Autism Discussion :)
- Thread starter Eienna
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OP
OP
Eienna
5000 Club Member
Lol. You obsessed with them too? XD
I have to come to forums and such. It keeps me sane - I want to talk about them but my family's sick of hearing it XD
At risk of adding fuel to the fire...
Reefkeeping.com has a bunch of studies people are doing :)
I don't think you understood what I meant by overloaded, though. It's like when a carburetor floods.
OP
OP
Eienna
5000 Club Member
Me too XD you wouldn't believe the amount of reading I did before I even got into FW. Soak it up, baby!! XD
Squishie89
Glub Glub
A full rundown if possible. Or whatever you are comfortable with.
OP
OP
Eienna
5000 Club Member
Sure, no worries. :) My brain's fried from scientific articles, though. I'll get back to you in a couple days.
OP
OP
Eienna
5000 Club Member
Okay...let's see...
1. Trouble "generalizing" - just because I know what to do in one setting doesn't mean it'll carry over to another. Kind of like dogs; if you only teach them to sit in the house, most do not automatically understand when you ask for it outdoors.
2. A fear of new places.
3. An irritating level of uncoordination.
4. Difficulty reading expression, tone, and body language in other people, and just as much difficulty communicating back in the same areas.
5. When I'm nervous or feeling sympathetic, I tend to smile, which sends the wrong message.
6. It is extremely uncomfortable to look someone in the eye.
7. Taps, pats or light touches are irritating. I do like firmer touches, massage and a good hug.
8. I have sensitivities to certain noises and scents. The sound of the vacuum used to be intolerable and I still have issues with balloons popping.
9. I get flooded/overwhelmed easily.
10. I HAVE to have some decompression downtime during the day.
That's what I can think of right now. I'll add more later if I come up with it. Thoughts?
9.
OP
OP
Eienna
5000 Club Member
That can happen with autism, as well.
Squishie89
Glub Glub
Wow, that is really fascinating. Thank you so much for taking the time to write that up.
OP
OP
Eienna
5000 Club Member
No problem at all :)
Zionas
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I suspect a fair number of us on here have at least some neurodivergent traits. At least from what I’ve seen the average person simply doesn’t have the amount of dedication nor the specialized interest needed for this hobby. In other words a fully “neurotypical” person (whatever that means) may have a hard time “getting it.”
I have never gotten an official diagnosis but I do have strong suspicions that I’m on the very high functioning end of the spectrum. Growing up I’ve always had interests considered unusual by the majority of my peers, from tower cranes to fighter jets to plants and birds and saltwater fish. Naturally, I had trouble making friends the same age as me and gravitated towards adults and sometimes older kids. I made a few friends in elementary school but lost them as I moved back to China coz of my mom’s job. I went to a Canadian international school because the Chinese curriculum was too academically rigorous for me and school hours are longer, I tried to fit in with my peers at my new school but it never worked out. I tried so hard to fit in, did and said some stupid things to get their attention but in the end it was all in vain as they realized I was being a tryhard. Naturally, most of my social interactions were with people older than me, early twenties and beyond. And I found those interactions a lot more natural and fulfilling.
I suck at small talk. Can do it but I am often oblivious to the appropriate “pace” of social interactions. I have a very rich and active inner world where I’m constantly asking questions about the world and constantly learning about random stuff and it’s precisely my intensity that tends to drive people away because I don’t think your average person expects to, or may not even have the capacity for the kind of deeply philosophical conversations that I need to thrive. Having special interests and knowledge about obscure stuff doesn’t seem to help either. I’m taking a break from Facebook because I’m tired of so many people posting trivial status updates about their lives and I’d honestly have fewer and less complex social interactions to deal with, at least for a while. The more I see what people do on social media the more I withdraw from it.
I’m pretty much fully bilingual to an uncommon degree (at least from what I’ve seen), which is useful but has its own struggles too because science says people who know more than one language have a larger overall vocabulary but aren’t able to express themselves as well in either language compared to monolingual speakers of those languages. Always spoke Chinese at home and grew up in a Chinese majority part of Greater Vancouver (Richmond). It also doesn’t help that I’m an introvert who can overthink before expressing myself, but I suspect it goes deeper than that as sometimes I prefer to give non-verbal cues. It’s like the words have a hard time coming out of my mouth despite knowing what I want to communicate.
