Am I actually an Aspie?
November 14, 2013 8:37 PM Subscribe
I'm a 45 year-old adult who has just been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. At least, my counselor and my ex- both believe I have it. I don't believe I can be an Aspie because I am *phenomenally bad* with *both* computers *and* math (details on request). Are there Aspies like me?
I have worked with many autistic children and many of them are exceedingly poor at math and technology.
Autism is a SPECTRUM disorder. That means there is a continuum of symptoms and characteristics. Do not discount a diagnosis just because you don't fit the stereotype. Stereotypes are not medically sound.
posted by These Birds of a Feather at 8:49 PM on November 14, 2013 [11 favorites]
Autism is a SPECTRUM disorder. That means there is a continuum of symptoms and characteristics. Do not discount a diagnosis just because you don't fit the stereotype. Stereotypes are not medically sound.
posted by These Birds of a Feather at 8:49 PM on November 14, 2013 [11 favorites]
I think the point is that individuals with Aspergers tend to focus intensely on one area of interest; it need not be math related. I've known people who were really into music or language. One of my friends has an interest in poker and has parlayed it into a career. So no. It's not a prerequisite.
Also - and I'm just throwing this out there - if there's something in that diagnosis that you identify with then by all means embrace it. If you think there is something that can give you comfort or support, then seize it. But if it doesn't feel right to you, then... screw it. It's just a label. It may help to describe some challenges you have, but it certainly doesn't define you.
posted by lilnublet at 8:52 PM on November 14, 2013 [8 favorites]
Also - and I'm just throwing this out there - if there's something in that diagnosis that you identify with then by all means embrace it. If you think there is something that can give you comfort or support, then seize it. But if it doesn't feel right to you, then... screw it. It's just a label. It may help to describe some challenges you have, but it certainly doesn't define you.
posted by lilnublet at 8:52 PM on November 14, 2013 [8 favorites]
Absolutely.
Part of why this stereotype exists is that people who fall along the autism spectrum learn and perceive things in a way that can sometimes be more easily adapted to certain disciplines, like math. But that in no way means that you have to align with that stereotype.
I have an autistic friend who is terrible at math, but loves biology and philosophy. She struggles with every kind of structured learning environment she's tried thus far, but is an excellent writer and autodidact, when she's capable of pulling herself out of her thought spirals. Thus, she's now a science fiction writer. This is just one anecdote, and I'm sure people will have plenty more.
Please don't discount the wealth of perspectives, assistance, and opportunities for self-improvement you might get from embracing this part of yourself on the basis of a narrow stereotype.
posted by Mizu at 8:53 PM on November 14, 2013 [2 favorites]
Part of why this stereotype exists is that people who fall along the autism spectrum learn and perceive things in a way that can sometimes be more easily adapted to certain disciplines, like math. But that in no way means that you have to align with that stereotype.
I have an autistic friend who is terrible at math, but loves biology and philosophy. She struggles with every kind of structured learning environment she's tried thus far, but is an excellent writer and autodidact, when she's capable of pulling herself out of her thought spirals. Thus, she's now a science fiction writer. This is just one anecdote, and I'm sure people will have plenty more.
Please don't discount the wealth of perspectives, assistance, and opportunities for self-improvement you might get from embracing this part of yourself on the basis of a narrow stereotype.
posted by Mizu at 8:53 PM on November 14, 2013 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: The diagnosis occurs to me, at least, as an explanation for why I have failed miserably at everything I've tried to do in my life. I won't even be able to get my paycheck from the last job I tried to work, because I can't get the web-based time sheet to unfreeze.
So admittedly, I'm having trouble *embracing* this whole thing...
posted by dr. zoom at 9:01 PM on November 14, 2013
So admittedly, I'm having trouble *embracing* this whole thing...
posted by dr. zoom at 9:01 PM on November 14, 2013
OP, I think the young rope-rider's point is that his friend is good at programming because he focuses on it to the exclusion of all else. He may not have been inherently good with computers, or math, or programming.
(Also, I am a decent programmer who is not good at math.)
I have know a few Aspies, and dated one -- he was better at math than I am, but terrible with computers. Yet, he was clearly on the spectrum.
I think that rather than "embrace" the diagnosis, why not just try "explore"?
posted by sm1tten at 9:08 PM on November 14, 2013 [2 favorites]
(Also, I am a decent programmer who is not good at math.)
I have know a few Aspies, and dated one -- he was better at math than I am, but terrible with computers. Yet, he was clearly on the spectrum.
I think that rather than "embrace" the diagnosis, why not just try "explore"?
posted by sm1tten at 9:08 PM on November 14, 2013 [2 favorites]
When you say that "your counselor and your ex both believe you have it" it's unclear as to whether you have really received a formal diagnosis of Asperger syndrome. Have you had neuropsychological testing? If so, your psychologist or physician should go over the results with you and explain what they mean. It worries me a little that you seem to have received little information about what your diagnosis means and what you should do next. The next step should be for your counselor to help you live well with the disorder. Make sure you are getting a qualified diagnosis and qualified treatment.
posted by Wordwoman at 9:46 PM on November 14, 2013 [9 favorites]
posted by Wordwoman at 9:46 PM on November 14, 2013 [9 favorites]
i am on the spectrum and terrible at both, memail me if needed.
posted by PinkMoose at 10:23 PM on November 14, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by PinkMoose at 10:23 PM on November 14, 2013 [1 favorite]
One of my kids was (I believe) misdiagnosed with ADHD as a preschooler; by his latter grade-school years it became exceedingly obvious that he's either Aspie or has a great many Aspie traits.
He's been homeschooled since halfway through kindergarten, and is now a happy - and smart - 8th grader. (Public school kindergarten was an absolute disaster for him - they'd never let him FINISH anything, expecting the K's to flitter from task to task like butterflies, never caring if they went back to complete it later.)
Long-term fascinations include map-creating, drawing, and origami... and (groan) science is a dream/nightmare with him. He examines every.single.thing in excruciating detail... and granted, I love that yes, he can then tell me all about it. I just wish that 1) it wasn't so all-consuming, and 2) he'd actively learn to self-regulate a little, especially when the random person he's relegating the details to has been trying to escape for ten minutes!
Given his homeschool status since, where he's flourished, and the way I managed the all kids/household to best facilitate things for his (*very* correctly diagnosed ADHD) older brother, it worked surprisingly well for him, too. I've never seen the need for seeking further treatment - he's adjusted well enough that many who are acquainted with him, but not in frequent close quarters, don't pick up the traits we know and love. (With the exception of one thing that stands out, especially since his siblings don't react the same way, so it's made clear that it's not a family choice issue - he will NOT drink anything carbonated whatsoever.)
