Published on 12, July, 2020
I was diagnosed with Aspergers a few weeks ago (at 40 years old). During the assessment I was amazed when the specialist explained how most NTs would have answered the questions and how different that is from how I think. The adaptive strategies we develop allow us to pass as NT but the thought processes behind the actions are so different! I recently read that NTs typically maintain eye contact 50 - 70% of the time during conversation and this blew my mind. I am really interested to hear other people's thoughts and experiences of atypyical thinking in social contexts. I'm planning to get some specialist counselling to help me think through it all but I'd love to hear other lived experiences. Thanks!
I'd be really curious to know what else they told you NTs do as normal.
In the autism books it lists what autists do that NTs don't, so I've discovered what I thought was normal for everyone turns out not to be. But I don't know what NTs do that I don't, or if I do what the internal dynamics are for them to do it. 50-70% seems staggering to me, I thought my eye contact was ok, but it's nowhere near that level!
Where can I find such a list?
The best thing i've read is Aspergirls. Everything else is slowly cobbling stuff together from websites and forums and bits n bobs in books. I keep notes.
Also Inside Autism Looking Out and All Cats Have Autism were two books with lists that helped me rethink my childhood.