How old is everyone and how does aspergers effect you day to day?

Thanks for all the replies, I'm glad most people can relate :)

As I've probably drifted off the point a bit on red, I ought to answer the thread. I was diagnosed at 55 with "able" asperger's and having good coping strategies, so fortunately a lot better off. I am now retired which alleviates a lot of the problems.

I have poor eye contact and difficulty interacting socially, particularly in noisy or complex environments. I'm also inclined to go on a bit, and am very focussed though fortunately usually in things that can be harnessed productively.

Possibly to the good, but it didn't always feel like it, I've had to cope independently from my twenties, and seem to have ended up doing lots of things by necessity to get on that I find uncomfortable.

My hobbies are those of a loner. Don't really get much chance to mix.

If I can comment on red it might help (possibly someone else with more direct knowledge of the psychology of colours could come in on this).

Red is usually chosen as an attention getter or STOP signal because our eyes see it differently from other colours. For most people red stands out in 3-D, with other colours in the background, as if it was closer to you than everything else.

However from an autistic spectrum viewpoint red is likely to have adverse effects. It may tend to dominate the field of view, and feel like it is invading or threatening.

I'm not sure why this happens. In our natural (or artificial - domestic) surroundings red light is usually absorbed by surfaces, and green and blue light reflected. This is especially so with vegetation because it is mainly the red light that is used in photosynthesis and thus it is absorbed by plants. What is then reflected back in a mix of green and blue, particularly the former, hence grass appears green. When leaves die in the autumn they stop absorbing red light, and it is reflected back, hence why leaves change to yellow, brown and red.

So it might be that red is unusual in our day to day surroundings, and more disturbing as a consequence. However there does also seem to be a real optical shift that gives the impression it is nearer than other colours. It sometimes floats and drifts especially if red lights are viewed from a vehicle at night.

There are many things about the autistic spectrum, affecting the day-to-day lives of individuals, that don't get studied. But colour optics and colour perception is studied by scientists in a number of fields, and they might be persuaded to explore any difference in reaction experienced by people on the autistic spectrum.

Pilots neded to respond accurately to colours, especially as green red and amber are warnings, so normally a colour blind pilot might have to be grounded. But I bet no-one has looked at whether pilots with (unknown) autistic spectrum status might have adverse colour responses.

This is really important stuff.

I have problems with red as well - it feels as though it is burning my eyes. I also get some problems with bright blue, but red is the worst  -  horrible when watching the TV news as one of the channels has bright red all over the studio set and when the presenters wear red as well it is unbearable. They are definitely not Aspie-friendly!!

whatanoodlehead - I think your advice about finding people with the same interests as yourself is good. 

We love our detail don't we? If someone asks me something, I tell them - everything I know related to their question. Even monitoring myself I feel I am still saying too much, and it is so hard to abbreviate answers. 

You are not alone Hawk256.  

Hi Hawk256.

I am quite old at 47 and only resently found I have ASD. I know what you mean about colours with me it is the colour red if I saw say three red cars my anxiety would go though the roof and i would think somthing really bad would happen. I also had the trouble you have with meeting new people, i would be Ok talking to some one for about ten mins or so and then things would start to go weird and i would say things in a panic and i would make me seem rude. I only have one close friend and she can only take me in small doses. I get a lot of plesure form bird watching and used to spend all day on my own in the woods or out in the hills but i resently stared going to RSPB meeting and find that because the people there have a common intrest with me in wildlife I find that I can comuitcate with them alot more easily because I know that the conversation will stay within given paramiters. I is also a good hobby for the likes of us because you get to learn list of names and make list of all the birds you see and where and when you see them. So maybe if you find other people that share a common interst with yourself you can meet new people without so much of the anxiety and you would not feel quite so lonely, it worked for me. 

Hi Hawk, your post was very introspective, you seem too know yourself and your condition very well. Good insight.

I too have to be cued simply, because my mind works at too a high complex level, overlearning, overthinking, over stressed(lol).

So I can relate easily to your points of conversation.

I find I over talk due to stress, so I am learning to pause in conservations now, so that I can pull myself up or can slow myself down. I say a sentence,, pause, talk again, pause, talk again..

I think trigger words,, ,,,,, pause   are playing a large part,,,,, pause,,,, in your condition. (stop_).  talking example.

Remember detail is good, I love detail, but the lesser minds hate detail. So don't give yourself a hard time over your detailed talk.