That said, if it *does* become an issue at some point, I wouldn't hesitate to do so, and this reminds me that I should at least broach the subject with our doctor in case of the possibility of future needs for past records.
One positive - my daughter's best friend is most likely an Aspie, too. They appeared to click very well, much more so than the friend usually does with newly met kids, and after a few years' observation now, it seems that my daughter's comfort level with her brother means that the things that might seem odd or off-putting to other kids, instead come across as familiar and normal to her. In turn, her friend responds in kind. (Though my daughter at times gets a bit jealous, as the friend clicks equally well with my son. They're all a bit too young for me to say out loud what I wonder sometimes - that my "other daughter" could have daughter-in-law potential someday.)
All that to say - there's no need to react as though this is the end of the world. In a lot of ways, it's a huge advantage, should it be correct, especially in the work work - provided you find the *right* kind of work for you.
posted by stormyteal at 12:34 AM on November 15, 2013 [3 favorites]
He's been homeschooled since halfway through kindergarten, and is now a happy - and smart - 8th grader. (Public school kindergarten was an absolute disaster for him - they'd never let him FINISH anything, expecting the K's to flitter from task to task like butterflies, never caring if they went back to complete it later.)
Long-term fascinations include map-creating, drawing, and origami... and (groan) science is a dream/nightmare with him. He examines every.single.thing in excruciating detail... and granted, I love that yes, he can then tell me all about it. I just wish that 1) it wasn't so all-consuming, and 2) he'd actively learn to self-regulate a little, especially when the random person he's relegating the details to has been trying to escape for ten minutes!
Given his homeschool status since, where he's flourished, and the way I managed the all kids/household to best facilitate things for his (*very* correctly diagnosed ADHD) older brother, it worked surprisingly well for him, too. I've never seen the need for seeking further treatment - he's adjusted well enough that many who are acquainted with him, but not in frequent close quarters, don't pick up the traits we know and love. (With the exception of one thing that stands out, especially since his siblings don't react the same way, so it's made clear that it's not a family choice issue - he will NOT drink anything carbonated whatsoever.)
That said, if it *does* become an issue at some point, I wouldn't hesitate to do so, and this reminds me that I should at least broach the subject with our doctor in case of the possibility of future needs for past records.
One positive - my daughter's best friend is most likely an Aspie, too. They appeared to click very well, much more so than the friend usually does with newly met kids, and after a few years' observation now, it seems that my daughter's comfort level with her brother means that the things that might seem odd or off-putting to other kids, instead come across as familiar and normal to her. In turn, her friend responds in kind. (Though my daughter at times gets a bit jealous, as the friend clicks equally well with my son. They're all a bit too young for me to say out loud what I wonder sometimes - that my "other daughter" could have daughter-in-law potential someday.)
All that to say - there's no need to react as though this is the end of the world. In a lot of ways, it's a huge advantage, should it be correct, especially in the work work - provided you find the *right* kind of work for you.
posted by stormyteal at 12:34 AM on November 15, 2013 [3 favorites]
I have also been told by my therapist that I exhibit many markers for Asperger's (thus far I have chosen not to be formally diagnosed). I am bad at math, but good with computers (it's my career actually).
posted by katyggls at 12:35 AM on November 15, 2013
posted by katyggls at 12:35 AM on November 15, 2013
Being good at math and with computers is not actually a diagnostic criteria of what was formerly known as Asperger's and is now just part of the autism spectrum. Granted, they're both things that many people with autism spectrum diagnoses are drawn to, but only because they're impersonal logical systems that are relatively straightforward to manipulate, and many people on the autism spectrum find that appealing.
But that's a second-order phenomenon that has nothing to do with the diagnosis itself. Such people are good at math/computers, not because there's something about their brains that makes them good at math/computers, but because there's something about their brains that discourages them from doing other things, enabling them to spend a lot of time and focus on math/computers. Or art. Or writing. Or whatever. Many people with autism diagnoses find personal interactions overwhelming and intimidating, so they choose--consciously or not--to allocate their time differently, freeing up time and focus for other pursuits. But almost anyone who makes a similar choice, with or without a diagnosis, will be good at something on which they spend a lot of time and focus.
There are a very, very limited number of savants, most of whom have an autism diagnosis, where their brains are actually wired such that they can perform amazing mathematical feats in their heads, but that's the exception, not the rule. To the extent that someone with an autism diagnosis excels at something, it's almost always because they've spent a lot of time and effort on it (probably because they have difficulty coping with other things), not because they're getting some kind of neurological boost. The latter happens, but when it does it tends to (1) be exceptionally dramatic, not just above-average, and (2) it usually comes with huge trade-offs in terms of functionality elsewhere.
So the fact that you're not particularly good with math and computers isn't really indicative of anything. The fact that you may not be able to identify particular areas of skill may simply be a result of a lack of support and treatment. People with autism who are able to spend a lot of time on developing their skills can usually only do so because they've got the support of their families. Otherwise, there's a high degree of probability that they'll spend a lot of that effort simply trying to cope with things that they may be better off avoiding.
he will NOT drink anything carbonated whatsoever
Good man.
posted by valkyryn at 3:30 AM on November 15, 2013 [5 favorites]
But that's a second-order phenomenon that has nothing to do with the diagnosis itself. Such people are good at math/computers, not because there's something about their brains that makes them good at math/computers, but because there's something about their brains that discourages them from doing other things, enabling them to spend a lot of time and focus on math/computers. Or art. Or writing. Or whatever. Many people with autism diagnoses find personal interactions overwhelming and intimidating, so they choose--consciously or not--to allocate their time differently, freeing up time and focus for other pursuits. But almost anyone who makes a similar choice, with or without a diagnosis, will be good at something on which they spend a lot of time and focus.
There are a very, very limited number of savants, most of whom have an autism diagnosis, where their brains are actually wired such that they can perform amazing mathematical feats in their heads, but that's the exception, not the rule. To the extent that someone with an autism diagnosis excels at something, it's almost always because they've spent a lot of time and effort on it (probably because they have difficulty coping with other things), not because they're getting some kind of neurological boost. The latter happens, but when it does it tends to (1) be exceptionally dramatic, not just above-average, and (2) it usually comes with huge trade-offs in terms of functionality elsewhere.
