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Autism and Memory

DaisyGirl

I have been reading the book "The Reason I Jump", and I was very interested in the description given of the way memory is experienced and organised in people with autism.

Does anyone else on the spectrum experience traumatic memories as if they are happening right here in the present? I experience traumatic memories with all the attendant emotion (usually fear, panic and any pain) as if it is happening all over again, and this is also how Naoki descibes it. It seems a lot like the way people with PTSD decribe reliving their stressful memories.

Also, I also have memories organised in an odd way. Especially from childhood they are all sort of random, with big gaps where there should be memories of particular people or places there is nothing, but others are in incredible detail.

Just curious.

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  • in reply to IntenseWorld

    What a fascinating topic, this is a four year old post but it came up under related posts over on the right of one of mine. 

    Worth bringing back to the top as it helps me work out why my memory is well rather lacking in certain areas.

    Some amazing abilities amongst these people.wish I had any kind of heightened ability with numbers,words,pictures,art or music, I don't seem to have anything other than good ability with my hands,understanding materials and how they can be used effectively and a different way of problem sorting.

    I can assimilate with daisy girl about small traumatic memories with big chunks missing where there should be faces and other information,The memories I do have are full of minute detail not necessarily relevant,

    The smell of crayons,dust from the chalk board floating in the sunlight across the classroom ,The mesmerising smell of red paint we used at school to colour the Christmas post boxes we had made from cardboard tubing,the glue used to stick down cotton wool to asimulate snow being white,sticky and smelt sickly sweet,

    Really strong memories about tiny detail but hardly anything about everything else going on right then.

    maybe PTSD plays a part? Most people smell freshly cut grass and memories flood in the mind, but maybe certain stressful moments to us are freeze framed for ever never to be forgot,some it may act as a trigger to cause more stress as memories overwhelm from the past.

    Those tiny little fragments always there ready to overwhelm most unexpectedly.

    Anyway nice post,nice people and some lovely user names,big hugs if your still here.