Positives and negatives of Asperger's

I am intrigued to know what people think. I bet we will disagree, but this is fine Smile If we all thought the same, discussion forums would be boring!

Anyway, the negatives for me are:

Inability to form meaningful friendships and relationships, despite having many acquaintances and potential social contacts

Inability to deal with choice, planning for the future, working out what is important in life and what I need to do to get there; a lack of direction

Inability to deal with unforeseen events and changes to my usual routine;  I require a lot of warning and mental preparation

Extreme anxiety and negative thinking, obsessions and fixations (the most disabling aspect of my condition)

Can't switch off my thoughts, or deal with too much stimuli, like noise, particularly when I am already stressed

All or nothing approach to things: I am either very interested in something or very bored and directionless

Social situations are tiring and unnatural; they always feel like I am acting a part, and they feel so fake and alienating. I always feel like I am hiding a dirty secret, and this causes social anxiety

Feeling alone in the world; problems with communicating my innermost thoughts

Endless procrastination; too much thinking and not enough doing

The positives, to me, are not to be found in the condition but in my own personality:

Endlessly curious and interested in things, so long as my anxiety is not taking over my thoughts

Motivated and keen to overcome my difficulties

A positive outlook; a belief that things can improve - where there is a will there is a way!

Conscientious

Will stick up for what I believe in

Parents
  • Positives:

    • very fast brain (good for many things)
    • intelligence (don't think it'd be as good if I wasn't Aspie
    • ability to notice detail (good for catching people out!)
    • good at research (this has served me very well on many an occasion)
    • persistence in obtaining justice
    • perfectionism
    • means I understand my children (they are on the spectrum)
    • dissociative traits mean sometimes I can stop worrying
    • creative problem-solving abilities

    Negatives

    • sensory issues
    • anxiety
    • my brain is wired extremely badly for maths, which I think is a result of over wiring elsewhere
    • socialising is extremely draining and requires a lot of cognitive effort
    • I get upset easily by peoples' moods (look up Intense World Theory of autism)
    • apparent co-morbid ADHD traits which complicate things
    • OCD traits are a bit frustrating when I'm in a hurry
    • hypervigilant (although that can also be a positive)
    • can't multi-task well and housework is a beast that hangs over me
    • derealisation
    • GI problems
    • negative outlook (although I prefer to call it realistic)
    • emotional extremes

    I don't know, there are probably more for each list but this is what came to mind.  BTW I think that your "Endlessly curious and interested in things" trait is definitely an Aspie one.

Reply
  • Positives:

    • very fast brain (good for many things)
    • intelligence (don't think it'd be as good if I wasn't Aspie
    • ability to notice detail (good for catching people out!)
    • good at research (this has served me very well on many an occasion)
    • persistence in obtaining justice
    • perfectionism
    • means I understand my children (they are on the spectrum)
    • dissociative traits mean sometimes I can stop worrying
    • creative problem-solving abilities

    Negatives

    • sensory issues
    • anxiety
    • my brain is wired extremely badly for maths, which I think is a result of over wiring elsewhere
    • socialising is extremely draining and requires a lot of cognitive effort
    • I get upset easily by peoples' moods (look up Intense World Theory of autism)
    • apparent co-morbid ADHD traits which complicate things
    • OCD traits are a bit frustrating when I'm in a hurry
    • hypervigilant (although that can also be a positive)
    • can't multi-task well and housework is a beast that hangs over me
    • derealisation
    • GI problems
    • negative outlook (although I prefer to call it realistic)
    • emotional extremes

    I don't know, there are probably more for each list but this is what came to mind.  BTW I think that your "Endlessly curious and interested in things" trait is definitely an Aspie one.

Children
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