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"Autism is a superpower"

Rainbowgirl

I see this type of message everywhere, people talking about the amazing talents that autistic people they've met have and calling it a superpower. They act like being autistic just comes with these amazing abilities.

I appreciate putting a positive light on autism rather than a negative one but it makes me feel like something is wrong with me. I don't have a superpower.

I'm slow, I'm bad at math, my memory is so bad that I fear I may have amnesia, I only ever did average at school and I've been learning the same language for 4 years yet I can't hold a real conversation. 

I'm not really intelligent or talented. The thing I'm best at is just being really interested in certain things (I consider it a good quality of mine) but it's nothing that would be considered a superpower.

Does anybody else feel this way? Is this type of thinking actually damaging to the image of autistic people?

Parents

  • i'm exactly similar to you. except, i was always a very superior reader - but that's really it. somehow, i could just read really well; i just could, without much effort (in learning it, etc)

    but like you, i'm horrible at math, along with my other aspie pal. our memories are awful. plus, i'm 66, so my memory truly is bad. and like you, i get pretty fascinated by certain things, and study them. i didn't no this about me, until the past few years, when i hit my sixties. you're lucky; you alrady no you get into certain things.

    that's a talent right there.... i guess you can try learning various things --- hopefully some will mesh and form some sort of 'stuff' you're into. maybe they will all build on each other .... for me, in spite of my awfulness at math, and my awfulness at learning languages, and my poorness at using computers ---- and my age,, and my poor memory, i'm studying microcontrollers, python, unix, and electronic digital circuits. 

    so those are all things that contain areas that are glaring weaknesses in me. but... that's my current areas of studies. 

    i'm sure you'll do fine. i encourage you to follow your instincts in what you are interested int.

Reply

  • i'm exactly similar to you. except, i was always a very superior reader - but that's really it. somehow, i could just read really well; i just could, without much effort (in learning it, etc)

    but like you, i'm horrible at math, along with my other aspie pal. our memories are awful. plus, i'm 66, so my memory truly is bad. and like you, i get pretty fascinated by certain things, and study them. i didn't no this about me, until the past few years, when i hit my sixties. you're lucky; you alrady no you get into certain things.

    that's a talent right there.... i guess you can try learning various things --- hopefully some will mesh and form some sort of 'stuff' you're into. maybe they will all build on each other .... for me, in spite of my awfulness at math, and my awfulness at learning languages, and my poorness at using computers ---- and my age,, and my poor memory, i'm studying microcontrollers, python, unix, and electronic digital circuits. 

    so those are all things that contain areas that are glaring weaknesses in me. but... that's my current areas of studies. 

    i'm sure you'll do fine. i encourage you to follow your instincts in what you are interested int.

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