So the fact that you're not particularly good with math and computers isn't really indicative of anything. The fact that you may not be able to identify particular areas of skill may simply be a result of a lack of support and treatment. People with autism who are able to spend a lot of time on developing their skills can usually only do so because they've got the support of their families. Otherwise, there's a high degree of probability that they'll spend a lot of that effort simply trying to cope with things that they may be better off avoiding.
he will NOT drink anything carbonated whatsoever
Good man.
posted by valkyryn at 3:30 AM on November 15, 2013 [5 favorites]
I'll go against the tide here. Just because your counselor (whose credentials we don't know -- could be an MSW, could be an MD) and your ex have diagnosed you with Aspbergers, a now-defunct diagnosis, does not mean that you have a definitive and distinct medical disorder. I can't say whether or not you are on the autism spectrum, nor can anyone on the internet, but I do know that people get labeled and mislabeled all the time for a variety of difficulties they have on the Human Being Spectrum. If *you* are concerned, look into it further with someone who specializes in autism spectrum disorders.
posted by third rail at 4:20 AM on November 15, 2013 [5 favorites]
posted by third rail at 4:20 AM on November 15, 2013 [5 favorites]
Kinda two things to say here.
First of all, i was diagnosed(by a board certified child psychologist, not a counselor) when i was around 8 or 9.
I don't suck at math, but i'm not particularly good at math. Neither of my parents were diagnosed, but both are similar to me(and more extreme in a lot of ways). My dad is great at math but sucks at technology, and my mom sucks at both.
However, i'll echo what was said above that i don't really think either of these people are qualified to diagnose you and decide that you're on the spectrum. ESPECIALLY an ex.
I think the "i have it so i should be like XYZ" or even "i have it so it explains xyz!" are unproductive trains of thought. A is faulty thinking in a similar way to asking a gay couple "so who's the man in the relationship?" in that you're trying to apply a model that has absolutely nothing to do with you, or your situation created by people who don't understand it to your life. It's like trying to hitch an orca to a stage coach.
B is unproductive because, assuming hypothetically you really are on the spectrum, it's only really part of the answer. The way i like to look at it and explain it to people is that it's something happening on a much deeper level than "being good at math" or anything along those lines. That random distribution of things you like and dislike, and things you're naturally gifted or struggle with seems to be assigned completely separately.
Basically, just because the stereotype is that people on the spectrum(once again, assuming you even are!) are skilled at/obsess over/etc certain things doesn't mean that all or even most people who are do. And it especially doesn't mean that just because you aren't, that you can't be or that you're somehow "even more fucked up and worthless" or something as you seem to be painting yourself.
Seriously, you wouldn't believe the variety of people i've met over the years who were obviously a little or more non-neurotypical in that kind of way. they span a huge portion of the range of various types of humans, and seem to extend in to the margins even more both in ways that would make sense at a glance and ones that would surprise you.
Really though, go talk to someone more qualified to make this diagnosis and then deeply reflect on the outcome regardless of what it is. And remember, you aren't "worthless" if you're just not great at those things and this isn't the answer.
posted by emptythought at 4:36 AM on November 15, 2013 [2 favorites]
First of all, i was diagnosed(by a board certified child psychologist, not a counselor) when i was around 8 or 9.
I don't suck at math, but i'm not particularly good at math. Neither of my parents were diagnosed, but both are similar to me(and more extreme in a lot of ways). My dad is great at math but sucks at technology, and my mom sucks at both.
However, i'll echo what was said above that i don't really think either of these people are qualified to diagnose you and decide that you're on the spectrum. ESPECIALLY an ex.
I think the "i have it so i should be like XYZ" or even "i have it so it explains xyz!" are unproductive trains of thought. A is faulty thinking in a similar way to asking a gay couple "so who's the man in the relationship?" in that you're trying to apply a model that has absolutely nothing to do with you, or your situation created by people who don't understand it to your life. It's like trying to hitch an orca to a stage coach.
B is unproductive because, assuming hypothetically you really are on the spectrum, it's only really part of the answer. The way i like to look at it and explain it to people is that it's something happening on a much deeper level than "being good at math" or anything along those lines. That random distribution of things you like and dislike, and things you're naturally gifted or struggle with seems to be assigned completely separately.
Basically, just because the stereotype is that people on the spectrum(once again, assuming you even are!) are skilled at/obsess over/etc certain things doesn't mean that all or even most people who are do. And it especially doesn't mean that just because you aren't, that you can't be or that you're somehow "even more fucked up and worthless" or something as you seem to be painting yourself.
Seriously, you wouldn't believe the variety of people i've met over the years who were obviously a little or more non-neurotypical in that kind of way. they span a huge portion of the range of various types of humans, and seem to extend in to the margins even more both in ways that would make sense at a glance and ones that would surprise you.
Really though, go talk to someone more qualified to make this diagnosis and then deeply reflect on the outcome regardless of what it is. And remember, you aren't "worthless" if you're just not great at those things and this isn't the answer.
posted by emptythought at 4:36 AM on November 15, 2013 [2 favorites]
I think a lot of people with Asperger's get into computers because geekdom in general is fairly understanding of people who are different and not necessarily socially adept, not because there's some inherent thing about being better at math or computers when you have Asperger's. I know a couple people who are diagnosed on the spectrum who are not techies at all but write massive quantities of fanfic--again, understanding and welcoming community.
posted by Sequence at 5:17 AM on November 15, 2013
posted by Sequence at 5:17 AM on November 15, 2013
There are some folks with Asperger's in my karate school. One is very good at remembering mundane little details, another is an amateur filmmaker. In other words, as different as you'd expect two random people to be. Stop worrying and just be yourself, whatever that is.
posted by tommasz at 5:38 AM on November 15, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by tommasz at 5:38 AM on November 15, 2013 [2 favorites]
I just finished listening to The Journal of Best Practices: A Memoir of Marriage, Asperger Syndrome, and One Man's Quest to Be a Better Husband by David Finch. Although he did excel at math and tech stuff, the book was more about the other things that define a person with Asperger's. I found it to be very enlightening and you may be interested in reading or listening to it. You may see a lot of yourself in it if you truly have Asperger's. Even if you don't, I think it had a lot to offer.
posted by maxg94 at 5:59 AM on November 15, 2013
posted by maxg94 at 5:59 AM on November 15, 2013
Are you familiar with that Autism Quotient quiz that floats around the internet? (Which isn't meant to be a diagnostic tool, by the way. It can be used as a screening tool--ASDs can be effectively disregarded as potential diagnoses for people who score below some threshold.) The research was originally done by having undergraduates complete the questionnaire. It turned out that science and math students score higher than the general population.
However, all that tells you is that traits more common among science and math students than the general population are lined up with traits more common among people with ASDs than the general population. Now, that perhaps makes it convenient if you're an autistic person who's drawn to science or math, as the people, autistic or not, will be in aggregate more like you (in some sense) than if you're, I don't know, a sociologist. But that doesn't mean there aren't autistic people who are sociologists.
