I'm a slob...

Hi, I'm a 23 year-old man who was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome at 12. I've manged to get along to the point where I can function more-or-less seamlessly in society; I can hold down a steady job, cultivate friendships, live independently and have managed to graduate university twice... Obtaining a Bachelors in Drama and a Masters in Creative Writing.

Throughout the enrity of my life, there has always been one thing I can't seem to get a handle on... Tidying! My bedrooms were always a mess, my dorm was a mess, my shared house was a mess (to the point where I eventually moved out because it was causing too much of a problem) and now I'm staying at my mother's for a short while and I can't seem to stop the messes from piling up...

It's like I can't even see it... Like the crap on the floor doesn't penetrate my awareness, or the fact that there are pots in the sink or bits of food on the cooker or splatters on the wall just don't occur to me.

Could this be down to my autsitc lack of perception? Is there ANYTHING I can do to (literally) clean my act up and be more mindful of the things I'm inadvertently leaving behind?

Does anyone else have the same, or a similar problem? It's causing massive wedges between me and other people and I f*cking hate it!

Parents
  • You have hit the nail on the head when you say that these things don't penetrate your awareness. We focus on things that are interesting to us and making things clean isn't interesting to you.Thats not a criticism, I had little interest in it when younger.

    As your main motivation in being neater is to keep other people happy is it possible to involve them? Could you ask you mother to tell you when you've made a mess and commit to cleaning it up as soon as she tells you about it? Or could you write yourself a checklist so that once a week you clean the stove, mop the floor etc.

Reply
  • You have hit the nail on the head when you say that these things don't penetrate your awareness. We focus on things that are interesting to us and making things clean isn't interesting to you.Thats not a criticism, I had little interest in it when younger.

    As your main motivation in being neater is to keep other people happy is it possible to involve them? Could you ask you mother to tell you when you've made a mess and commit to cleaning it up as soon as she tells you about it? Or could you write yourself a checklist so that once a week you clean the stove, mop the floor etc.

Children
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