@estebanb7166]

@@Carolinacaveman Fair enough. Just curious.

[@estebanb7166]

@@NoizuStudios Nice. How did you become interested in playing?

[@Thalasius]

"They don't like people" that hits hard with me, most people frustrate the hell out of me

[@英語わかりません]

They are dumb and frustrating. Things that are certain to you are pure magic to them. You have to explain the most simple things. And they are emotional which is rather frustrating because you can't have a logical conversation with them because their emotion clouds all their ability to reason.

[@Venuzsubliminals]

Thisss!! Me too

[@산드라-p8x]

Maybe I should embrace it more (I have autism)

[@Peakfreud]

It's not always autism, that could very well be ego and being a narcissist with out merit

[@fancyphantom8103]

@@英語わかりません I doubt autism is to blame for that. You just sound narcissistic

[@DudeMaybeSomeday]

I have aspergers and am 35... I have known since a child.. Life was tough man... It's not anymore.. At one point, I had a teacher who told me 'I was as dumb as a box of rocks..' and many others bothered me negatively in different ways. Jokes on them.. I have a beautiful family, a beautiful home and property, and a beautiful life. The trauma pops up from time to time, but I'm here to tell you having a belief in yourself and fighting through the tough times will pay off.. We might develop later, but if you are high functioning, it comes through so purely. You end up so far ahead of others... The joy of this is if you make sure to be kind, you learn how to be awesome and nice while still taking what you need.. At this point in my life I feel above most and not in a negative or egotistical way. I just know what I know and that's enough, and how I am able to live my life and provide proves my point. Find your potential.

[@FlamingCockatiel]

If you don't mind saying, how did you meet your spouse? Without knowing I was on the spectrum at the time, I dated a fellow autistic person, and it was a great experience. Social stuff developed much later for me. Warp-speed society does us no favors.

[@jaguar5455]

My beautiful autistic son just turned 20. He started reading at 22 months. Comprehension has always for the most part been nebulous. He is very frugal with words. He’s like a puppy and a computer. He also has always been so full of joy and mirth. Very affectionate which is unusual for autism. He had an aid throughout school. Currently in a 3 year post grad program that focuses on life skills and job skills. He was mainstreamed and some learning support. He has a beautiful personality even though he doesn’t speak much. I love his mind. He’s good at art and maths and memorizing. It’s like he’s locked inside his mind.

[@InsaneSnipez12]

The way you speak about your Son is beautiful. Thank you for supporting him!

[@muddycatfish5396]

I can tell from your kindly wholesome description of who he is you've been a great supporter and mentor to your son. My name's Nick, I'm a 20 y/o recently diagnosed with Aspergers and I can totally relate to his personality. I started reading at age 3, Dr. Seuss, Ronald Dahl, Margaret Wise Brown, J.K. Rowling, C.S. Lewis, and Rick Riordan were my favorites as a child. I've always adored animals and have a devout enthusiasm for creating art. The year is 2002: My mother was in her late 30s when I was born and my father was a sailor. This meant we had to move to a naval base in Japan while his ship was stationed over in Kuwait, so I lived in Japan with my mom and my brother from ages 3-6. I was in kindergarten in 2007, I was a very playful, curious, and energetic kid. I was on a little soccer team, a boy scout troop, and my best friend was a girl my age who enjoyed art and reading as much as I did. I still talk to her, we've kept up a yearly letter correspondence since we were both 7 years old. Yes, I just wrote one yesterday and walked it up to the post office. Nowadays, I'm going to school at my local university. My class of 2020 high school diploma came through the mail, and there was no walking across a ceremony stage. I also work for an IT company as a help-desk technician, writing my first book on the side. I'm currently reading books about Greek and Roman philosophy, neuroscience, art history, and music production. I know with conviction that one day I'll be a 70-something year old man reading, painting, and writing to the beat of my heart's content. Personally, I have lofty goals and I swear to all that is holy I will work hard so that they don't remain fantastical dreams. :) thanks for reading this super long reply, I wish all the best for your son's wellbeing. It can be quite tough growing up neurodivergent in a neurotypical world, you know. Sometimes it really does feel like I'm glued to my mind, which is a good thing, I think, haha.

[@muddycatfish5396]

p.s. If you happen to notice my profile picture, it's just a dumb random picture I found on Google images when I was 12. I was being silly and I refuse to change it because, in a way, it represents my sense of humor. And I'm never getting rid of my sense of humor, no way Josè.

[@kylev7128]

Wow, this makes me incredibly depressed knowing my only son won’t ever get out of his own mind. My son is 6 (diagnosed autistic), and has difficulty expressing what he wants even though he seems to understand a huge vocabulary. I thought with the therapy he is attending, It could eventually break him out of it, but reading your post kind of extinguished my hope 😞.

[@muddycatfish5396]

@@kylev7128 What a cynical view of reality. I feel for you, really, it must be hard carrying all that guilt and sadness around with you. Your son can "get out of his mind", only with proper guidance and a large amount of empathy. The therapy is a great start, I suggest you work hard to help him understand his diagnosis so he can learn how to make good friends with his peers. Having good friends at age 6 is necessary for the development of his social brain. My parents put me on a soccer team and let me hang out with my friends as I pleased at his age. Best of luck to you and your family!

[@yungalucard9139]

I go through weird phases having autism. Sometimes I’m highly functional at calculated planning, and social Norms. and then other days I lose all that, in favor of creativity and imagination, I sort of get lost in my own head. And when that happens I most of the time can’t be bothered.

[@nathancruz9172]

Me too.

[@astralbeatz9950]

Socialize more often. Your head will clear up and your creativity will return.

[@revengenerd1]

Thats me but because of mental health, I have always done what I felt was best in the moment but only when a traumatic event in my life occured everything slid more and more it was whatever stimulated me before that i.e I would play a game and get so into it I may do something like decide to not go to class as I was that into it, I would go to gym for 30 minutes and be there 3 hours later. But after that event its more like brain says "play game" and I would be like "nah, can't be bothered", If I start it I feel bored straight away but the longer I play the more my brain reacts but still not that stimulated.

[@Katemarieeeee]

What you've described I've heard is called 'executive dsyfunction' it affects the way autistic people may be able to do tasks on one day and not on the next day.

[@yallaintit]

That's normal tho

[@Zhaoimex]

My daughter is autistic, she doesn’t have tantrums; but get scare with some sounds, and have difficulty to formulate full sentences, along with many other factors. Seeing all this comments gives me hope one day my little one will be as successful as you all! Thank you all

[@totomama1621]

@@happycook6737 Elon musk is autisticAlbert Einstein was autistic. One is the richest man in the world and one revolutionized the laws and f physics

[@Zhaoimex]

@@happycook6737 thanks for the comments! Yes we are doing that, in fact there is also language barrier, because my wife is Chinese so we to concentrate using one language only. My biggest issue today is she pull our hair and scratch out face when we correct her in something, I am afraid she will hurt some children at school getting us in trouble. When she see someone angry she almost scratch off the person face. Tonight my daughter scratch my wife eyes big time, very difficult times for us.

[@freedomstar3814]

Your daughter is going to be just fine , give her the best support you can. Let her do the things she enjoys in life :)

[@Zhaoimex]

@@happycook6737 hi there ! Thanks for sharing about your work and life story. I live in China (Dongguan city) for almost 16 years, my wife is Chinese and our daughter born here. She is going to a private school with ABA degree, my wife also teaches her at home after school, she memorized all words very fast, we see some improvements this past year. Last night was the worse one, she hurts my wife big time in her eye and face, she grabs my wife hair and scratch her face like trying to get my wife face close to hers, every time she thinks we are angry ( even we aren’t ) she does that. She hurt the 2 teachers already at kindergarten. I am super afraid she may hurt some kids and get us in big trouble. I tried yesterday hold her and slap her hand and make her sit down, with me works because I am strong; I can hold her back. But others like my wife and mother in law as well as kids can’t hold her back. I will try to use this method of doing same to her, pulling her hairs and scratching her too, it’s not typical but we parents need prepare them to the world no matter how bad it sounds. I also thought about creating a scene where my wife play the role where i pull her hair and scratch her and she slap my hand saying that this can’t happen while our daughter watches; giving our daughter the example or what she can’t do. It’s really hard as parents to hold up all this challenges, financially and emotionally speaking. I spend monthly over 85% of my income on ABA and kindergarten, barely can hold it together. We thought about having a second child only because I am worry one day when my wife and I get old our daughter will be alone, I am from Brazil, no family here at China. Thanks again taking your time and writing.

[@Zhaoimex]

@@happycook6737 thanks a lot for the quick reply. I will print out this reply and take topic by topic in action. She just had a meltdown and start put her hand in our mouth, she uses this behavior to make us change our face expressions from mad to happy, I have scratch inside my mouth and out, I pulled her hair and her mouth the same way she did but unfortunately make things worse, she gets more and more anxious, it’s endless. I will try plan B now, using cards with different face expressions to teach her each.

[@SpartanRamen]

As a fellow High Functioning Autistic, I can best summarize Autism perception like this: You see a white painted wall, I see dried white paint that has cracks from house shifting, brush strokes permanently engraved, bumps from where the paint dripped down. Ngl as a child, it was all overly stimulating and scary at times. I was terrified of escalators because I had no idea how this thing was going up yet it felt like I was falling down, and often I was crying my eyes out. Ironically, I got over my fear when my mom bought me a school book from the Goodwill and I learned about the laws of physics.

[@senyap3924]

Thats very interesting to hear, i find myself doing the same things, and somehow it is satisfying and calming to have your eyes explore and look for all these small details. This actually helps me do my job as a finish carpenter. I have never thought about it as some kind of sign or flag for autism, but just a great attention to detail, until my oldest son got diagnosed, and now i really think that he got it from me.

[@bok4822]

When I first learned that the universe never stops moving, that planets, stars and everything just floats around without stop, i became scared. I think it has to do with how I can't make sense of chaos, and that I got once hit square in the face by one of those thick ropes in the school gyms that was just dangling freely (the knot at the end to be exact). Ever since then I've felt weird when I look at things hanging on thin rope-like structures that does not seem to stop moving, like wrecking balls or candelabras that someone has hit their head on.

[@nataliebutler]

An artist would see all those details too.

[@sarahstudies8149]

My sister has a textured wall with lots of different shaped rectangles on it sloping outwards. Everytime I go to the house my eyes follow the rectangles. I ask her doesn't that wall drive you mad and she says she barely notices it....

[@kailyjamessokame.6028]

Thank you! My son so understands this., And I understand more in turn.

[@tomforsythe7024]

I'm an illustrator, who has Asperger's. The thing that really tripped me up was to how draw things like a pile of leaves. I can draw a particular leaf. I can extrapolate from that to particular kinds of leaves. But a pile of leaves, where the pile is more important than the leaf, is really hard to wrap my head around.

[@artawesome30]

I’m an autistic illustrator, as well! I have a very difficult time with repeating patterns or designs, especially when designing architecture. Characters, I can do. But “coming up” with clever, inorganic design philosophies is such a struggle.