(I'm a math person for whom some kind of ASD diagnosis has been mooted, but I didn't pursue it (and my mother didn't pursue it when I was a kid because my brother's IEP was a waste of time and I was getting on okay). I will tell you that the same thing that draws me to math is what makes me like programming. However, it's also the same thing that makes me like languages, building models (though I'm not very dextrous) and, well, building things generally. I hated science in school. I could do it, but I had no intuition for it. People kept telling me I'd like physics because I liked math and it was actually the worst of the lot because I have zero physical intuition. Biology I could at least memorise.)
posted by hoyland at 6:10 AM on November 15, 2013
However, all that tells you is that traits more common among science and math students than the general population are lined up with traits more common among people with ASDs than the general population. Now, that perhaps makes it convenient if you're an autistic person who's drawn to science or math, as the people, autistic or not, will be in aggregate more like you (in some sense) than if you're, I don't know, a sociologist. But that doesn't mean there aren't autistic people who are sociologists.
(I'm a math person for whom some kind of ASD diagnosis has been mooted, but I didn't pursue it (and my mother didn't pursue it when I was a kid because my brother's IEP was a waste of time and I was getting on okay). I will tell you that the same thing that draws me to math is what makes me like programming. However, it's also the same thing that makes me like languages, building models (though I'm not very dextrous) and, well, building things generally. I hated science in school. I could do it, but I had no intuition for it. People kept telling me I'd like physics because I liked math and it was actually the worst of the lot because I have zero physical intuition. Biology I could at least memorise.)
posted by hoyland at 6:10 AM on November 15, 2013
Is the diagnosis based on limited conversations in counseling sessions, or have you had actual testing done?
If you haven't had actual testing done with a testing psychologist, I think you should.
Regardless, a diagnosis just gives you information about why you behave the way you do, and you can use that information as you see fit. If you are not significantly distressed by the behaviors that add up to this diagnosis, then you may not need to do anything. If your behaviors are distressing you, then you can seek support for the diagnosis.
A diagnosis is just information and maybe an explanation. What would the diagnosis mean to you, and what, if anything, would you want to do about it? Go from there. As for could you have autism? Well, you could, but there's no way anyone here over the internet can properly attribute this complicated diagnosis to you with any certainty. Seek out another appropriate professional if you find yourself needing to know with the certainty we can't provide.
posted by zizzle at 6:10 AM on November 15, 2013
If you haven't had actual testing done with a testing psychologist, I think you should.
Regardless, a diagnosis just gives you information about why you behave the way you do, and you can use that information as you see fit. If you are not significantly distressed by the behaviors that add up to this diagnosis, then you may not need to do anything. If your behaviors are distressing you, then you can seek support for the diagnosis.
A diagnosis is just information and maybe an explanation. What would the diagnosis mean to you, and what, if anything, would you want to do about it? Go from there. As for could you have autism? Well, you could, but there's no way anyone here over the internet can properly attribute this complicated diagnosis to you with any certainty. Seek out another appropriate professional if you find yourself needing to know with the certainty we can't provide.
posted by zizzle at 6:10 AM on November 15, 2013
I worked in an autism research lab for five years and am a trained administrator of the Autism Diagnostic Interview, one of the gold standard diagnostic measures for autism. (I'm also quite familiar with the ADOS, the other piece of the gold standard, though I never administered it myself.) I've spoken to and worked with a wide range of children and adults with autism, all over the spectrum, including lots of Aspies.
So for what it's worth, that's where I'm coming from when I say that math and computers are by no means necessary skills or interests for an Aspie. One of the measures taken into account is special interests (in childhood or currently), but those certainly don't have to be math/logic/computer-y. And I do remember at least a few cases where we could not turn up any evidence of that person ever having had a special interest at all, but the rest of the diagnostic evidence was so overwhelming that we still felt pretty confident saying that person was on the spectrum.
So don't toss out the suggestion just based on math/computers.
That said, unless your ex is trained in autism, that suggestion is not worth much. There are a lot of social presentations that can sound like autism to someone who's familiar with the pop culture notion of autism. Some of those things are non-autism but well worth exploring and perhaps getting diagnosis/treatment (maybe something with adhd, social anxiety, etc.) Sometimes people are just awkward. Personally, I score off the charts on the Baron-Cohen autism questionnaire, because I am awkward and introverted. But I spent five years working daily with world-renowned autism experts. I'm pretty sure if I were secretly autistic and didn't know it, someone would have mentioned it to me. I'm just awkward and shy.
Your counselor mentioning it makes me think that it might be worth investigating a little with him or her, though. Why does he or she say that? Does she think there would be some benefit for you in pursuing some testing to prove or rule out that hypothesis? Would it allow you to get better or different treatment, accommodations at work or school, etc.? There might be something there worth exploring; what you've said here neither rules the diagnosis out or in.
posted by Stacey at 6:10 AM on November 15, 2013 [10 favorites]
So for what it's worth, that's where I'm coming from when I say that math and computers are by no means necessary skills or interests for an Aspie. One of the measures taken into account is special interests (in childhood or currently), but those certainly don't have to be math/logic/computer-y. And I do remember at least a few cases where we could not turn up any evidence of that person ever having had a special interest at all, but the rest of the diagnostic evidence was so overwhelming that we still felt pretty confident saying that person was on the spectrum.
So don't toss out the suggestion just based on math/computers.
That said, unless your ex is trained in autism, that suggestion is not worth much. There are a lot of social presentations that can sound like autism to someone who's familiar with the pop culture notion of autism. Some of those things are non-autism but well worth exploring and perhaps getting diagnosis/treatment (maybe something with adhd, social anxiety, etc.) Sometimes people are just awkward. Personally, I score off the charts on the Baron-Cohen autism questionnaire, because I am awkward and introverted. But I spent five years working daily with world-renowned autism experts. I'm pretty sure if I were secretly autistic and didn't know it, someone would have mentioned it to me. I'm just awkward and shy.
Your counselor mentioning it makes me think that it might be worth investigating a little with him or her, though. Why does he or she say that? Does she think there would be some benefit for you in pursuing some testing to prove or rule out that hypothesis? Would it allow you to get better or different treatment, accommodations at work or school, etc.? There might be something there worth exploring; what you've said here neither rules the diagnosis out or in.
posted by Stacey at 6:10 AM on November 15, 2013 [10 favorites]
Could you describe "phenomenally bad" for us? I mean, you have a Metafilter account and you have a computer. Not having math is a wider phenomenon, I believe.
posted by parmanparman at 6:11 AM on November 15, 2013
posted by parmanparman at 6:11 AM on November 15, 2013
I've known people on the spectrum who seemed to have less-than-stellar math and computer skills. So, my anecdata makes me think it's not IMPOSSIBLE.