Sometimes I find that I generally express myself better through writing than verbal communication. There are times where I can express myself in words very eloquently, but I’m equally susceptible to brain fart lol and resort to text when given the chance.
I ruminate a lot over certain sights, sounds, smells and other stuff but I can have a hard time explaining why. I can be inexplicably grossed out when certain colors and textures (such as food) are mixed together. Don’t ask me why, it just makes me feel uncomfortable.
I’m easily overwhelmed by crowds, sudden noises, sudden outbursts of laughter and other emotions but then I’m very sensitive and pick up on emotions very easily. I can be very good at intuitively reading people yet not the easiest to read until you know me well. My attitude towards most social “norms” is a mixture of really not knowing how to respond, and finding them superficial and ridiculous. Lots of social awkwardness too. I’m often torn between wanting to associate with people and wanting to conserve my energy, but I sure as heck don’t thrive in groups. One-on-one is about the only way to get to know me intimately.
Very spatially unaware and absent minded. Slightly claustrophobic too. On some days riding the subway packed full of people is nerve wracking. Easily irritated over small things that other people seem able to just brush off. Prone to reading between the lines too much when it comes to people, I tend to give the benefit of the doubt but approaching me with the wrong conversation style (such as being too intrusive, making casual remarks for the other person but sounding snide / insensitive to me) can put me off completely. Failure to thrive in groups but shines in a “pair” or a “trio” (at most).
Some compulsive body gestures that have gotten better with age, but often still feeling a desire to be away from the group / crowd yet there are other times where I like to immerse myself in the energy of a crowd or group of people for a short while.
Dislike of authority. Dislike of hierarchy and rigid schedules yet also needing my own routines. An anarchist at heart deeply fearful and skeptical of many social structures, institutions, arrangements. Perfectionist tendencies and I always had trouble staying within the world limit when writing essays in school and in college because I felt whatever limit was not enough for me to fully express myself. Very irritated by people who give incomplete, one word or two-word answers to sincere questions unless it happens to contain the info I’m looking for in a very concise way. I also try my best to give very complete answers when I address the questions of others, like I feel compelled to give them all the info I feel they’ll need rather than leaving things halfway. I’m all too aware when I’m being taken advantage of but often fall victim to my compassion.
My non-reefer friend isn’t that big on animals in general but even he commented on my very meticulous nature when it comes to things I’m interested in and said he wouldn’t be surprised if I could name 8/10 fish on a reef dive. He’s an exception but I generally have a hard time forming close bonds with people who don’t like animals and can’t appreciate nature.
A lot of times I really do feel like interacting with other species (the ones in our hobby included) is far preferable to interacting with most people in the world who won’t even attempt to understand anyone that deviates from the hive mind. I come from East Asia so it’s no joke here. Many people among the older generation think normal= conforming to the Neo-Confucian, corporatist status quo.
I’ll still end up getting married and having a family of my own xD And I don’t feel like I’m disadvantaged in any way. Sure I might never be able to understand what being “neurotypical” is like, but then I believe there isn’t one way to be. The divergents are the ones who will ultimately lead the world forward into greater heights and depths.
I’m currently 24 and only know maybe 2 other reefers within 5 years of my age give or take.
I have never gotten an official diagnosis but I do have strong suspicions that I’m on the very high functioning end of the spectrum. Growing up I’ve always had interests considered unusual by the majority of my peers, from tower cranes to fighter jets to plants and birds and saltwater fish. Naturally, I had trouble making friends the same age as me and gravitated towards adults and sometimes older kids. I made a few friends in elementary school but lost them as I moved back to China coz of my mom’s job. I went to a Canadian international school because the Chinese curriculum was too academically rigorous for me and school hours are longer, I tried to fit in with my peers at my new school but it never worked out. I tried so hard to fit in, did and said some stupid things to get their attention but in the end it was all in vain as they realized I was being a tryhard. Naturally, most of my social interactions were with people older than me, early twenties and beyond. And I found those interactions a lot more natural and fulfilling.
