Middle aged
Is highly adept at masking. Which he/she/non binary etc has done for many years
IQ- at least 140, degree or PhD level academic qualification,
Sees being an autistic person as far more a gift than a deficit
Progresses quickly from non diagnosed to expert with lived experience
1) Borderline (nearly forty).
2) I do mask. I'm not sure I'm "highly adept." I think some people think of me as weird, or just slightly off/hard to "get."
3) Yes to both.
4) Absolutely not. I experience it as a disability and feel uncomfortable (OK, angry) with people who try to tell me I should feel otherwise. If other people experience it as a gift, I'm pleased for them, but it's not my experience.
5) I'm not an expert, but I probably have followed some of that progression, but not quickly at all.
It is easy to think everyone is like this, especially if you're not. I think like this sometimes. But there probably is some bias in the more functional people being able to join in a forum like this, or to want to share about their lives, let alone to promote autism awareness generally (e.g. Chris Packham).
Btw I thought I said it earlier but I guess I didn't so I'll add it now, actually despite having a "good" score on my IQ results I don't put too much stock in them overall because they do have biases and and they also don't measure types of inteligence just the ability of the person to take this one specifically. I also find it weird to apply IQ to something like an ASC diagnosis, for instance if the assessor suspectes a learning disability along with ASC they will maybe test for IQ just to see if that helps confirm of deny their suspicions but for "people with HFA" it doesn't mean much. Because my issues are less a problem with capability and more a problem with cope-ability a IQ of 126 and the ability to opperate multiple vehicle types or achieve academically doesn't mean squat if I get overloaded, overwhelmed, meltdown, shut down or go non-verbal in thos emoments my autistic experience is like anyobody elses regardless of something like IQ.
I became pension age in January, so can't really say that I'm middle aged. I don't believe I've ever consciously masked. I did an IQ test at Felsted, when I was 15, but was never told the result . I was hospitalised for the 1st time at the start of my 'A level' term. Due to 'bullying related trauma ' I've been very avoidant re pursuing further education. The exception being a short lived attempt at a history A level correspondence course in 1975-76. Hence I only have 6 O levels I don't have dyscalculia , but I have always been poor at geometry.
I am part of the FB 'high IQ' community. I like quizzes and tests from playbuzz 'fluff' to high range tests. Yes there can be a 'practice effect' especially with 3x3 matrix.
Being an autistic and schizophrenic person hasn't been a 'gift' for me, as it resulted in 'social drift' , and never having a paid job. I fell between 2 stools employment wise. Poor manual skills that me unsuitable for a blue collar' type job on one hand. On the other hand not up to coping with the pressure and stress of a high powered professional job.
My father,who's 92, was a diplomat, with a fairly successful career. Successful enough for a 'Who' who' entry. Hence my upbringing was solidly middle class including being educated at prep and public school. Neither of which I was suited for.
I'm definitely not the 5th one.
You are describing me, except that I am old and have never had my IQ tested - largely because I can see problems in the design of IQ tests; also, repeating IQ tests improves people's scores, so they cannot be measuring anything very accurately about innate intelligence.
No.
Somewhat.
126 and bachelors.
Gift in some ways curse in others. Not less or more than a neurotypical, just different.
No (at least in the way I think I read what you are saying on that 5th one) I was diagnosed as a child.
close to middle aged i guess.
i dont know if im adept at masking but i think my face is always the same expression, not aware if it changes expression, maybe the expressionlessness is a mask.
my iq is probably none existant because i give up as soon as i see a maths question and toss the test violently out of a window.
not sure whether im autistic because the nhs is useless and doesnt do anything ever, not even when you have serious emergency issues they just blow you off and dont do their job so i never get any help from the useless nhs and i think they should be scrapped off and replaced with anything that can help or function or do the job. but whatever i am im not sure whether its a gift or a deficit and id just consider it to be me either way... and me is... me.. cant change who you are. its everyone else who exclude you or react to who you are that is at fault for making life bad, thats not a me problem thats a them problem, a society problem. and society probably is the one that needs the help to change.
cant progress because of previous point of the nhs and even the schools and the entire public system always being useless and none functioning.. in that regard again it is society that doesnt function and perhaps society is at fault and needs to change.