[@ploopybear]

you're implying other illustrators have an easier time with these? Obviously the straightforward approaches of drawing 100 leaves or designing a building are difficult and the question is of frame of mind. personally laziness was a great motivator for overcoming these art struggles >:p

[@rayce9371]

I'm learning about autism and your comment is helpful, thank you. Learning this is very intriguing to me.

[@rayce9371]

Do you mentally generate an image in your head of what you want to draw before drawing it? If so: Does that mean when you envision the leaf turning into multiple leaves (pile) as a thought in your head that the image in your head gets fuzzy / distorted/ incomplete / lack to begin?

[@tomforsythe7024]

@@rayce9371 I prefer drawing from life. The approach I learned in college is to lay out the big shapes, then gradually add details, while correcting errors as I go. When I draw from imagination, I take a geometrical approach. The idea is to think in terms of cubes, cylinders, etc, then apply my knowledge of the subject to the drawing. For example, I would use cylinders for arms, then add anatomical details from knowing the skeleton and insertion points of muscles.

[@6.183]

I'm a borderline autistic and this hit home for me, I am very misunderstood and neglected in all social converse/interactions with family and friends throughout my life. I live alone and a Cosmology student and let me tell you, I have never found happiness like this.

[@legendkillersshittyduffleb932]

Shit I'm sorry your own family that's fucked up if that was me i would well go bye bye you know i couldn't handle that shit

[@MicahMicahel]

One thing is to tell them that in your perspective they acted like psychos. THere's usually some incidents that look like they are the total maniacs on paper. The escape clause for their morals is that everyone misunderstands. It's not their fault, in some sense. You have to completely forgive them for them to surrender their pride. IT's a gift to them if they have a conscience.

[@dcmastermindfirst9418]

I don't understand how anyone can be "borderline" ASD. You either have it or not.

[@uhneeuhnjee1031]

@@dcmastermindfirst9418 You must be saying this as someone with a degree in psychology, right? Not just making baseless assumptions about things you know nothing about?

[@dcmastermindfirst9418]

@@uhneeuhnjee1031 No. I'm someone diagnosed with aspergers. So I have first hand knowledge. You are either on the spectrum or you're not. No baseless assumptions here.

[@gohan78g]

I'm a high functioning autistic and a dad, I have multiple diagnosed disorders, Asperger's, now ASD, Adhd, General Anxiety Disorder, Functioning as an adult, especially in a high pace country like America, can be tough, dealing with stress factors, anxiety and confrontation can cause you to just shut down and go on autopilot, disassociate in bad times, and easily become lazy or complacent. Its also incredibly hard to recognize and act on red flags, I've been abused and manipulated a fair amount in my life due to my gullibility. But.. even with that, and that not being all the negatives, it grants so many boons, intelligence, creativity, hunger for learning, I think of things in unique ways and connect dots differently, Most autistic people i know are HILARIOUS too, i try myself but it don't always work. Autism is a blessing and a curse, but you should never let it define you or hold you down. Much love to everyone out there. ❤️💙

[@happycook6737]

Yes, you and I are the lucky ones on the spectrum but we must not forget the poor people dealing with moderate to severe autism who will always require care. We are the "Centerfold Models" of the disorder, challenging people to think of us as "neurodiverse" as we have success with our fortitude and creativity. I wish all were so fortunate!

[@gohan78g]

@@happycook6737 agreed dude! We're lucky we get to function in the world even if it is difficult, can eventually take care of ourselves. My next door neighbor's grandsons all had varying levels of autism, one of em like me, one of em that could talk but needed care, and one who could only really grunt and flop his arms, they were all very sweet, had some real connecting moments with the latter son, and it helped open my eyes a lot as a child. I'm grateful for the experience and my place. 😊

[@nathancruz9172]

@@happycook6737 I will not tolerate the bullying of people who has autism as I am.

[@happycook6737]

@@nathancruz9172 Yes Nathan, I don't tolerate bullying of people with autism. I also have autism spectrum disorder. As a teacher, I work daily to advocate for kids with autism. However it is neurotypicals who bully. So I have to use methods neurotypicals can understand and social structures. Bullying is a big problem also because some autistics refuse to try to adapt themselves to the world, like my brother. That refusal limits often the autistic person's success and encourages bullying. Example: My brother wore a 3 piece suit to elementary school, used big words so kids couldn't understand what he was saying and laughed at the kids, and told classmates they were stupid. The direct result was bullying. So we must, for every situation, look at what we can do to make the situation better. Bullying is always wrong.

[@revengenerd1]

I have asked for a adhd referral as when I was a teen someone at college mentioned they saw signs of it in me but the waiting list back then to diagnosis was 1-3 years and I moved for work shortly after and about a year ago asked for a rereferral and was just told no funding and instead to put me on anxiety medication! Each time I said I felt worse or no better they upped it even more making me feel dizzy and sickly all the time. I may be anxious but its more depression which is also hard to get a diagnosis for they expect a autistic person to answer questions in a certain way which is confusing to us.

[@willcee4966]

It’s cool to hear that intelligence is basically your ability to absorb translate and use knowledge to your benefit because I’ve recently figured that out haha. One thing I noticed was that people around me would often call EXTREMELY fit people dumb meat heads but I’ve personally always respected them because I see their body as literal proof of their intellect about fitness and health.

[@Stayfocused99]

Very true, all types of intellect are deeply appreciated.

[@Exalted-]

Indeed. Form, being symmetrical/proportional, schedule, diet, recording data and increasing safely. I've thought the same thing before.

[@thepl8gued0ct0r8]

It’s great being extremely fit and having these fat acceptance gurus call you out for it, I just think in my head wouldn’t wanna be them

[@yGKeKe]

That's kind of naive...A lot of the "extremely fit" people out there are taking PEDs that are absolutely destroying their body. Same with people with exceptionally low body fat percentages. Most of them are forcing themselves below where their body chemistry actually wants to be. Their fit bodies are actually the product of an unhealthy lifestyle. Not all of them mind you, but a lot of them.

[@willcee4966]

@@yGKeKe Fitness: the condition of being physically fit and healthy.

[@joostprins3381]

I see a lot of overkill, as many people with Autism, as many different forms of Autism there are. People are different, treat them as such. I, for myself learned at about age 40 I was what they call an autist. Also I learned I had an IQ of 139. It explained a lot for me, the reason why I could not work with a coach when I was a teenager rowing athlete, I became a world champion, without a coach. It explained to me why I can “see” numbers, being terrible with names but never forget a number. It explained to me why I changed my handwriting in a few months when I was 13. It also explained why I’m sacked quit a few times, being totally bored and not seeing this, the feeling is this a trick question or is it really simple. I did my university in 7 years, it took some time but I did it. It explained to me why I hate groups, why I had trouble playing team sports. I’m married for over 25 years now, my wife is the most patient woman in the world (well not statistically), I got two children, a boy, more autistic then me, and a girl with ADHD, we knew from young ages and support them as much as possible, we have only one goal, try to let them be happy, and that, is for us the challenge.

[@Huizar]

BSc. In Mecatronics, I wouldn’t be where I am at without ADHD and Asperger’s. Married, bought a house and doing better that what my parents and teachers would have forecasted. I just embrace “me” and run with it. It has worked so far. Social skills were difficult, I had to essentially “enact them”, I’m pretty good at small talk but I have to consciously “think small talk”. I like heavy detailed conversations, I sincerely do not care about lawn mowing habits or methods nor opinions on “topics” without scientific validation. I am grateful for the way I am “wired”.

[@JesusIsLord2478]

My son and I were diagnosed with high functioning autism and although there are things we really struggle with that the average person doesn't, there are also things we can easily do that others struggle with. It's a blessing and a curse, so you just need to find your strengths and make that your focus in life to succeed.

[@clovismerovingian2239]

Interesting seeing another autistic Christian. Most of the others I've seen are atheists sadly. I'd probably be one too but I've seen too many miraculous things to be an atheist.

[@JesusIsLord2478]

@@clovismerovingian2239 I have been my whole life and it has been confirmed throughout my life. I have seen and personally experienced enough to know it. But even if I had never seen anything, it's the one thing I actually have emotions about. The kind where you have an innate knowing or gut feeling about. The actual things i have experienced are just a confirmation for me. Sadly, many people just don't get to see or experience it so they don't understand.

[@alexslieker9744]

@@JesusIsLord2478 you two are lucky. I have severe autism... I am not so lucky as you high functioning autistics

[@markfennell1167]

I really did not understand what he was saying. So let me just give my own summary on High Functioning Autism: Think of radio antenna which is able to pick up on the lowest power energies, then amplifies the reception a million times. That is Autism. Sensory overload to everything. Abstractions and Visuals: we are actually excellent on these things. We observe, organize, and put together quite nicely. What I think is difficult in this area is an accepted paradigm that makes no sense (which leads to better solutions from Autistic person), or a teacher which didn't give something concrete as example to relate the abstraction. Focus vs Change: Imagine a truck going 80 mph, for 12 hours. Now have a deer cross the road or a sudden turn without warning. That is what happens (at least to me). My mind is whirring so fast, and so intense, that when you throw in an unexpected change, my brain crashes. People: Most people are stupid. Many are fakes and manipulators. Autistic people see through this in a second. Thus don't like people. Then being logical and ethical, we have very few peers, thus loneliness. And while other people live their lives based on non-verbal, we listen to the actual words; thus they don't understand us (not listening), and we don't understand them (their hidden messages of non-verbal). Again, I don't understand what this teacher was trying to tell us, but that is probably because I am an Autistic, and he isn't. The above words are simply my analysis through the years of my life as HF Autistic.

[@pilsnerpappa]

Not everyone is the same. I am autistic and I am completely terrible at visuals. I can't close my mind and see an image. I know when I am about to fall asleep, because then my thoughts turn visual. When I meditate I can enter a state between sleep and awake, switching back and fourth. Then I can think visually, but it is really hard to control since the sleep drifts my mind to other places than the original thought. I think what Peterson is talking about here when he speak about abstraction is not the same thing as you are referring to with abstracting thinking. He speaks about abstraction as a part of language and sorting concepts of the world where there are no clear borders. You can be terrible at that but still be a champ with mathematical and systematic abstractions in a more controlled environment...

[@misss9092]

I’m on the spectrum and wasn’t born hating anyone. It was years of bullying, rejection and lack of acceptance from people that I learned to have a negative view of humanity and decide that I feel comfortable on my own.

[@Aquilenne]

I feel like one of the major issues is simply a focus on depth of understanding over speed. I've found that high functioning autists tend to simply be more reflective than your typical person and attempt to map out what the possible outcomes are, this takes quite a bit of time, as we can often see when observing the number of blunders made between people playing speed chess and when they're playing normal chess. This gives rise to two major problems off the top of my head: 1) Lack of experience. It's pretty simple, more spontaneous action isn't something they're as used to as a typical person. This makes them tend to be less than amazing at spontanious actions when forced into it unless they've actively learned how to conduct themselves. The most obvious example is conversation, as often there is significant pressure not to stop and think deeply about things before responding. 2) Fear of consequences. When you think deeply and consider the outcomes of something, the dangers also become much more visible. I would make a bet that most autistic people aren't the ones marrying the first person that they come across and having unprotected sex before they can realistically support a child for instance, but that risk adversion can sometimes be a major problem in other situations if they don't understand everything, and no one does.