However, your ex, I assume, is not a medical professional, so his/her opinion doesn't really matter. If you're having difficulties in your life, it's certainly worth talking about in greater detail with your counselor, and maybe getting some testing or even a second opinion. It may not change your life at all, but it's possible you may be able to learn some new coping techniques to make your life easier.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 6:49 AM on November 15, 2013
However, your ex, I assume, is not a medical professional, so his/her opinion doesn't really matter. If you're having difficulties in your life, it's certainly worth talking about in greater detail with your counselor, and maybe getting some testing or even a second opinion. It may not change your life at all, but it's possible you may be able to learn some new coping techniques to make your life easier.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 6:49 AM on November 15, 2013
Are there Aspies like me?
Yes. And I wish that the counseling center at my school would stop automatically suggesting computer science as a major every time they are presented with someone like you. Just because you may be Aspie (an outdated label anyway), doesn't automatically make you good with math or computers. Why not look at the whole person, at their likes and dislikes, not just some preconceived notion of what an "Aspie" is?
You are doing yourself a disservice by labeling yourself like this ("bad" at math or "bad" at computers). If you're just now being diagnosed on the autism spectrum, you probably haven't been in a situation yet where you were able to learn math or computers in the best way for *you*.
With this new knowledge about yourself, you can find find ways to become "great at math" or "great with computers", if that's what you want.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 11:23 AM on November 15, 2013 [3 favorites]
Yes. And I wish that the counseling center at my school would stop automatically suggesting computer science as a major every time they are presented with someone like you. Just because you may be Aspie (an outdated label anyway), doesn't automatically make you good with math or computers. Why not look at the whole person, at their likes and dislikes, not just some preconceived notion of what an "Aspie" is?
You are doing yourself a disservice by labeling yourself like this ("bad" at math or "bad" at computers). If you're just now being diagnosed on the autism spectrum, you probably haven't been in a situation yet where you were able to learn math or computers in the best way for *you*.
With this new knowledge about yourself, you can find find ways to become "great at math" or "great with computers", if that's what you want.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 11:23 AM on November 15, 2013 [3 favorites]
Not all medical professionals are qualified to diagnose Aspergers/Autism Spectrum Disorder either, or work with adults on the spectrum.
Anyway, if it helps, here's a book outlining going through a diagnosis and discovery process.
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:53 AM on November 16, 2013
Anyway, if it helps, here's a book outlining going through a diagnosis and discovery process.
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:53 AM on November 16, 2013
Response by poster: Thanks to everyone who's responded!
The following two posts are very long posts, just so you know up front.
re not getting the paysheet screen to unfreeze: you must be paid for what you worked. just because the web interface froze on you doesn't mean they don't have to pay you. web-based timecard interfaces are notoriously wonky, even at tech companies.
don't just say "oh well i'm bad at computers" and let go of money owed you. call the company HR dept and tell them what happened.
posted by sio42 at 4:44 AM on November 15 [20 favorites]
I wish it were that simple. But I'm stuck with two dilemmas--first, they won't pay me for the hours I *actually* worked, only the hours they *think* I *should* have worked. Second, regarding the time sheet, they keep insisting they need all my billable hours on the time sheet. They have no telephone contact, and they won't accept my offer to transmit the time sheet corrections via email. Everything has to be their way, or no way.
The time sheet has to be unfrozen on their end, and I've been able to get them to do that some of the time. But unless I can appease them using their time sheet, I won't be paid, and my only remaining option would be to take them to court, which would probably cost more than what I'm owed.
Could you describe "phenomenally bad" for us? I mean, you have a Metafilter account and you have a computer. Not having math is a wider phenomenon, I believe.
Oh boy, here we go:
Adventures In Failure, Part 1: Math
second or third grade: I insist that 50 + 50 equals 410, because I can't understand how to carry a sum to the next row.
fourth grade: I am now officially idiotic at math. Fractions make no sense; I can just barely grasp how to multiply them, but I'm hopeless at dividing. I stare at a sheet of sums until I think I'm going to scream, but they make no sense, and my worksheets always come back heavily marked in red. I throw myself on the floor in desperation. The teacher advises me that I can't do any math on the floor, but that's why I'm on the floor.
fifth grade: Long division is beyond me. "All of these come out even," explains the teacher, "so all the ones you have here that have remainders, are wrong." He clucks my name over and over, in despair over me. I still have no idea what I'm doing wrong.
grade school: Algebra is a nightmare. x and y and z make no sense, let alone multiplying and dividing them. My stomach clenches into a fist every time I walk into algebra class. I have trouble eating. I have trouble sleeping. My teacher is a sweet man, but I can't understand what he's saying. More seas of red ink. I come close to flunking. I have to be monitored week by week.
Base five is even worse. I don't think I get one single answer right working in base five. It's a language I can't understand. The teacher for base five is a nice man, but he's a gym teacher, and I'm wondering if that makes a difference...I'm in despair. Vague memories of chanting, wailing, banging my head against the desk in frustration--I think I've suppressed most of that, but a few memories survive...
I hate being the worst kid in class--or close enough. I hate being a Stupid Freak. I hate being mocked relentlessly by the other kids.
I beg and plead and plead and beg to my parents, to please pull me out of math, because my brain won't work that way.
No such luck. In fact, it gets worse. My parents send me to remedial math class, over the summer. I'm in anguish. I don't understand a single thing on the worksheet and draw a huge "X" through it. Mr. N., the teacher, another nice fellow, says he'll give me "Something that doesn't discourage you," but everything with numbers in it discourages me.
high school: I manage an "A" in first-year algebra, but that's mostly on the strength of remembering and repeating lessons from grade school. Second-year algebra gets worse.
Then, the Waterloo of Geometry I. The only thing I can remember from Geometry I is "you cannot use VAT to prove VAT," whatever that means. The teacher is nice, but she's an English teacher. I wonder if that makes a difference, but still, I can't understand.
My despair continues, and so does my anguish, and my stomach acid.
I have to drop Geometry II because I'm flunking it. My first major nervous breakdown at the same time--not all because I can't do math, but that sure doesn't help.
Senior year of high school: A recruiter from a college says that "if you never want to take another math class again." My ears perk right up. For that, and for other reasons, admittedly, this college is the only one I apply to. I graduate after five years of study, having never taken another math class.