I suck at small talk. Can do it but I am often oblivious to the appropriate “pace” of social interactions. I have a very rich and active inner world where I’m constantly asking questions about the world and constantly learning about random stuff and it’s precisely my intensity that tends to drive people away because I don’t think your average person expects to, or may not even have the capacity for the kind of deeply philosophical conversations that I need to thrive. Having special interests and knowledge about obscure stuff doesn’t seem to help either. I’m taking a break from Facebook because I’m tired of so many people posting trivial status updates about their lives and I’d honestly have fewer and less complex social interactions to deal with, at least for a while. The more I see what people do on social media the more I withdraw from it.
I’m pretty much fully bilingual to an uncommon degree (at least from what I’ve seen), which is useful but has its own struggles too because science says people who know more than one language have a larger overall vocabulary but aren’t able to express themselves as well in either language compared to monolingual speakers of those languages. Always spoke Chinese at home and grew up in a Chinese majority part of Greater Vancouver (Richmond). It also doesn’t help that I’m an introvert who can overthink before expressing myself, but I suspect it goes deeper than that as sometimes I prefer to give non-verbal cues. It’s like the words have a hard time coming out of my mouth despite knowing what I want to communicate.
Sometimes I find that I generally express myself better through writing than verbal communication. There are times where I can express myself in words very eloquently, but I’m equally susceptible to brain fart lol and resort to text when given the chance.
I ruminate a lot over certain sights, sounds, smells and other stuff but I can have a hard time explaining why. I can be inexplicably grossed out when certain colors and textures (such as food) are mixed together. Don’t ask me why, it just makes me feel uncomfortable.
I’m easily overwhelmed by crowds, sudden noises, sudden outbursts of laughter and other emotions but then I’m very sensitive and pick up on emotions very easily. I can be very good at intuitively reading people yet not the easiest to read until you know me well. My attitude towards most social “norms” is a mixture of really not knowing how to respond, and finding them superficial and ridiculous. Lots of social awkwardness too. I’m often torn between wanting to associate with people and wanting to conserve my energy, but I sure as heck don’t thrive in groups. One-on-one is about the only way to get to know me intimately.
Very spatially unaware and absent minded. Slightly claustrophobic too. On some days riding the subway packed full of people is nerve wracking. Easily irritated over small things that other people seem able to just brush off. Prone to reading between the lines too much when it comes to people, I tend to give the benefit of the doubt but approaching me with the wrong conversation style (such as being too intrusive, making casual remarks for the other person but sounding snide / insensitive to me) can put me off completely. Failure to thrive in groups but shines in a “pair” or a “trio” (at most).
Some compulsive body gestures that have gotten better with age, but often still feeling a desire to be away from the group / crowd yet there are other times where I like to immerse myself in the energy of a crowd or group of people for a short while.
Dislike of authority. Dislike of hierarchy and rigid schedules yet also needing my own routines. An anarchist at heart deeply fearful and skeptical of many social structures, institutions, arrangements. Perfectionist tendencies and I always had trouble staying within the world limit when writing essays in school and in college because I felt whatever limit was not enough for me to fully express myself. Very irritated by people who give incomplete, one word or two-word answers to sincere questions unless it happens to contain the info I’m looking for in a very concise way. I also try my best to give very complete answers when I address the questions of others, like I feel compelled to give them all the info I feel they’ll need rather than leaving things halfway. I’m all too aware when I’m being taken advantage of but often fall victim to my compassion.
My non-reefer friend isn’t that big on animals in general but even he commented on my very meticulous nature when it comes to things I’m interested in and said he wouldn’t be surprised if I could name 8/10 fish on a reef dive. He’s an exception but I generally have a hard time forming close bonds with people who don’t like animals and can’t appreciate nature.
A lot of times I really do feel like interacting with other species (the ones in our hobby included) is far preferable to interacting with most people in the world who won’t even attempt to understand anyone that deviates from the hive mind. I come from East Asia so it’s no joke here. Many people among the older generation think normal= conforming to the Neo-Confucian, corporatist status quo.
I’ll still end up getting married and having a family of my own xD And I don’t feel like I’m disadvantaged in any way. Sure I might never be able to understand what being “neurotypical” is like, but then I believe there isn’t one way to be. The divergents are the ones who will ultimately lead the world forward into greater heights and depths.
I’m currently 24 and only know maybe 2 other reefers within 5 years of my age give or take.
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