[@whydochair9552]

bingo

[@benjaminpedersen9548]

I am not diagnosed (too well functioning apparently), but I can really relate to this. Though I haven't played much, I am okay at chess, but I am bad at speed chess. I find that I am good at dealing with things that are contained, like mathematical concepts and computers. However, I have a hard time making life decisions and I am bad at seeking information.

[@dropbear9526]

I beat my computer at chess. I noticed the clear patters it uses to win. So, just adopted It's strategy. "If you can't beat 'em. Join 'em" lol Street Fighter and Mortal Combat video games were the same (I'm not a "gamer". Hate video games). Their strategy was to attack, attack, attack, and never take a step back. "Offence is the best defence", right? I played the computer at chess, got on the front foot from the start, and never let up, kept my foot on It's neck, and easily won. Was so easy after that, I got bored about 3 or 4 games later, haven't played since. Life isn't about winning. It's about the challenge and the competition. Winning is just a nice bonus.

[@revengenerd1]

This describes how I feel a lot, its why I was single when I was younger and why mental health hit me so hard. Rather than siezing the day and say asking out someone I liked I would think about the odds, notice how I was nerdy, had a average body and slightly big built, and was used to being seen as weird and mocked and teased from school onwards. For the experience thing I would say I am the type of person who does things very badly and takes far longer to learn something and when its done I master it but still not perfect as I only do it in the way I am used to and don't deviate.

[@MrLOLsteveLOL]

My comorbid ADHD made up for this, but created major issues of a slightly different way. Extreme curiosity, stimulation "chasing" / risk taking behavior, in general more active so I am constantly doing and combined with special interests/obsessions lead to pushing consequences aside in favor of what I am doing now. Here is the bad part, more experiences/falls/failures/embarrassments and many "events" that would just perplex me. So then comes the overthinking that even now too often will it become overwhelming, and personally I have an asshole vivid memory that perpetuates this issue? Learning from mistakes slower/differently, becoming completely averse to countless places/possible situations and even people. I could go on but no one gives a shit and I don't see an end to describing how my brain operates, (like I even could describe it :P) hahaha.

[@orbik_fin]

I learned recently that the cause of basically all autism spectrum disorders is the speed at which synapses degrade (reduction in thickness of protective layer) over time when inactive. An autist is a person whose synapses degrade particularly slowly - or IOW, whose synapses are abnormally long-lasting. I suppose the formation and strengthening of synapses isn't affected. The effect is that small coincidences that most people would forget before consciously perceiving them, remain longer as a "viable interpretation" of neural input - which basically means that the person tends to focus on small details and see lots of patterns in static things. The downside is that such a brain is much slower at adapting to changes in the environment. Once the detail-oriented synapses are formed, there's simply not enough free brain cells left to respond to new input. So the person often fails to perceive "higher level" patterns which rely on some fast-changing low-level patterns. The most common example of this is understanding behavior of other human beings, i.e. social interaction. To an autistic child, people's behavior, facial expressions, emotions etc. are basically incomprehensible noise, unless they behave and speak extremely consistently and predicatably. In non-autistic people, variation in this synapse-degradation-speed parameter is still noticeable in that a low speed corresponds to interest in things, and a high speed to interest in people.

[@orbik_fin]

Actually, this comment was hastily written, and my own interpretation of research misleadingly presented as fact. I didn't really understand how synapse formation and degradation work on the molecular level, and the last bit is just a guess. But it's a tantalizing theory, no? "Not enough free brain cells left to respond" should be "not enough unconnected brain cells left to learn a temporal pattern when prediction fails". Another phenomenon that seems to fit abnormal synapse longevity theory is the tendency to repeat words and sentences, aka palilalia. I used to do this until age 20 or so. Formulating a spoken sentence is hard mental work, iteratively looking for better wordings and checking for mistakes. When you finally say it out loud, the error-checking loop just gets into high gear, but the mouth is still in speak-out-loud mode, because finesse in that department just isn't as relevant. Now at age 30 I've learned to control when speech comes out and when it stays in my head, but the looping of thoughts is still there.

[@travishanson166]

I think there is a bit of relevance in your theory. Would explain inertia to a degree and lingering sounds, events, impressions etc. I believe that the level of fluid adaptation is ever changing and has a proportional nature to your theory. Would also apply to many other psychological abnormalities and how high dollar brain scans show more activity longer in certain areas regarding certain modes of thinking or processing.

[@nuclearcatbaby1131]

It's why I can't clean my room. It seems that it was cleaned not all that long ago and doing weekly chores feels more frequent than it should.

[@GhostSamaritan]

Everything you just posted makes complete and utter sense. I am mildly autistic and can fully relate. I was diagnosed 5 years ago.

[@vintagerealityvr]

Absolutely psudoscience. Unless you post a god damn academic source this is armchair at best

[@PC4USE1]

My brain can do wonderful things and my Aspergers cages me in many ways. It is a paradox. I know others have gotten the "Why aren't you able to do X, you're so intelligent. I think you are just lazy." It amazes me that the people posting in this forum are extremely articulate and yet we are alleged to be "slow to learn language". When I tested I had a 34 on a scale of 50. My I.Q. is supposed to be 145. Yet I cannot do a quadratic equation to save my life. I understand the concept but it seems to me that the numbers are being pulled out of a magician's hat.

[@thisispruf]

Hmmm well I'm going to assume a non autistic taught you the quadratic expression/equation which might be the reason why you don't understand it. Anyone can learn it. You just have to be introduced to it in such a way that it makes sense in terms of the numbers being pulled out of a magicians hat :)

[@Matheus16905]

Then, are you three-ice exceptional?

[@tr-iu1nq]

I have asd and I'm god awful at maths and English

[@user-or4ut2qi3q]

IQ 148. Autistic (not Asperger's). Hyper rational. Got better results in maths than nearly anyone else and put less effort in than nearly everyone else. I love maths. Autistics like me are supposed to obsess on truth and mathematics is the ultimate truth. But I failed English the first time around because I didn't quite understand metaphorical language, although a story I wrote for an English assignment when I was re-doing the classes at a later date came 2nd in a competition which people who actually studied English at a higher level entered. Left uni because of my anxiety, I'm considered disabled by my govt. and I'm still looked after by my parents despite being an adult. It's pretty embarrassing to me and I don't understand it myself how I was named the brightest kid in my school yet the biggest obstacle in my life is not being able to look after myself (yet). It's why I'm not even slightly surprised that outlier high IQs are over-represented in homeless people.

[@chesschess3477]

@@user-or4ut2qi3q I'm assuming you have higher function of (focus) because of the way your better at maths then your class mates question? How long have you been focusing on "looking after yourself" perhaps all you need time

[@RichardJamesStayAtHomeDad]

One of my favorite things about grad school and the PhD office was almost everyone else there was more than likely on the spectrum. It felt comfy.

[@GustavoRodriguez-qr5po]

I met her many years ago, I will always remember her talk on gaining an occupation and how to organize your life. It was really inspiring to say the least.

[@friendlyneighborhoodspider3962]

I'm surprised how accurate you were able to depict everything. Also, I'm impressed with how you were able to simplify a very complex dynamic that is our mind in such a simple way for everyone else to understand. Glad you could at least help others be more understanding.

[@SeanSandberg-j3q]

When, at age 42, I realized that I had Asperger's, I cried incessantly for over five hours. I could not stop. Not tears of grief, but tears of 'thank you God, I finally know what is "wrong" with me!" I then went through the list and; one by one, I purposefully changed each 'odd/not a social norm' attribute on the AMA's 'list of' Aspy characteristics until I had that 'social flaw' conquered. The rest I have realized are a rare blessing of abilities and capabilities not many people possess. Thank you God!

[@jhart1127]

I'm autistic with adhd. I always loved being with people. The problem is I'd go naively like a puppy into social situations and be rejected. I will always enjoy the company of ND's, no matter their outlook or background. I'm happily married with a son and a career in finance. I have around 12 people who I would live and die for and they would do the same for me. Honestly, that's more than enough for me and quite frankly, I probably had a lucky escape from all those silly vapid people I would meet at parties.

[@SupereagleChannel]

Your puppy reference is too relatable

[@kazepg3d]

I’ve literally been putting this into my own thoughts with my own words for as long as I can remember and I’m so glad someone is able to professionally explain these things and it lets me know that all that thinking I did wasn’t just stupid

[@knightFreedom]

Well, I’m sufficiently blown away. I’ve never heard anyone describe how the mind perceives and categorizes iconic representations. When I was a kid, I always wondered why adults couldn’t seem to notice the incredible visual details of the world. Now I realize that they had abstracted the world into icons so that they could survive and act meaningfully. Thanks again, Dr. Peterson.

[@Emily-iy7ev]

Oh man, you’re totally right. That’s exactly why, as adults, it’s much more difficult to notice the details… great point thank you.

[@veronica_._._._]

@@Emily-iy7ev l think many artists were autistic it would explain how they could do what seem like superhuman things to the average person.

[@LucasFernandez-fk8se]

To be honest I notice all the details in the world but I also can create those icons of everything around me. What does that make me ?!

[@veronica_._._._]

@@LucasFernandez-fk8se l do that as an artist, its a very handy cognitive tool ( switching) and although noticing everything uses a lot of brain energy its way better than living in a world that your brain invents, a projection, that looks like really sketchy AI, you wouldn't want to be neurotypical it's a very gray world from what l am told. Massive need for stimulants to compensate. So you are switching from right brain to left brain mode, is a very rough explanation.

[@knightFreedom]

​@@LucasFernandez-fk8se An everyday superhero.

[@adamwatkins8303]

Years ago I started to question why I think the way that I do and in my mind, it made sense to me that autism is more of a spectrum versus a defined problem. Just found a document from when I was in 2nd grade that said I had an advanced method of showing abstract reasoning. Honestly the definition of autism is abstract in itself. This video makes me proud that I wasn’t crazy by self identifying my odd way of thinking. Intelligence and unique thinking should always be hand in hand.

[@pbinsb3437]

Thank you for telling your story. I worked as an assistant in schools with young kids. I loved, loved, loved the kids on the autism spectrum. I found them to be highly intelligent, we need them and need to honor and respect them. We are all on some sort of a spectrum with degrees of capabilities.

[@dropbear9526]

I raced sprint karts. When you start, you get given a mentor kind of thing. They show you how to do everything. It's a controlled class, so everyone has to use the same tires, same fuel, same engines etc. So, everyone pretty much does the same thing in regards to setting up the kart. I think differently, obviously lol. Didn't take genius to work out, that if you do everything the same way as everyone else, you'll get the same results as everyone else. Thinking outside the box, and doing things differently, can be a clear advantage. I won 2x Australasian Titles in 5 years 😁 Different is an advantage. Logic 101.

[@pbinsb3437]

@@dropbear9526 Wow...Brilliant..."if you do everything the same way as everyone else, you'll get the same results as everyone else."