During college: A friend of mine, (genius IQ, natural at math) is studying adult reactions to math, and math anxiety. He hands me a sheet of problems to work. I can add, subtract, multiply, and divide fairly well.
But oh shit, oh fuck, here comes the x, the y, the z. Angle Q. The equations. The equations that must be solved for the letters. The equations that must balance.
Sweet pops out on my skin. My head gets hot. My body clenches.
"I'm sorry B.," I say, handing it back to him. "I can't do this. I'm freaking out."
Eight or nine years ago: I'm in the bank, trying to deposit a paycheck and get some money back from it. The bank is not, unfortunately, equipped with those little plastic calculators.
It's a simple enough problem, subtracting one three-digit number from another three-digit number. That is, it *would* be a simple enough problem for anyone else.
I subtract. It somehow doesn't look right. I do the problem again. I get another answer. That somehow doesn't look right. I do the problem again. I get a *third* answer. I get four, maybe five different answers depending on how many times I do the subtraction.
I have no way of telling which of my answers, if any, is right. I cannot figure out where my mistakes are. That familiar clench in the stomach. The sweat. The anguish at not being able to do things normal people can do quickly and easily. I'm a Freak.
I have to get the bank teller to do the sum.
I've avoided math whenever possible ever since.
posted by dr. zoom at 2:36 PM on November 17, 2013
The following two posts are very long posts, just so you know up front.
re not getting the paysheet screen to unfreeze: you must be paid for what you worked. just because the web interface froze on you doesn't mean they don't have to pay you. web-based timecard interfaces are notoriously wonky, even at tech companies.
don't just say "oh well i'm bad at computers" and let go of money owed you. call the company HR dept and tell them what happened.
posted by sio42 at 4:44 AM on November 15 [20 favorites]
I wish it were that simple. But I'm stuck with two dilemmas--first, they won't pay me for the hours I *actually* worked, only the hours they *think* I *should* have worked. Second, regarding the time sheet, they keep insisting they need all my billable hours on the time sheet. They have no telephone contact, and they won't accept my offer to transmit the time sheet corrections via email. Everything has to be their way, or no way.
The time sheet has to be unfrozen on their end, and I've been able to get them to do that some of the time. But unless I can appease them using their time sheet, I won't be paid, and my only remaining option would be to take them to court, which would probably cost more than what I'm owed.
Could you describe "phenomenally bad" for us? I mean, you have a Metafilter account and you have a computer. Not having math is a wider phenomenon, I believe.
Oh boy, here we go:
Adventures In Failure, Part 1: Math
second or third grade: I insist that 50 + 50 equals 410, because I can't understand how to carry a sum to the next row.
fourth grade: I am now officially idiotic at math. Fractions make no sense; I can just barely grasp how to multiply them, but I'm hopeless at dividing. I stare at a sheet of sums until I think I'm going to scream, but they make no sense, and my worksheets always come back heavily marked in red. I throw myself on the floor in desperation. The teacher advises me that I can't do any math on the floor, but that's why I'm on the floor.
fifth grade: Long division is beyond me. "All of these come out even," explains the teacher, "so all the ones you have here that have remainders, are wrong." He clucks my name over and over, in despair over me. I still have no idea what I'm doing wrong.
grade school: Algebra is a nightmare. x and y and z make no sense, let alone multiplying and dividing them. My stomach clenches into a fist every time I walk into algebra class. I have trouble eating. I have trouble sleeping. My teacher is a sweet man, but I can't understand what he's saying. More seas of red ink. I come close to flunking. I have to be monitored week by week.
Base five is even worse. I don't think I get one single answer right working in base five. It's a language I can't understand. The teacher for base five is a nice man, but he's a gym teacher, and I'm wondering if that makes a difference...I'm in despair. Vague memories of chanting, wailing, banging my head against the desk in frustration--I think I've suppressed most of that, but a few memories survive...
I hate being the worst kid in class--or close enough. I hate being a Stupid Freak. I hate being mocked relentlessly by the other kids.
I beg and plead and plead and beg to my parents, to please pull me out of math, because my brain won't work that way.
No such luck. In fact, it gets worse. My parents send me to remedial math class, over the summer. I'm in anguish. I don't understand a single thing on the worksheet and draw a huge "X" through it. Mr. N., the teacher, another nice fellow, says he'll give me "Something that doesn't discourage you," but everything with numbers in it discourages me.
high school: I manage an "A" in first-year algebra, but that's mostly on the strength of remembering and repeating lessons from grade school. Second-year algebra gets worse.
Then, the Waterloo of Geometry I. The only thing I can remember from Geometry I is "you cannot use VAT to prove VAT," whatever that means. The teacher is nice, but she's an English teacher. I wonder if that makes a difference, but still, I can't understand.
My despair continues, and so does my anguish, and my stomach acid.
I have to drop Geometry II because I'm flunking it. My first major nervous breakdown at the same time--not all because I can't do math, but that sure doesn't help.
Senior year of high school: A recruiter from a college says that "if you never want to take another math class again." My ears perk right up. For that, and for other reasons, admittedly, this college is the only one I apply to. I graduate after five years of study, having never taken another math class.
During college: A friend of mine, (genius IQ, natural at math) is studying adult reactions to math, and math anxiety. He hands me a sheet of problems to work. I can add, subtract, multiply, and divide fairly well.
But oh shit, oh fuck, here comes the x, the y, the z. Angle Q. The equations. The equations that must be solved for the letters. The equations that must balance.
Sweet pops out on my skin. My head gets hot. My body clenches.
"I'm sorry B.," I say, handing it back to him. "I can't do this. I'm freaking out."
Eight or nine years ago: I'm in the bank, trying to deposit a paycheck and get some money back from it. The bank is not, unfortunately, equipped with those little plastic calculators.
It's a simple enough problem, subtracting one three-digit number from another three-digit number. That is, it *would* be a simple enough problem for anyone else.
I subtract. It somehow doesn't look right. I do the problem again. I get another answer. That somehow doesn't look right. I do the problem again. I get a *third* answer. I get four, maybe five different answers depending on how many times I do the subtraction.
I have no way of telling which of my answers, if any, is right. I cannot figure out where my mistakes are. That familiar clench in the stomach. The sweat. The anguish at not being able to do things normal people can do quickly and easily. I'm a Freak.
I have to get the bank teller to do the sum.
I've avoided math whenever possible ever since.
posted by dr. zoom at 2:36 PM on November 17, 2013
Response by poster: Adventures In Failure, Part II: Computers
grade school: Programming in BASIC is actually fun. I make some progress, play games, play a few computer pranks on classmates. I do fairly well in another BASIC class for summer school...
