Imposter syndrome and difficulty researching things

Piki86 said:

There is so much information out there, I find it overwhelming, having to choose how and what to look for, and then there is so much to read or watch.

I use the followung approach based around the question "how do you eat a whale".

The answer is of course "one bite at a time".

So how does that help here? The answer is it helps remind you to break the big task into a structure and then smaller sub tasks and to use a tried and tested formula you have used before.

For example if you need to plan a day out with friends then you need to plan for:

1 - know the destination and how to get there.

2 - know what the agenda will be.

3 - know who is coming and that they are informed.

4 - plan what to take, who to let know what the agenda is and one or two fallback plans in case of emergency.

For each of these:

1 - The Destination.

Use sites you trust for suggestions on what to do there. I would use:

Tripadvisor (obviously filter through the options but there is normally enough stuff there to get an idea what to consider).

The attractions own sites, especially for opening times, closing dates etc.

Instagram feeds for the attractions.

Ask anyone you know who has been there that you trust for other ideas.

2 - Agenda.

list the attractions, work out where they are on the map and estimate walking times with Google Maps or similar and work out a path that takes in enough of these to be interesting.

Allow a decent margin for unexpected stops and tardiness.

Add the Instagram feeds for the attractions and see what others have been saying about them - contact the attractions if you want more info or advice (eg for someone with limited mobility etc).

Look for local supermarkets, pharmacies and hospitals and note local taxi companies - just in case of problems.

Look up parking sites around the area and have a good range of options. Consider a supermarket parking area as a fallback or take an Uber / taxi.

3 - The group.

Speak to your friends with a summary of the resarch options and ask them if these are ok and if there are any objections.

Assuming there is a consensus then go ahead and book what you need to - keep track of costs and notify your friends on what they owe.

Consider the fitness and mobility of the party - plan routes and stops to accommodate these.

Send the final list and do not invite suggestions to change it at this stage. You have done enough work already.

Get emergency contacts for everyone on the list just in case, along with any relevant emergency medical notes (eg allergic to blueberries).

4 - plan what to take etc

For a starter you will need a way of transporting stuff (water bottle, emergency snacks, inhaler, plasters for heels if anyone has new shoes etc).

Make a list of these things, revisit in case it is too heavy (you can always get water from a local store for example so take only a small bottle). Plan to get these a few days before you travel.

Pack a battery pack for charging mobile phones and make sure it is charged and has suitable cables for most phones (ie Apple, USB-C and micro USB).

Pack sunglasses, sunscreen, lip balm and a hat if the weather looks nice. Warmer stuff if it looks cold and waterproofs if it is wet/windy.

Tell people to travel fairly light (ie don't bring your laptop, tablet, DSLR and tripod) so they can remain mobile.

There you go - you have a long list of smaller tasks and the pressure if off. Delegate some to your group on the attraction research and make each person "responsible" for it but keep an eye on it in case they flake on you.

You will have a lot more bandwidth now this is all written out and you can focus on the smaller tasks instead of the big picture. So much easier.

This is more or less the basis of project management - a very useful skill to have.

Iain, I'd be really interested to know how your example relates to autism research? Autism reseach feels like a lucky dip, you reach in and have no idea of what you're going to pull out, will it be relevant or helpful. As I'm sure you know there's a lot of guff out there and often you don't know enough to know if it's guff or not.

I think I misunderstood what Piki86 was asking - I thought it was research in general (eg planning a day out or similar) not the field of autism.

In this case it is actually much easier.

I would start with the book Autism For Dummies, write a list of all the autistic traits the person has and then read up on these sections.

It is too big a field to deep dive on everything, everywhere all at once so look at the list of autistic traits they have and order them by the ones that are most problematic and read up on them.

Once the section on this has been read then decide if further reading is needed and mark that on the list but go on to the next trait until all traits are read up on.

At the end there will be a list of subjects to research more - but it will be a managable list. so I would pick a subject and allow a week to read up on what I can about it until I was satisfied I knew enough to satiate that thirst for knowledge.

Repeat for all the traits and the body of knowledge accumulated will be impressive.

Treating it like a journey after this point helps a lot but to cover all the key bases this would seem the most effective way to do it.

I think I misunderstood what Piki86 was asking - I thought it was research in general (eg planning a day out or similar) not the field of autism.

In this case it is actually much easier.

I would start with the book Autism For Dummies, write a list of all the autistic traits the person has and then read up on these sections.

It is too big a field to deep dive on everything, everywhere all at once so look at the list of autistic traits they have and order them by the ones that are most problematic and read up on them.

Once the section on this has been read then decide if further reading is needed and mark that on the list but go on to the next trait until all traits are read up on.

At the end there will be a list of subjects to research more - but it will be a managable list. so I would pick a subject and allow a week to read up on what I can about it until I was satisfied I knew enough to satiate that thirst for knowledge.

Repeat for all the traits and the body of knowledge accumulated will be impressive.

Treating it like a journey after this point helps a lot but to cover all the key bases this would seem the most effective way to do it.

Piki86 said:

I feel like an imposter as it seems like autistic people in general love to research, therefore if I don't like it how could I be autistic?

That is an easy one to answer - there are no "typical" autistic people - with it being a spectrum condition we have all sorts of traits at all sorts of intensities so are a complete mixed bag.

Some people love research but loads don't - you are just you, autistic but still you and there probably isn't any other autistic person exactly like you,

As the French say. vive la difference.

You didn't missunderstand me, I was indeed talking about research in general, and saying because I don't like to do it, I feel like an imposter as it seems like autistic people in general love to research, therefore if I don't like it how could I be autistic?

TheCatWoman said:

What sources do you use after reading autism for dummies? How do you evaluate a source?

I ask my therapist what they recommend and look at what people on here recommend as well - and I look for authors whi are often quoted favourably on psychology sites in relation to autism (the likes of Temple Grandin, Luke Breardon and Tony Attwood come to mind).

All these authors are human so will have their failings so I accept that I can never take anthing as hard fact until I have found supporting evidence to indicate that it is at least probable With the rate of change of understanding of autism then I expect it to be a changable landscape as research improves out understanding.

TheCatWoman said:

I don't know what your experience is, but mine has not been the most positive,

I agree - people are the weak link. Most of them do not have autism as their main focus so we get only some of their attention. When you think we make up only 2% of the population then this is actually understandable - for every one of us there are 49 others who lack our types of needs and these needs vary so much from person to person anyway.

My overall view of the whole situation here it that we need to take it into our own hands if we want to get anything done,

What sources do you use after reading autism for dummies? How do you evaluate a source? Knowing how to use and evaluate sources for accuracy is probably the greater part of research. I'm increasingly finding what I would deem as relaible sources behind a paywall, by reliable I mean research from major hosptials, universities and places like that, if I couldn't use it as a source in an accademic essay then I'm very sceptical as to it's value. Using your method one could end up with a large volume of useless and contradictory information and feel even more confused than when one started.

Even if one gets good information, what one is then able to do with it is another issue entirely, it's a post code lottery of services who don't like people who take the time to actively engage with thier diagnosis and will challenge your research, even if you said you got it from a respected publication like the Lancet. Different countries and services interpret things a bit differently, some are very strict in thier interpretations others not, there seems to be a lot of professional disagreements that people fall down the gaps of and you can end up feeliing like a bone between two dogs.

I don't know what your experience is, but mine has not been the most positive, I've been gaslit, had my intelligence questioned, my skills questioned, which is particularly galling for someone with a history degree, I know how to research! I've felt belittled and infantalised and then abandoned by services who want to basically pat you on the head and live to the lowest common denomitator.