[@dropbear9526]

@@pbinsb3437 One bad part about being a aspey, is not having a good grasp on sarcasm lol

[@dropbear9526]

@@pbinsb3437 I was the first person in the world to buy a new kart that came on the market. Built in Vic, so, wanted to support them. I picked the kart up, practiced a few times and played with the set up. Every change I made produced lower lap times. Saw my main rival at the kart shop during the week, and told him I had his number, and I was gonna flog him this weekend. I'm at the track, he turns up with no kart. I was bummed out, because I knew I could have beaten him. Just before racing started, I see the team truck, of the kart I bought, pull into the parking lot. My main rival arranged a drive in one of their karts, so was going to be in the same kart as me. The team driver of the chassis I was using came over to check my set up. He says "You can't do that, and you can't do this". I said "Don't worry mate, I do things differently". He looked at me like I was a loser. I started last in the first heat, rival started from pole. I was in 2nd after the 3rd turn, shadowed him for most of the race, then past him on the 2nd last lap. The lead changed 4 times on the last lap, I had the race in the bag, and he punted me off the track in the last corner. I still finished 2nd. And that was the race I'll take to my grave. I checked his kart before the next heat, they were running the same set up as me. He kicked my ass in the 2nd heat, and I started from pole, he started from last lol It's not about winning, It's about the challenge in trying to win. The race I'm proudest of, was a 2nd place finish. I hope you sleep better knowing that.

[@karolinaska6836]

I was diagnosed with level 1 autism in my 40s. His explanation of abstractions explains nicely why I need labels to understand what's going on. People so often chastise me for wanting to put things into boxes, but without that as a starting point, I cannot process information. This includes labeling people. In fact, this very need is why I pursued an evaluation for autism, and just as I thought, that label of autistic has been a game changer for me. My life, my quirks, my strengths and weaknesses all make sense when I see them through this label, this box called autism. Once I have the label, then I am able to slowly move away from it and understand that people and things are flexible and changing. But I must have that initial starting point be clearly delineated.

[@jararacavoadora5868]

very cool!

[@crystalclear3562]

How did you get a diagnosis ? My friend (female) is struggling to find a qualified person to diagnose her.

[@claireanctil]

Wow this makes so much sense

[@jasonray8702]

Wow, I completely understand that. I have found that dealing on the fly with solving new problems that arise that I have no basis of experience or information for is impossible because the possible combinations to arrive at the "right answer" is infinite and therefore impossible to determine in a fraction of a second of time. I need those "labels" and "boxes" as the foundation for my hierarchy of knowledge so that when new problems do arise, even if I don't have complete knowledge or information, having that foundation drastically cuts infinite possibilities into at least a finite number of options with some candidates immediately presenting stronger passable solutions. And even if I haven't chosen the best answer or "right" answer I have something that is workable without having to overload, shut down from trying to frantically parse infinite possibilities, and do a deep analysis of the situation to reverse engineer how and why I got there in order to update the "labels" and "boxes" to cover possible analogs of the problem in the future. I will still likely do the in depth reverse engineering portion later after the issue has been resolved but, again, for a time restrained, on the fly solution this strategy is crucial for me.

[@carolgarrett1786]

YES! You described that very well. Thank you.

[@shaundas12]

My highest functioning child with autism understands complex issues that I can barely understand. My child with severe autism doesn't understand why people should not eat poop. Autism is such a spectrum.

[@timothyblazer1749]

Ms Grandin is correct, but not in all cases. When I was young, I somehow learned to read at the age of 3, by myself. My mother was shocked to find me reading on my own. I, of course, don't remember this... In my case, my language skills still sucked, in terms of social interaction. But my vocabulary was phenomenal, and by age 5 I was reading at an estimated 8th grade level. My entire life I have devoured books! As a result, I can abstract, but it seems that the way I do it is different. For me, that abstraction is a deconstructed image made up of language, over time, expressed in a symbol..like letters. Like hieroglyphics. So apparently I understand these icons better than most normies. I still think of a particular church, as she said, but I also instantly understand iconography, if I have been exposed to it in its context. It is not true that ASD people cannot abstract...only that they do it differently, if they learn how. That's the key...learning how.

[@katnisseverdeen81]

That's interesting, thank you. My daughter with asperger's also read on her own at age 3, and that was a shock to me of course. I've always enjoyed reading, and read to her often from her birth on, though it seemed like she wasn't very interested. Then one day I walked into her room, and she was reading on her own. Amazing.

[@blackiechan1053]

I wasn't taught how to speak English before kindergarten because of Immigrant parents and after starting school I learned how to write after around 1 year of school(only taught reading in school). Although my grammar sucks right now because of Autism(overthinking everything) and starting later. Since I'm not Christian I don't really recall any churches and generalise them in my head but for my religion(Sikhism) it stands firm at 100%. And I am able to abstract better than most by my own little mental process.

[@rp-wn5or]

Also I think people who have mild autism/aspergers learn to abstract by consuming as much media/books/information possible (I loved books/documentaries/and staring…which doesn’t come off well others haha) to keep in mind as many examples as possible…which get categorized and archived in our “abstractable examples”(?) idk if that’s the right term

[@dotanon]

I think most of these traits of autism that people bring up are always mainly based on children who have yet to develop any coping mechanisms. Not understanding non-verbal communication for example is an inherent difficulty that can absolutely be improved with experience and observation. Taking things literally does not mean you can't learn how to interpret figurative language, it is more a matter of first appreciating words by their literal meaning and then actively abstracting it until you figure out via context what the person is likely trying to convey. This manifests as taking things literally until one has had enough exposure to differentiate. Eye contact is something that doesn't make intuitive sense until you start to understand why people do it, and once you understand that you can start to get an idea of how often one should do it (like when you're listening, it enforces that you're paying attention). One sided monologuing and poor reciprocal social skills are also something that you eventually understand. You can see people losing interest and once you learn how to diagnose that then you can learn when to say "anyway..." and change the topic. And people LOVE being asked questions about their hobbies and jobs etc. I just ask things I genuinely want to know. Like I met a guy who worked at a wine farm and I just asked questions I had actually been curious about in the past, like what kind of wines they make and the difference, how long it takes to age, grape varieties and their differences, etc. Obviously too much and it becomes an interrogation, but it's kind of fun letting people talk about the things they do. Once one understands all these things it's very possible to never have anyone suspect you aren't normal. But it takes so much energy to try to do all of these normally intuitive things with logic.

[@afuzzycreature8387]

Grandin would admit that autism/aspergers has different manifestations. I know her co-author on that one important book, whose name escapes me, presents very different. So you can't put all things under the same umbrella. /// I had my own issues where I didn't speak until I was 3 but was full sentences and reading when I was 4. Today I think we suspect I'm more high anxiety (and worse, an extrovert!) though that doesn't explain the issue about not speaking so much. I can high level abstract so that throws out that possibility for me.

[@jaredbanister6880]

I have high functioning autism and when I was younger I didn't like change or being around people. We are very observant of our surroundings but we have a hard time recognizing social cues.

[@nathancruz9172]

Me too.

[@chrisbab6553]

Autism is pure blackpill.

[@edwinamendelssohn5129]

That's a generalization. My granddaughter loves people.

[@prodigalson1870]

He’s an arrogant, ignorant ass that other ignorant asses have put on a pedestal.

[@MJ-wi1tc]

He just explained how occult symbology is used, symbols are composite ideas compressed into a 3D visual image that is held in the mind, it’s a way of data chunking.. the symbols are then used to focus one’s intent upon. Peterson is brilliant absolutely brilliant

[@Entropic0]

Intelligence in general is highly associated with abstract thinking. It's not just an autism thing. Most modes of thought boil down to abstraction in some form or another, and more intelligent people can handle more complex modes of abstraction. For example, nesting or recursion. Less intelligent people struggle with even simple modes of abstraction like theoreticals, e.g. "How would you have felt if you hadn't eaten lunch yesterday?" to which they will respond "But I did eat lunch."

[@kaityrad8376]

I struggle with hypotheticals in some situations. I don’t think it has to do with lack of intelligence though.

[@parmachine470]

Discovered I was autistic at 67years. It fit in with being a socially awkward and a hermit. Been trying to separate actual intelligence from knowledge and high IQ for a long time. Feynman and Einstein certainly had more useful minds than Madonna but you wouldn't know it by IQ. Lots of students easily pass med school but are not that good at cognition and abstraction and are not required to be. Recursion and nesting are of course very similar. At 72 years old recursion is my main interest. I take an internet course from a guy named Alvin. He easily manipulates recursion and makes it fun. It would be futile to in some way try to measure Alvin's intellect.

[@-teamsukiandcorny-]

This so so accurate. It’s also how things are for me being dyslexic. I wasn’t aware I was autistic and have adhd till I was 16, but when my mom and I found out about it, my life suddenly made sense. I couldn’t speak words properly till after I turned five, and I deeply struggled with learning how to read until I was 10. Sudden change, or things being moved around slightly in my home or in public are somthing that has always set me off. I take months to get used to something new, thankfully I’ve gotten a bit better at it the older I get.

[@Skoopyghost]

You have to be intelligent to be dyslexic other you can't get the diagnosis. In the music world. The most normal person is the person with ADHD. I could just be coping as a person with way too many ND disorders to count.

[@RexFuturi]

I was a gifted student in school, highest scorer in my district on the PSAT the year I took it, and generally demonstrated to be of advanced intelligence. As an adult, my wife has pressed me to look for an Autism Spectrum diagnosis because I have many signature behaviors, but diagnosing adults is not a priority. Two of my 5 children are autistic, and the other 3 show varying signs of neuro-diversity. One of those was confirmed as vaccine damaged as an infant, but he is the most "normal" of the kids today. Thankfully, both of my ASD kids seem to be high-functioning, though the youngest is still non-verbal at 4 years old. But the world is not prepared to deal with the number of autistic adults it will soon have nor the increasing number of children every year.

[@stephenziga2319]

Wow. What a story. I'm high functioning autistic person. I was so different since childhood, and just last month, I self diagnosed as autistic. It was easy once I started reading about ASD, I had all the symptoms all along, with extreme hypersensitivity to light and sound.

[@Rugonnabeok]

How was he confirmed as a vaccine damaged? I mean, is there a test? Ty.

[@RexFuturi]

@Rugonnabeok They did a bunch of tests, but I don't believe damage can be tested for specifically. Our son saw a specialist for a while, but very few doctors would ever diagnose vaccine damage. Doctors lose licenses for that kind of stuff.

[@nneichan9353]

Asperger's here. Found out when I was 50. Boy, did that clear up some things! But while some of these ideas are familiar, I don't have all of these traits at all. Every hospital I worked at, it took me a year to get comfortable, when I knew all the relevant phone numbers, and when I knew where everything was.

[@jamestownley9129]

Asperger is a different thing in usa

[@TGNXAR]

@@jamestownley9129 It's still on the spectrum.

[@TGNXAR]

What did you do to find out? I suspect I might be, but since I'm older and have learned how to interact with people, I got one person tell me "Oh, you couldn't be" after asking a single question.

[@nneichan9353]

@@TGNXAR Saw a therapist and she said read this. it was an article about Aspergers and she asked if it was familiar to me. I said it sounded like me, and she agreed.