...but something sets in over the next several years. The Machine (in the aggregate) begins to speak a language I don't understand, To wit:
Second year of college: I'm typing a paper into the mainframe which I expect to present in class, in a hour or so. Suddenly, the screen freezes, right in the middle of my draft. Everyone else's screen is fine. Only mine is frozen.
I try the key combinations to unfreeze the screen. Nothing. I try them again. Nothing. I try them again. Nothing. I try them again. Nothing. Panic.
I ask the computer tech on duty at the computer center, for help. But even though he's *getting paid to understand how to fix problems with the mainframe*, he can't fix this problem. I've FUBARed the machine by doing nothing more than sitting down and trying to work.
The only solution the tech can come up with, is to kill the screen. My draft is destroyed. I have to go to class without a paper.
A few weeks later, pretty much the same thing happens all over again. My professor, a hard man to get along with in the best of times, duly notes on my quarterly evaluation: "The computer ate...two papers."
First or second year of college: Most of the students have figured out how to create humorous macros to liven up online life. I'm struggling to program one of them, using the available resources on the mainframe. It doesn't make much sense, but I'm starting to get a *glimmer* of an idea, a *vague glimmer* of how it could work...
"might as well give up now," a friend types to me. I've been struggling to create a result for five, ten, fifteen minutes. He did it all in about 90 seconds. Once again, I can't do things which normal people can do quickly and easily.
(My friend goes on, incidentally to become a highly-paid programmer, swiping my girlfriend and marrying my girlfriend into the bargain.)
A few years after college: I'm trying to open my email program and download a file at the same time. The email program seizes up and refuses to open. Nothing I do will get it to open.
I ask my friend to come out and take a look, but even though this friend is very good with computers (going back to college days), even though she set my home computer up at my home, and even though she works for the same company that manufactured the email program, she cannot get it to open. I have to do without email for some time.
Once again, I've FUBARed the machine past the capacity for a paid professional, to fix it. Yes, I'm starting to notice a pattern here...
A few more years after college: After being fired from a web publication (the editor likened my work to diarrhea), I'm trying to set up my own online column/blog. I'm running a program called "Pagebuilder" through my dialup connection.
My page will not format correctly. I hit the up, down, left, right, arrows, right click, left click, cut'n'paste. Nothing works. I have to put the page up with incomplete formatting.
2005: I land a job working telephone customer service for a bank. We use two computer systems. I can understand one fairly well. I can barely understand the other one at all, which poses serious problems, since certain functions rely on it.
Even after several weeks of training, I still can't grasp the second system. One night after finishing my on-the-phone work, before my bus comes, I "practice" performing a certain function. I follow all the instructions. It won't work. I try again. It won't work. I try again, it won't work. I try five, ten, fifteen, twenty times. It won't work. It *will* work if someone else goes through the steps while I watch, but it won't work if I try it alone. I never understand why.
Same goes for most functions performed through that system. I find it necessary to use the "Help Desk" for roughly one call out of every four, which is murder on my completion rate. My customers berate me for my slowness and for being unable to detect aspects of their accounts which are obvious to them.
After a few months on the phones, I quit the job because of stress. I spend the rest of the year having a long, slow breakdown...
Over the last few months, public library computers: The keyboard flicks over to Chinese, randomly, no warning. Extra windows pop up. Windows I want to keep open, disappear.
And that, ladies, and gentlemen, is the story of how The Machine hates me, and I hate The Machine. Oh, I left out a few stories, here and there, but I'm reasonably confident you got the gist.
posted by dr. zoom at 2:37 PM on November 17, 2013
grade school: Programming in BASIC is actually fun. I make some progress, play games, play a few computer pranks on classmates. I do fairly well in another BASIC class for summer school...
...but something sets in over the next several years. The Machine (in the aggregate) begins to speak a language I don't understand, To wit:
Second year of college: I'm typing a paper into the mainframe which I expect to present in class, in a hour or so. Suddenly, the screen freezes, right in the middle of my draft. Everyone else's screen is fine. Only mine is frozen.
I try the key combinations to unfreeze the screen. Nothing. I try them again. Nothing. I try them again. Nothing. I try them again. Nothing. Panic.
I ask the computer tech on duty at the computer center, for help. But even though he's *getting paid to understand how to fix problems with the mainframe*, he can't fix this problem. I've FUBARed the machine by doing nothing more than sitting down and trying to work.
The only solution the tech can come up with, is to kill the screen. My draft is destroyed. I have to go to class without a paper.
A few weeks later, pretty much the same thing happens all over again. My professor, a hard man to get along with in the best of times, duly notes on my quarterly evaluation: "The computer ate...two papers."
First or second year of college: Most of the students have figured out how to create humorous macros to liven up online life. I'm struggling to program one of them, using the available resources on the mainframe. It doesn't make much sense, but I'm starting to get a *glimmer* of an idea, a *vague glimmer* of how it could work...
"might as well give up now," a friend types to me. I've been struggling to create a result for five, ten, fifteen minutes. He did it all in about 90 seconds. Once again, I can't do things which normal people can do quickly and easily.
(My friend goes on, incidentally to become a highly-paid programmer, swiping my girlfriend and marrying my girlfriend into the bargain.)
A few years after college: I'm trying to open my email program and download a file at the same time. The email program seizes up and refuses to open. Nothing I do will get it to open.
I ask my friend to come out and take a look, but even though this friend is very good with computers (going back to college days), even though she set my home computer up at my home, and even though she works for the same company that manufactured the email program, she cannot get it to open. I have to do without email for some time.
Once again, I've FUBARed the machine past the capacity for a paid professional, to fix it. Yes, I'm starting to notice a pattern here...
A few more years after college: After being fired from a web publication (the editor likened my work to diarrhea), I'm trying to set up my own online column/blog. I'm running a program called "Pagebuilder" through my dialup connection.
My page will not format correctly. I hit the up, down, left, right, arrows, right click, left click, cut'n'paste. Nothing works. I have to put the page up with incomplete formatting.
2005: I land a job working telephone customer service for a bank. We use two computer systems. I can understand one fairly well. I can barely understand the other one at all, which poses serious problems, since certain functions rely on it.
Even after several weeks of training, I still can't grasp the second system. One night after finishing my on-the-phone work, before my bus comes, I "practice" performing a certain function. I follow all the instructions. It won't work. I try again. It won't work. I try again, it won't work. I try five, ten, fifteen, twenty times. It won't work. It *will* work if someone else goes through the steps while I watch, but it won't work if I try it alone. I never understand why.