[@TGNXAR]

@@nneichan9353 I had a therapist ask one question, then say "nope." Even though I know a guy with Asperger's, 25 years younger, whose behavior is just like mine at that age. Not to mention that I have had friends tell me that I behave a certain way which matches the behavior I have read about. I'd like to have someone check it out with me, but I'm leery about spending money on someone who might just poo poo my concerns like that one did.

[@The_knife_master6661]

As someone who's on the spectrum who can do math in their head 99% of the time I always was accused of cheating throughout school in math class because I was always the first in class to finish the paper and would always get 100% on tests despite never studying and never showing my work and I only had one math teacher that understood me. He was at first skeptical about me cheating but he put me to the side one day at school and he handed me the test he planned on using at the end of the course and he watched me take the test (algebra 1 as a 7th grader the class i was in was the gifted class) and after I completed the test which was 15 questions in 5 minutes and got all questions right and I didn't cheat and he was shook and never accused me of cheating in his class again. Point is just because someone can speed run a test in 5 minutes doesn't mean they're cheating work with them and see how they think because they just might think different than you and you gotta accept how they get the answer no matter if they're method is different than yours

[@ExeErdna]

The school system conditioned people to think rigidly when really every child has a different learn style and technical needs. When these are met they all can be "smart" and shine in their own ways.

[@dropbear9526]

My Aspey daughter got 100% in math methods, in every test, and never studied. She ended up sacking her teacher, with permission from the principle. Actually, she sacked a few teachers and set her own curriculum. I. Aspey as well, left school in the 5th grade. You can't BS a BS artist. My savant skill is detecting lies. I played competition darts. When you're scoring, you're under pressure. I was the best scorer in the team, did most of the scoring. Same as my shoe laces, I don't do math like most others, I have my own process. And yes, can only do it in my head.

[@eternalillusion]

That's nice you had at least one good teacher. If my k-12 and college education experience has taught me anything, its to play dumb and keep my mouth shut at all times if i'm not looking to get reprimanded for thinking outside the box too much.

[@gothboschincarnate3931]

when i was a kid i went went from "see spot, see spot run" books directly to too scientific Britannica's and suchlike. I barely remember learning to read or write. but i could never comprehend math. the book closed and i would nearly lose all comprehension of math. Was entirely frustrating and ruined my whole life.

[@dropbear9526]

@@gothboschincarnate3931 I sucked at math, until I started playing competition darts lol When you're scoring, the pressure is on.

[@daleboice2081]

Every time I hear Jordon Peterson talk I learn something. I really enjoy how he explains concepts.

[@robTCGZ]

I'm 30 years, and I have Asperger's. I'm not particularly intelligent, but I'm doing well. I struggle with general social interaction and emotional situations. My mother decided not to have me treated or anything like that because she considered getting used to having special treatment would be a detriment later in life. I think she was right. Iearned to adapt.

[@sallybaddeley6060]

Temple's mother didn't work her way out of her autism. Autism is an incurable condition. Temple just did/does well with autism.

[@bangbong32]

one trick i use at work, to compensate for my lack of 'priority understanding' due to neurotypicals summarizing and assuming i just get hints, is to point blank ask priorities. to get direct answers about timing, urgency and how it will affect the rest of my job

[@talongreenlee7704]

I have Asperger’s, and my dad is a high school English teacher. I actually FOCUS on my ability to understand language to an extremely precise and granular level to be able to understand the world. It’s probably because of my dad that I understand language as well as I do, but I think it’s still very interesting that he says that autistic people tend to have difficulty with language, because that has not been my experience.

[@ethanengland6186]

I agree. I'm great at language learning and I'm autistic.

[@GuineaPig361]

I think he means spoken language, not written language. I'm autistic and have great written language but mediocre spoken language.

[@ethanengland6186]

@@GuineaPig361 I'm proficient at both

[@Letycs]

@@ethanengland6186 I mean good for y'all if you don't have those issues, but stereotypes exist for a reason. The *majority* of people with autism have trouble with social skills, including my own bf. It's not an inherently bad thing to point out, it's just true. There's no reason for anyone to be offended about it, which people clearly are because so many people are using their anecdotal experience to criticize what a majority of people deal with. There will always be outliers, exceptions to the rule. If you're autistic and communicate well socially (mostly verbally), you're simply an outlier in the equation.

[@happycook6737]

It is my experience Aspies can easily learn many languages however we are weak in understanding subtile nuances of language and often speak with extreme precision enjoying formal, academic language with very big words and speaking long rants AT people instead of typical conversations with people. I have Asperger's and must carefully monitor my every behavior and conversation to make sure I "fit in", pass for neurotypical, etc. I find most neurotypicals incredibly boring as they watch silly movies/tv shows, play mind numbing video games, spend their cash on unnecessary things and complain they are poor, etc. But life is all about choices and I mind my own business. Being Aspie has given me the ability to learn several languages, work overseas stepping in/out of cultures, etc. However I picked a career (teaching) that most Aspies don't pick. I do regret my career choice because now I am older, I don't have the patience or energy to deal with idiot "woke" colleagues who experiment on their students which leads to learning loss and chaos in childrens' lives. I should have done engineering or computers instead. Would have been an easier life. To Aspies out there-- always pick a career in an area of your strength or gifting

[@Tker1970]

My 8YO grandson is autistic. He's smart, funny, loving, kind. He's a hero of mine. I am always looking for ways to help set him up for success.

[@MatthewElliott]

Im autistic, i am in the top 4% of income earners and top 6% for net worth in my country Australia but am still relativly young i am hoping to make 1% one day. Social interaction with groups stress me out i have read a lot of books on sociology and body language to help but i feel like a robot when talking to people. I wish i was not autistic but then i would not be as good as my job or have the motivation to get along well with people so it has helped. You can improve your situation if you are autistic im not the smartest person but am very focused on improving myself. I say the wrong things to people so keep interactions minimal, i have fucked up so many dates lol. Good luck fellow autistics you can lead what society calls a sucessful life although conecting with people is hard for me (its not them its me) I hope I did not come off as braging just telling you all you can do what ever you want there are autistic people much more sucessful than me you can make it

[@staceyclement6590]

I'm autistic and just lost my business. Tips please 🤣

[@ahk9838]

@@staceyclement6590 be always pragmatic dont act based on emotions, specially when dealing with your own $$

[@AK-fu8ij]

i personally do not care about "making it" in the sense that you describe in the slightest - i have no care to please neurotypicals and will most likely end up living in my van in the woods one day

[@Boyblunder2k9]

Yeah because success in life is all about how much money you make. C’mon man.

[@isaacdepina5010]

How did you achieve this?

[@cptcap7531]

I got ADHD and Aspergers aswell as speech problems. I’ve progressed alot throughout my 23 years but I’ve also been through really hard times. I’ve been depressed and suicidal for several years now and I’ve tried to end it a few times but I just couldnt get myself to go all the way. Deep down I want to live but I just don’t wanna suffer anymore. I have high intelligence but I don’t know what to use it for because it doesnt feel like I fit in anywhere. I apologize if my English is bad, it’s my third language.

[@tomwaitsfornoone1]

Please checkout Owen Cook he is a self help and social skills teacher who grew up with light level autism. His work changed my life.

[@jamenb7344]

Don't give up. A man doesn't really get much figured out before 30, and he doesn't know how to use what he has learned for a few more years yet. I've been suicidal before, if you get through it; life gets better. Hope all is well for you. Message me if you don't have anyone to talk to. My boys are autistic and doing well, you will too. I believe in you bud.

[@americanmilitiaman88]

Same here. I have ADHD Aspergers. Im 33 and its still hard for me to tell anyone. I think it was the early intervention of parents and teachers that set me up for success. Regular school graduated on my own. Served 6 years in the Navy. Got out and now have a wife and great job and bought my own house. I want regular people to see me as a little different not someone that cant take care of myself. My parents worried about me the most but turns out i needed no help and jumped into the adult world at 18 and never looked back

[@americanmilitiaman88]

Suicidal thoughts jump into my mind often for no real reason. A couple of attempts in my darker days that i dont tell anyone about. What stopped me is visualizing how devastated my family and friends would be. I have lost 4 close friends to suicide. The hard times they were dealing with were temporary and Unfortunalty they hid their problems well

[@DkKombo]

Me too

[@fu2974]

Me and my wife have a 3 year old that has severe autism, it's really hard to take it one day at a time with this situation. Some days as a father I become very frustrated because he can't speak or doesn't feel the need to.Then all of a sudden my boy surprises the hell out of me. He has remembered 3 pass codes to our cell phones(thats numbers and patterns),surfes netflix,KZbin, and about 2 or 3 more app's like a champ. Also he turns the tv audio on which takes me 30 minutes to straighten out. If I could only get him to say nasic words. He in my mind is my little superman he just doesn't know it yet.

[@anissareed7820]

My son is autistic as well. He was proverbal as well and now we can get him to stop talking. I noticed that he liked visual simulation and his SP suggested sign language. It was a little slow to start with...his looks of 'what is this' were frustrating, but funny. Soon he discovered baby signing time of his tablet and took off. He loved that he could communicate with me. He was less frustrated and so was I. Everything evolved from there...and like I said before we can't get him to stop talking, but still amazed that he is talking.

[@divinebeing2476]

I'm autistic 28 year old male who has been rejected by mom and family because I am not good enough for what they want I don't have any one who cares about me other than my girlfriend

[@fu2974]

@@divinebeing2476You just keep being yourself. Don't ever sell out. As a person who probably also an autistic person according to some of the common traits I was also treated very harshly by the world in which I grew up in but I always remained defiant to those who acted that way towards me. It's a lesson I learned growing up so when I had my little boy with autism I would be as patient on the outside towards him and as mean as a rattlesnake towards anyone who will ever try to hurt him or put him down. I don't know you but as a person I can tell you that you are a fighter. There is a quote I read when I was in 3rd grade from a medal of honor recipient from the Vietnam war that said, " you don't lose until you quit " so the hell with the past kid. Keep moving. 👍👍

[@powerthroughfocus]

A-Dads stand up. You are not alone fam. Keep being the calm in the storm for him. Be the exact example of what you want for him. He will continue to surprise you. I have 3 Autistic kids.

[@heartpath1]

Check out Relationship Development Intervention. It is an incredible approach to developing dynamic thinking, communication, and independence. Good luck to you guys!

[@1833-j4g]

This is one of the most brilliant things I've ever heard. As an autistic person I think this is spot on insight into how we think.

[@lewisner]

All his stuff is brilliant. Watch his lecture "Why Hitler was even more evil than you think".

[@erika9353]

I'm autistic and have traveled to ten different countries and did my Master's in Japan. I'm originally from Idaho. Most of the issues I've had have been with others being ass holes to be because I communicate differently.

[@Aryan111ize]

train your brain to be asshole when you need tobe by doing that thing over and over

[@Doubleranged1]

He is wrong about abstractions. I am autistic and finding abstractions is one of my greatest talents. If anything can be learned from autism it is that generalisations and abstraction about autism are wrong.

[@jongordon7914]

He's speaking in the aggregate. There's no perfect point of level of Autism to be considered Autistic where everyone does the exact same thing. No group of people anywhere do everything exactly the same, but we can draw general conclusions of behavior in the aggregate.

[@riverdonoghue9992]

I agree. Im very abstract and I know many Autistic abstract poets and artists.

[@nemonomen3340]

While I'm not an expert on the subject, I am autistic and I, personally, never felt significant difficulty in abstracting different concepts. I do love to think in literal and logical terms, but actually I spend the majority of my time thinking flexibly. IDK, maybe I trained myself out of it at some point.

[@sugarapsa]

in all my research since being diagnosed with autism, i’ve never come across anything about abstracting different concepts. i’m a little confused where peterson got this idea

[@mrhost561]

I feel the same way. While I understand and can "manipulate" abstractions, I also understand that everything is individual. I often felt myself frustrated with people relying too much on abstractions from other situations rather than focusing on the details of the individual, present situation.

[@albinalteborn]

Im a neurotypical i think, and to me it feels like my brain is too lazy to spend energy objectively judging every situation I’m in. Relying on abstractions saves energy and time and gets you where you need to be. Although maybe not as thoroughly as an asd person would do it, it works.

[@albinalteborn]

I’m more focused on the inner state of people around me, not the actual conversation in and of itself. Heard that it’s the opposite for people with autism.

[@nemonomen3340]

​@@albinalteborn I'd say that's an accurate generalization. Not always true, but usually I only hear what people say and not what they're thinking/feeling. At times I'll make the active effort to think about how people are thinking and feeling, but generally it's not during the actual conversation. And if it's blatantly obvious that someone's in distress, I just kinda stand there feeling guilty and worthless because I don't know what to do to help them. Obviously words of comfort and maybe a bit of soothing physical contact are often part of it, but I'm always wondering "Are we actually close enough for a hug? Is this the right situation? I'm not very confident so it'll probably just come across awkwardly. What are the right words? Do I actually mean them? Will they get the wrong idea?" It can be a nightmare.

[@cathrinethomsen8506]

I have Aspergers. When I'm at work, a lot of information has to be adapted to me. The boss often has to reformulate from the abstract level to the concrete level. I work in a supermarket where I make food, for example sandwiches, etc. If a customer is not completely specific, then I often do not understand what the customer wants.

[@alf73]

I don't think simple and repetitive tasks work well for autism especially (social tasks that sap away at the autistic) in this scenario. I advise you to do what you enjoy and do not get stuck, strive for more all the time and to keep listening to Jordan Peterson.

[@bubblessob]

I learned more in this 10 minute clip from Peterson about education than I did in 4 years of earning a masters degree in education.

[@BA-ef4pr]

All it takes is 1 or more great speakers to be more valuable than a masters degree.

[@ajm5007]

"Tell me you're undereducated without saying you're undereducated." "I GoT mY BeSt EdJmAcAsHuN fRoM tEh YoUtUbEs!"

[@jericawilson1484]

@@ajm5007 Oh come on dude, if you've really got that sort of attitude towards KZbin then you're missing out. I'm not saying there's not a ton of misinformation on here, and I'm not even advocating for Jordan Peterson. But this platform is *powerful*. This is the new Agora, and there are brilliant people on here creating and maintaining thoughts and theories and records for all to see. There are dumbasses too, but that's unavoidable. On the other side of the coin, our education system is like a chair with 3 legs right now (I speak as a US citizen). It's still mostly functional and beneficial, but wobbly and definitely in need of fixing.

[@ajm5007]

@@jericawilson1484

[@fabiankoenders5773]

Dr. Peterson is very right with his abstract thoerem. I have autism my self and have extreme difficulty with this, especially while learning programming. The thing I most stumble on is using the previous "general" knowledge I learned and applying it to "generalized" examples.

[@GlassButterfly12]

Interesting breakdown. As an HFA, I always had trouble communicating the visuals I saw in my mind in a way that other people can understand them, and I suppose Peterson's explanation of what Temple Grandin said does make sense. I'd been hoping to see Peterson delve into autism a little bit, mostly as to how someone with High Functioning Autism can figure out the abstracts represented in symbolism. While I can grasp metaphor and simile, it takes a while for me to sort it out first, sort of like putting together a puzzle where I play match the symbolic item to the possible meaning and keep doing that until the statement begins to make sense. And he's right - I avoid interacting with people as much as possible because they almost never behave in a consistent manner from day to day, which in turn creates a problem for me in trying to approach them and then to communicate with them.

[@kathiefleming2830]

As a grandmother of a 7 yrold on the spectrum scale for Autism I’ve had to get acquainted over the last 5 years with the Epidemic of autism since 1989. As a young nurse in 1973, never taught anything on it, as a mother in 1982 where my son got few vaccines compared to hundreds now. My grandson is very high on spectrum now, tested as high genius in math, reads since 3, reads all words, driven to read wherever he finds words , perfect pitch and plays piano Not genius like but understands the pattern and chords since 3. Seen the Temple movie helped me understand learning from an autistic persons POV and hopeful not behave as some ignorant people do. We have to get educated because autism effects a majority of ppl in USA now. Science needs to start telling the empirical facts about the cause!

[@curucach5366]

I go mad when people move my things. It's like I've entered another dimension and nothing makes sense anymore.

[@baileymeadows333]

I've got aspergers, and my experience has been... Fortunate, honestly. I was raised and taught to see perception and think in the abstract, and it's not perfect and I'm no social butterfly by any stretch, but while I get discomfited easily by things as minor as a chair being out of place, or my shirt being wet, I can ignore it. I'm fortunate in this, and not ALWAYS able to, sometimes I've GOT to move that chair back, or change my shirt. Almost a compulsion, and it confuses me to feel it, knowing from my raising that it's not logical to do so. But still unable to stop myself. It's interesting. Sometimes, but not very often, problematic. Makes me really good at strategy games and things like Sim City or Zoo Tycoon.

[@adrienneanderson-smith2257]

I always enjoyed being the one who could find the four leaf clover!

[@mkm0575]

I'm autistic and this is 100% true. I like to write and think about characters and scenarios for stories but I can't think of a setting or person on my own. I have to picture someone I know or a place I have been or seen. I had no idea this was related to autism.

[@turtleanton6539]

Try fan fiction😊

[@wesleyblake6249]

I kind of relate to this too. I can come up with the idea but lots more of the physical designs are usually based off of something that already exists.

[@LAM1895]

I’ve come to realize how powerful the saying "context is everything" is over the years. It may sound cliché and obvious to many, but I feel we don’t realize how deep and how true that is until we have a certain amount of life experience. Like it is said in this video, how we view things will change depending on our goal. The goal, the information we pull out of our memory and the filter we apply on what we judge is unrelated information to achieve the goal is the context. So depending on the context in your mind, the same conversation can be interpreted vastly differently. It’s like a computer that has a bunch of variables in memory and will output a whole different answer depending on what values they contain, which is probably why in computing science the parameters of a function is also known as the context of said fonction. Since I was young I always hated when adults would say "you will understand when you’re older" to me, because I felt that if they explained it to me I could understand it. But when I got older I realized that knowing something in theory and practically is not the same thing at all. In theory you lack information and therefore context, which means you cannot understand the topic fully. You often have to go through the situation to understand all the details and have a fresh image of it in mind. But not everyone will live said situation the same, because we don’t have the same experience, perception and state of mind when it happens. I think all the different points of view which are the result of an individual going through life are important, because by adding them we can construct a wider and more detailed context of any situation, which we can use to solve any problem more thoroughly. Of course it requires effective communication between the parties and an open mind to not restrain the context too much.

[@michaeljackson8857]

This is true to my own experience. However if you are with and in love with another human being and they no matter what occurs only sees there own view and does not ever have the capacity to see your view it's torture. You cannot ever breakthrough. No matter how you put that view across. Hysterical out of fear you will lose them. Quietly so they will see or just begging the outcome is the same. Nothing is ever resolved and everything is your fault. It's exhausting. All it does is make them hate you no matter how you say something. How dare you hurt there feelings. It does not matter that you are fighting your heart out for your marriage that you cherish. Sadly it takes decades to realise that asking them something starts the spiral of hate towards you. Anyway we are all human and I believe most of us if tested would be on a spectrum of some sorts. Good luck everyone out there. Don't lose yourself loving someone who doesn't see you as human but is happy to trample on your humanity.

[@zachmueller2912]

Dr. Peterson is so complex and thorough with his explanations. My cousin is autistic, I've always wondered how his brain works and he dumbed it down for me in a way that makes total sense.

[@petronusromanus5218]

1*100 10*10 100*1 100=100=100 All Neurological Configurations Are Intrinsically Equal.

[@set_your_heart_ablaze-444]

@Zach Mueller. That wasnt a good explanation though, since we can form abstractions very well, and learn languages pretty quick. Take me for example, I learnt English and a bit of French and a bit of Korean by only 16 years of age. It's the conversation part that we struggle with a lot of the time. Also the trouble with abstractions is only when it's other ppl's abstractions which we don't understand because we didn't come up with it, the skeletal structure of that abstraction is unfamiliar and that's what causes confusion. I hope I cleared it up

[@veronica_._._._]

@@set_your_heart_ablaze-444 As an Artist l have to process information my way, or it won't stick. l feel that "typical" people take in information as ready made packages, and just store them according to a ready made plan and then they derive superficial identity and group identity from "owning" those packages. Which leads to pseudo inviduation, but high social cohesion to the group. I've taught myself to be comfortable with cognitive dissonance, comfortable with lack of closure, l have my own idiosyncratic way that my brain stores knowledge. I could care less that that consequently makes me different, Being able to trouble shoot ideas is my life blood. The fact that these ideas are consistently ahead of the curve is not my problem. As creativity and innovation is my oxygen. Most discussions about outliers are measured against the standards of the majority, in numbers, are about how is "the other" different? We should be lobbying to give all cognitive types equal weight and discuss how is the majority being oversocialised and automated counterproductive? Discuss how this automaton like behaviour handicaps our fast changing complex culture, with antiquated and not fit for purpose institutions, and an ever nascent tendancy for mass formation.

[@twbeosl]

I'm sorry. This lecture seemed like a rambling pastiche of surface observations to me. It seemed to be more about keeping people focused on him as an explainer of all things than making any case for the validity of anything he was saying.