Same goes for most functions performed through that system. I find it necessary to use the "Help Desk" for roughly one call out of every four, which is murder on my completion rate. My customers berate me for my slowness and for being unable to detect aspects of their accounts which are obvious to them.
After a few months on the phones, I quit the job because of stress. I spend the rest of the year having a long, slow breakdown...
Over the last few months, public library computers: The keyboard flicks over to Chinese, randomly, no warning. Extra windows pop up. Windows I want to keep open, disappear.
And that, ladies, and gentlemen, is the story of how The Machine hates me, and I hate The Machine. Oh, I left out a few stories, here and there, but I'm reasonably confident you got the gist.
posted by dr. zoom at 2:37 PM on November 17, 2013
What? You know times and dates for every computer freeze and lost file? The stories you recount happen to everyone. They are completely normal. It's also normal to have shitty job experiences where things don't quite work out. Constructing a detailed narrative about how these things prove something bad about you *isn't* normal. You might want to consider cognitive therapy. I looked at your website and you're clearly an interesting (and accomplished) person. You don't need to be different; you need to learn to look at yourself differently. (And the fact that you haven't learned to look at yourself in a positive light (yet) doesn't prove anything bad about you either.)
posted by Wordwoman at 6:17 PM on November 17, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Wordwoman at 6:17 PM on November 17, 2013 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: I hadn't considered that. Still...do normal people routinely break The Machine past the ability of paid professionals, to fix it? Do normal people have to give up their paycheck because they cannot understand a web-based timesheet?
posted by dr. zoom at 9:42 AM on November 18, 2013
posted by dr. zoom at 9:42 AM on November 18, 2013
Normal people -- even quite technically astute people -- often have trouble getting their computers to behave. And paid professionals aren't magicians. Just because they sometimes haven't been able to fix your stuff doesn't mean that your problems were uniquely messed-up.
Giving up your paycheck because of problems with the timesheet isn't normal, I suppose... having problems is totally normal. Giving up the paycheck is what is odd.
"Constructing a detailed narrative about how these things prove something bad about you *isn't* normal."
I agree. That is the issue here -- not that you have (quite normal) problems with computers and math. That in itself doesn't prove or disprove either way that you are on the autistic spectrum.
I think this gets beyond the original question, though. (Hi, folks. I am the ex he mentioned. I know darn well that I am not professionally trained or qualified to diagnose, though I am familiar with well beyond the "pop culture notion of autism." I also know darn well that the term "Asperger's Syndrome" is not up-to-date. But I believe that, as someone who knows the OP well, I am qualified to express a personal, non-professional opinion on whether I think the diagnosis is on the right track -- and I do think it is. I really wish people would focus more on answering his question than on whether he should listen to me.)
My personal thought on this, based on personal experience, is that if you have Asperger's/autistic-type issues, looking into how people learn to deal with those issues can be useful whether yours are caused by autism or not. Meeting others who have struggled in similar ways to you can be very helpful, especially so you don't feel that you're the only one. I think, ideally, just being open-minded and exploring the possibility -- and learning more about autism besides the "good at math/computers" stereotype -- would be good. You may see more of yourself than you expect, or maybe not. Either way I think it's a good thing to help you understand yourself and your life.
posted by litlnemo at 9:24 PM on November 19, 2013
Giving up your paycheck because of problems with the timesheet isn't normal, I suppose... having problems is totally normal. Giving up the paycheck is what is odd.
"Constructing a detailed narrative about how these things prove something bad about you *isn't* normal."
I agree. That is the issue here -- not that you have (quite normal) problems with computers and math. That in itself doesn't prove or disprove either way that you are on the autistic spectrum.
I think this gets beyond the original question, though. (Hi, folks. I am the ex he mentioned. I know darn well that I am not professionally trained or qualified to diagnose, though I am familiar with well beyond the "pop culture notion of autism." I also know darn well that the term "Asperger's Syndrome" is not up-to-date. But I believe that, as someone who knows the OP well, I am qualified to express a personal, non-professional opinion on whether I think the diagnosis is on the right track -- and I do think it is. I really wish people would focus more on answering his question than on whether he should listen to me.)
My personal thought on this, based on personal experience, is that if you have Asperger's/autistic-type issues, looking into how people learn to deal with those issues can be useful whether yours are caused by autism or not. Meeting others who have struggled in similar ways to you can be very helpful, especially so you don't feel that you're the only one. I think, ideally, just being open-minded and exploring the possibility -- and learning more about autism besides the "good at math/computers" stereotype -- would be good. You may see more of yourself than you expect, or maybe not. Either way I think it's a good thing to help you understand yourself and your life.
posted by litlnemo at 9:24 PM on November 19, 2013
You could be attention deficient (clinically or not, in a variety of possible ways) instead. It's fairly commonly confused with Asperger's.
How do you feel about paying attention to things that you're not really interested in? Most of your computer and math problems sound like inattention problems. (I know that's a loaded word, sorry--it's just the most descriptive. I know a bunch of people who suffer from this for a variety of reasons, from someone who is clearly attention deficit in a big way to someone who rationally considers other things more important.)
Computers and arithmetic are both deterministic (although computers are complex, which confuses people). If you do the same steps, you get the same result. For example:
Similarly for things like long division, you have to do the same steps repeatedly, with lots of attention to detail. Any tiny slip throws things off.
The happy news is that it doesn't matter if you fit into some label or not, the coping skills all work exactly the same regardless. The internet, your counselor, and possibly another AskMe question can get you pretty far here.
posted by anaelith at 6:02 PM on November 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
How do you feel about paying attention to things that you're not really interested in? Most of your computer and math problems sound like inattention problems. (I know that's a loaded word, sorry--it's just the most descriptive. I know a bunch of people who suffer from this for a variety of reasons, from someone who is clearly attention deficit in a big way to someone who rationally considers other things more important.)
Computers and arithmetic are both deterministic (although computers are complex, which confuses people). If you do the same steps, you get the same result. For example:
The keyboard flicks over to Chinese, randomly, no warning.You probably hit CTRL+SPACE which is the keyboard shortcut for switching languages (and is well known for annoying people). The trick is to avoid hitting CTRL+SPACE accidentally.
Similarly for things like long division, you have to do the same steps repeatedly, with lots of attention to detail. Any tiny slip throws things off.
The happy news is that it doesn't matter if you fit into some label or not, the coping skills all work exactly the same regardless. The internet, your counselor, and possibly another AskMe question can get you pretty far here.
posted by anaelith at 6:02 PM on November 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by dr. zoom at 8:45 PM on November 14, 2013