[@set_your_heart_ablaze-444]

@@veronica_._._._ Absolutely on point there. We need to talk about how the mass mentality of being normal is very harmful, there are organizations willing to eradict certain kinds of diversity because they think it's wrong like AutismSpeaks. And they get a ton of funding?!! People just can't stomach the fact that someone is different from them in even the basic things. Since there's already misinformation that's spread its even harder to help ppl understand the reality. Although, I am glad that in certain curriculums they're improving the language and content about different conditions and disorders so as to not dehumanise them

[@Craftsworldsocial]

This is funny because when you are in higher level art classes these concepts come up in relation to drawing, artists are forced to try and not use iconography in their studies because artists need to develop a higher level of visual perceptions or visual library. So in a lot of ways when you draw you have to draw like how a person with autism thinks, which makes me think of how a lot of tend to be “on the spectrum”

[@Xianomega]

As someone with Asperger's and a huge fan of Dr. Peterson, I like the train of thought he's on, and I think it's the right train of thought (I've been on it before), but he hasn't followed it deeply enough to its conclusion. I suspect he will someday, though. Even though Peterson says things in a definite, forthright way, they're really ideas that haven't finished growing yet. This isn't a bad thing; an idea that's still growing, still unripe, so to speak, is an idea that has the power to affect one who hears it more than an idea that is fixed, definite, rigid, complete in itself. In other words, for Peterson, it's the dynamic thinking process that links together and generates his ideas which is more important than any one thing he says. That's what gives him his unique intelligence and his power to affect. As such, this video doesn't bother me even though it's incomplete, since he's picked up on threads that will lead him (or someone) in the right direction. In any case, let me give my two cents: autism is a disconnect between the will and perception. The part of me that intends, that proceeds from one activity to the next, that lives in the movement of my arms and my legs, passes over the part of me that lives in the world of data and information unchecked. It's not that I can't move or will ,and it's not that I can't think; it's that I can't (or can't easily) do those things together. As such, my intellect and my will are both there but (like oil and water) never interpenetrate When Peterson says that we can't abstract, he's noticing this disconnect. It isn't that I can't abstract -- I'm very, very good at abstraction, as you can probably tell. Instead, this disconnect makes it so I can't apply the will's unity to perceptual multiplicity. For when I move, I move *as a unit*. This seems to be a basic philosophical necessity--it's not easy to divide the parts of an event from each other, not like it is to divide the parts of a thing from each other. You can't cut a car crash in two, even if you can cut a car in two. Verbs are indivisible, even if nouns aren't. In short, we find it hard to apply verbs to nouns. This is a kind of abstraction, but it's not the abstraction of pattern recognition but (instead) the abstraction of treating something you see as something that has its own willing, motor character. It's the abstraction that lets you see "bunch of sensory data" as a person instead of as just a bunch of sensory data. The ability to see will in perception, to perceive verbs in nouns, is what lets a neurotypical person read emotions effortlessly in someone's face, and they have that ability because they don't distinguish between themselves as noun and themselves as verb. Your body acts as the first, primal "map of meaning" that lets you read the world as something significant for your projects. The table is something to grasp with your hand, the soccer ball is something to kick with your foot, etc. You see data as significant for your motor projects and your motor capacities. We don't have that privilege, or else we have to work for it. TL;DR - Dr. Peterson is on the right track, but he's incomplete. Autistic people can abstract, but we find it hard to apply *motor* values to *sensory* data, to apply verbs to nouns, which is what lets NTs read emotions in faces, be coordinated, etc.

[@justafighter1346]

That's not what he said. He said autistic people have trouble manipulating those abstractions as you said

[@cMind607]

Based on my prior experience it’s normal for me to try to expand on thoughts to make them advanced and refined but it makes things extremely convoluted. It’s easy to overanalyze things. I still comprehend but my mind races when trying to expand a thought. Any idea as to why? Do you relate?

[@augustus331]

As many commenters here, I too have been diagnosed with autism at a later age, and I was never given any preferential treatment as a kid, forcing me to become a better version of myself, with my condition. I think indulging autistic kids provides them comfort in the short term, but it will never equip it with the skills it needs to become a functioning adult.

[@queengoblin]

while I agree, I also think that autistic people are sensitive to things that are bad for all of humanity. Florescent lights, for instance, have been proven to be bad for people's health, which is not something autistic people need a study to verify. Loud noises also cause disharmony in the environment, and as we see today there are forms of sound torture that governments use to control crowds. Disruptive, chaotic learning environments likely hurt all people, bit just autists. Autistic sensitivity is a canary in a coal mine for humans and should be seen as a warning bell, not ignored, in the long run. I don't think autists should be coddled, I think the world should pay attention to what the reptiles of the human race are telling them about the environment - as we know, when reptiles die out, an environment is about to collapse.

[@Your_Mossad_Handler]

I find the fixating thing really interesting, I’d never thought about it before. If someone says “picture a church”, I picture the church I attend, if someone says “picture a person”, I think of DaVinci’s drawing of a man inside a circle and box, if someone says “picture a house” I think of this house I pass on my morning walk. No intermediary hieroglyph, it’s literally the first thing that comes to mind.

[@andrewwilliams9599]

This man is effing brilliant. I could literally listen to him for hours. What a gift to the world and the cosmos. EDIT: What an asshat. I have never been so wrong about someone.

[@lewisner]

Watch his chat with a primatologist and how chimp behaviour compares to humans.

[@Quakeboy02]

It would be helpful if he'd stop making generalizations about autism that simply don't exist.

[@andrewwilliams9599]

Wow. This comment didn't age well. Sorry, everyone.

[@erikwilliam1254]

I was diagnosed with Aspergers when i was little and i had well over a hundred hot wheels cars and prefered the ones that looked like there real life counterpart. I could have them all on a table set in a random order to look like a residential area with a lot of traffic (Had those plastic toy roads you could snap together) and could leave them there for a couple days and come back and could tell if any of them were not where i had them. And yes when our routine gets changed without advanced noticed at least that's how it was for me it would throw me off and go coo coo for cocoa puffs. I was put in a special program which helped me to grow out of that and a lot of the other crap i did that amazed my parent's that i made it to my 18th birthday because of the terrible crap i was. I still have a slight OCD or at least what i could compare it to, but nothing like i used to. I still don't have friends at 30. Course i still don't like social interaction and not going out much doesn't help and also with people today i'd rather be a hermit. I was mainly homeschooled as the school district basically swept me under the carpet and out of education because i was apparently just the typical brat instead of acknowledging there lack of ability to handle children with special needs. How bad? I was probably 7 years old and i walked home from school i want to say around noon, and was home for at least 3 hours with no phone call from the school that i was missing and my mother was the one who called them wanting an explanation as to why. Essentially i was a brat was basically there response. There tone changed when she asked how bad does it sound that you let a unsupervised special needs child leave hours ago and still didn't know till called. Sentence structure and grammar probably not great but i never took English classes so better than nothing i guess.

[@dropbear9526]

Wasn't diagnosed/labeled, until I was 35. When I was at school. According to them, I was just a turd of a kid, and everyone else for that matter. You got lucky. My old man killed himself, never having been diagnosed. Knowing makes life so much easier.

[@macintoshimann9892]

I have something like autism that really came out after a bad accident that left me mostly paralyzed. 4 years later my intelligence is how I get around. I had to teach myself how to breathe again, now my brain obeys my thoughts and im able to understand how to interact with the world. For me, im more likely to hear a coffee maker dripping and decide the best way to get to the other room is grab the sound with my hand and drag myself to it instead of walking there without thinking like anybody else. As for thinking like an animal… yeah its a thing it takes effort to understand how humans perceive things where animal nature comes through clear as a bell. The interesting thing is I’m so highly intelligent nobody noticed anything was wrong I was just different until that accident. And now I’m superhuman!

[@MistressGlowWorm]

I have Aspergers as well, and have been told so many times I’d never be employable and by supervisors “you should go on disability.” My strength is in patterns, science and physics (gravitational waves and black holes) Never listen to anyone tell you you are worthless. It is possible.

[@thempex]

That’s some very cool stuff you’re into :) I’m autistic too and do data analysis stuff.

[@revengenerd1]

For me, I'd love to have the comfort of being on disability so I didn't have to panic about unemployment benefit and the higher rates and "perks" that come with it, that way I could get a job at my own pace and if it doesn't work out I can easily go back to it. I do work now but technically took a hit in potential income due to changing benefit rates/perks but if I lose my job for whatever reason the amount new claimaints get is much lower than it was which makes me panic a little. Of course the Government just cares about paying out for people not its pros. i.e the lowering of anxiety meaning I didn't need as much support so saves them more cash

[@jacobhall4655]

Found out I very likely am autistic about a year ago, and it explained a lot about my childhood. I've always naturally had a way of talking that could be described as "Lawyer-like" where everything had to be correct, where I would add in unnecessary qualifiers because without them the statement wouldn't be entirely correct. Strangely enough, I still really enjoyed taking with other people, it just turned out I was bad at it until I tried actively training it and working on being able to talk to people. On the plus side, I got math as a special interest and now I'm getting a degree in math where I can even stand out among my peers in terms of performance in my math classes, so that's neat.

[@ashleycampbell8767]

Yes I do this! I often analyze things causing people to think the points I bring up are arguments to an end when rather I just feel I need to analyze all aspects of a situation or issue before even beginning on coming to a decision or opinion on it. I really prefer just to analyze and bring up all aspects to consider and give it to someone for them to make a decision rather than argue a specific viewpoint.

[@blurbbbb8397]

@@ashleycampbell8767yeah I do this also, but analysing situations properly before making decisions can’t be tied directly to autism

[@brandonzzz9924]

I got into a heated argument with my dad one time where his position was that synonyms are interchangeable and mean the same thing, just with different connotations/tones, and my position was that all words had unique meanings that could be more or less similar to other words, but conferred unique semantic value. This led, as most arguments do, to both of us feeling that our position was correct because we didn't have the vocabulary to explain our position through the other's perspective. The main difference in our opinions seemed to lie in my father's practicality towards the application of words to real life (we were discussing writing, essays and books) as opposed to my need to define words using a dictionary to understand the precise circumstances in which each word would best be applied. Quite obviously this is a frivolous and superficial argument, as we both classified words to similar levels of precision, but used different methods. Mine used other words to define the root word, and my dad used emotions to define the root word. Arguments like these rarely made it far enough for me to gain such insight into the subject with anyone other than my parents, teachers, and the rare religious scholar, though this persistent word lawyering helped me to communicate with many different friends by diving incredibly deep into the semantics and logic of whatever they were nerds about (I professionally bs my way through anything I don't actually know about). Some people find it annoying, but I love being able to effectively communicate with people who geek out about their passions and are willing to spend an hour (or 6) arguing whether DC or Marvel have more realistic physics, or whether the Ribat structure or Ireland is a more compelling candidate for Atlantis.

[@thechazattack5792]

I have autism and growing up was definitely hard however I had people that cared about me my dad never treated me like I had autism which I feel helped my growth. The point I'm making is environment is crucial for any growth

[@revengenerd1]

Its complicated, you have to be treated the same but at same time understand if something goes wrong the person requites support. It reminds me of what my dad said about people such as with mental health problems or severe disabilties, if they wanted to be treated the same as others that included being punished if they did something wrong else it defeats the purpose.

[@USFighter]

My son has autism. He doesn't dislike people. He actually is very social when he wants to be. He's stubborn but patient. He also doesn't need to follow a schedule. I can move furniture around he doesn't give a shit. His weakness is language. He has trouble speaking clearly and listening.

[@lynndieterman4665]

Mine is similar to how you describe yours. He's in a group home/residential now at 25. He needs 24/7 of at least close supervision. They say you've met one person with autism then you've met one person with autism. Very difficult to generalize about autistic people. Each is different.

[@ExtraTurtle]

This is why people with autism are generally really good at artistic stuff, music, drawing, etc. When you see all those patterns, you get confused. it's harder to understand all of those concepts when they're thrown at you. but if you don't even see a resemblance (for example, a kitchen with a moved chair is a COMPLETELY different thing) then you're MUCH more focused on the task ahead.) It's kinda like how ADHD can make it REALLY difficult to learn things, but it can actually be GOOD for inventing things or thinking of creative resolutions.

[@rickeybowman5719]

How could anyone ever perceive this man as being a bad man? He is brilliant and an amazing human being.

[@persistentpedestrianalien8641]

I have issues with the guy. Take for example him saying that autistic people don't like people. I am autistic. I find relationships difficult. But to say those with autism don't like people sounds extremely harsh, almost psychopathic. Autistic people ARE people. Yes, this may seem quite minor, but he is regularly careless how he articulates ideas. He also thinks he is an expert on everything, because he has a PhD. He entangled himself in culture wars for clout. However, I wouldnt say he is bad, but faulted, as we all are.

[@brokenlegs8431]

He participates in Holocaust denial for starters

[@persistentpedestrianalien8641]

@@brokenlegs8431, I've heard him say Hitler had ocd and he was trying to get rid of impurities, or something to that effect. Is there worse things get said? I'm not asking to be argumentative. I've had people in my life try to push peterson on me, in an almost cultish way. I had trouble articulating why I reject him, other then I have known people that interest in jp has been the first step in them becoming white nationalists. He seems deceptive and I have trouble putting my finger on that sort of thing, partly because I'm autistic. Anyway, if you could expand on your comment, or suggest something specific on yt that I could look up it would be helpful.

[@brokenlegs8431]

@@persistentpedestrianalien8641 "subverting the narrative: holocaust denial and the lost cause" is a good place to start. It's just about the topic in general but features statements and sentiments of his predominantly. You can find the raw clips of his claims and his spread of false ww2 related information compiled to some extent through various videos with a quick search. He has some good and well thought out views on apolitical and secular topics that give him the credibility he leverages when discussing his own fringe and surprisingly radical views. That's why he's so effective at recruiting to movements like white nationalism, he only outwardly projects much more moderate views and when you become a closer follower only then do you start getting to the more disturbing views

[@persistentpedestrianalien8641]

@@brokenlegs8431 thanks.

[@Candyland2381]

Wow I’m really messed up right now. Wanted to learn more about autism because clearly my 3 yr old nephew has autism but my family is in denial still and refuse to get him help. I had a boyfriend with an autistic child so I recognize the signs. I wasn’t diagnosed with anything besides being slow when I was a child, but a lot of these comments I’m reading here sounds like me. I always just assumed I was slow and that was that , but at the same time I am extremely intelligent in many areas without knowing exactly why? I have obsessions, light and sound sensitivity but I’m also assuming it’s not to the extent as a person with autism, and social issues . I just recently took one of those test and tested on the spectrum but I blew it off. It was just fun curiosity. But now I’m beginning to wonder? I mean I’m 41 years old now. But I definitely relate to all these issues people are having! More common than I thought !

[@carolynelevin88]

Many women on the Spectrum don't present with obvious traits and are very good at socializing because we are good at observing others and good at mimicking behaviours. Autism runs in the family, so it's highly probable that you are too. And I'm sure that some of your family members refusing to accept your nephew's Autism are, in fact, Autistic themselves. As far as sensitivities go, you don't know how you experience the world in comparison to someone else, so why would you think that your sensitivities don't qualify for you being on the Spectrum? When you've met one Autistic individual, you've met one Autistic individual. We are all vastly different from one another. Here's an example: Isaac Newton is thought to have been Autistic, but so is (formerly diagnosed) Courtney Love. What do they have in common?...

[@spencerbeaumier583]

I have Aspergers. Life was exceptionally difficult growing up. I have a Bachelors Degree in Information Technology and I do programming on the side because I have the exceptional capability of understanding logic. I understand how computers utilize their logic, so debugging is more straight-forward for a person like myself. I'm also very introverted, and while my social skills have improved by leaps and bounds from when I was a teenager, back in those days I simply lacked the capability to deal with the people that bullied me. Now I simply stay quiet when other people bully me, and they have, because I want people to understand that I am not the one with the problem, and when they start to call people names, that usually means they've run out of rational arguments. I was so socially inept, and sometimes I simply do not understand people and why they have to behave so erratically, and one of my role models is now Marcus Aurellius. I take a lot of his advise in 'the meditations' to heart. So yes, I'm natually stoic. Not that it is a bad thing. I have my flaws of course, anger and frusteration with people have always been daunting foes to me. One of the things I'm working on is to speak in a calmed tone even while angered and never allow others to control your thoughts and emotions. And people always seek to control others. So that is me, Somewhere between a Computer and a Human, and between feelings and logic. When I speak, it is usually after great amount of thought, and worded carefully, and normal people confuse me. I like to wonder why my parents from the Planet Vulcan left me behind with all these humans. LOL

[@confidentlocal8600]

My own parents used to joke that I was dropped here by aliens. And I've felt that way about myself for a long time.

[@cherylwright5540]

As someone who has worked in the school system with children who have emotional/social/learning challenges, I was wondering why there has been a huge rise in the number of children diagnosed with autism in the past 15 years???

[@jmb8989]

I am a millennial. When I was a child who was speaking jibberish, I was called a weird kid with a speech impediment and OCD. I had a weird sibling who would throw fits and also OCD. Twenty five years later, that's called asperger's and autism.

[@kpaxian6044]

Better diagnostic measures and adding those previously diagnosed up until 2013 with Aspergers into the ASD family changed the profile and opened up more dialogue about the spectrum and helped identify more people that were always autistic but likely did not receive recognition as being autistic, such as ASD level 1 females, for example, a group that historically was under-diagnosed. As more information is coming in re: how autism symptoms manifest differently in females more girls and even adult females are now being diagnosed. I am autistic. I don't believe the number of cases is actually rising only that those who were able to mask well enough to merely slip by are now being identified and also more adolescents and adults are self advocating, mostly those who are hyperlexic and can advocate for themselves (those who might have suffered with sensory overwhelm issues and other issues but might have been overlooked because they were verbal and showed a different presentation.)

[@scottishcommunist1364]

Autism spectrum disorder (asd) has made it very difficult for people with different types of autism to get the specific help we need

[@nathancruz9172]

I’ve been having autism at the age of 2.

[@pianoman2276]

I have mild autism (Asperger's Syndrome) but I like people, and I always have liked people. I just get stressed out in noisy crowds sometimes, and I don't like it when there's a change in my routine. I want to socialize with people but I struggle to detect certain social cues. Sometimes I have trouble detecting which emotion someone is feeling, and I sometimes misinterpret emotional expressions.

[@aomorgancool1775]

@Defender of Freedom believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved. For God so loved the world that he sent his one and only son and whoever believes in him shall not die but have eternal life. If you trust that Jesus' death on the cross has payed the penalty for your sin you will have eternal life. There is nothing anyone can do to earn heaven, only Jesus can save a person from eternity in hell. You may be persecuted for putting your trust in Jesus but take heart, for anything you lose for Christ on earth God will compensate you in heaven. Obey Christ if you choose Jesus because that is expected of every Christian.

[@clairemacauliffecarroll263]

Jordan, as a woman who has autism and two kids with the oldest being autistic also, I just want to thank you for these videos ❤

[@loturzelrestaurant]

Then next stop for you should be the Autism-Video by Hbomberguy AND the Peterson-Debunk by Some-More-News

[@imgoldleader3938]

I worked out of autism myself. I was tortured and the constant threat forced me to become aware of everything in my surroundings and counter the violence.

[@Mountainside101]

If only a few people have this type of intuition and observation skills, i would probably have a more meaningful and fun conversation with people. If people tell you that your ideas sounds weird (not related to Austism here), there’s a good chance you have a higher intelligence than that person. I wish people were more considerate and free-thinking and able to explore other ideas rather than staying the same. I have been misunderstood greatly, sometimes not talking loud enough and sometimes not stopping.

[@caralho5237]

a lot of the times admitting someone else's success is recognizing your own failure and that explains why its hard for people to be willing to explore new ideas, as by recognizing you are talking about something they dont understand it makes them feel stupid

[@Mountainside101]

@@caralho5237 Exactly!

[@3vanguardofthephoenix335]

@@caralho5237 wow you articulated that beautifully! 🦋 I think it's funny when people tell me "that's just the way the world is". Fuck that, the world is what we make of it. We don't need governments and corporations forcing us to work for low income and buy their shitty products I just want to live away from all the laws and loopholes and CORRUPTION and bullshit. Leave me alone on an acre of land to build my log cabin and play my ukelele with God and the animals. Every society has broken down throughout history. Rome. Greece. Etc etc. Every empire has fallen, because the people need freedom more than tyrants. It's happened over and over. You think the modern officials aren't corrupt? Well you haven't read much history ;) The world wants us to think in certain parameters "I have to get a wife, and have kids, and go to college, and make X salary, retire and die." What if I don't want what you're serving me? What if I don't want to waste my life grinding q soulles job, fr ephemeral material things that won't make me happy and other people would envy? Why wouldn't I just want a chill simple life in the harmony of nature? See that's the catch, they want you distracted so you won't think about these deep evocative things. They want you smart enough to do paper work, stupid enough to not ask questions. We are just curious people who want to understand the world and Every facet of how it works. It's so fulfilling and entertaining understanding the how and why of things. But asking questions pisses those off in positions of power. Lol people are waking up though, God is removing the veil :)

[@cMind607]

Me to a T. When combined with major self doubt though it’s a curse. Idk about you but I constantly ponder about the legitimacy of my thoughts. It’s hard to believe you’re intelligent when the world has so few intelligent people walking around. Billions of people and I’m an outlier? 🤷‍♂️ (not saying the world is full of idiots though. And that just because someone isn’t the smartest it means said someone isn’t special in someway) Sounds harsh but We all are gonna end up in the same spot, in a field buried 6 feet under. It’s what you do while alive that remains.

[@MAX-tw3qz]

My family think I'm mildly autistic, I think they're barking mad. All that matters is can we understand one another regardless of feelings.

[@bumpinugly4985]

zzz43452 I know nothing about schizoids. However my Dr. who not only specializes in autism but qualifies as an autist himself asserts that this is indeed the case. I literally attended my assessment yesterday so pretty sure on this.

[@bumpinugly4985]

zzz43452 No. But pretty sure you were wrong about autists and just engaged in a blatant fallacy. Not about you. Nothing personal. Edit: said something that could be perceived as insulting. Section was erased.

[@bumpinugly4985]

zzz43452 It wouldn't offend *him*. And he is a doctor, scientist and clinician considered to be the leading authority for my province on the matter. I would say I should listen to the results of the Cambridge tests and hours of interviewing rather than a random anonymous KZbin commentator. You sound very ignorant and I doubt you'd actually listen. Perhaps your desire to be correct ironically prevents you from being so. Very common.

[@aomorgancool1775]

@@bumpinugly4985 believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved. For God so loved the world that he sent his one and only son and whoever believes in him shall not die but have eternal life. If you trust that Jesus' death on the cross has payed the penalty for your sin you will have eternal life. There is nothing anyone can do to earn heaven, only Jesus can save a person from eternity in hell. You may be persecuted for putting your trust in Jesus but take heart, for anything you lose for Christ on earth God will compensate you in heaven. Obey Christ if you choose Jesus because that is expected of every Christian.