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Is this a "me" thing, or an ASD thing?

Can Aspies collect sound effects and dialogue files instead of data?
I have a tendency to collect what sound effects I can get (usually from my dad's library) and also any dialogue files from movies I've seen or games I've played (like the files from Portal2Sounds.com. I like the game a lot :) )
I suspect I may have aspergers but am not sure.
 
I apologize for asking this but...

Is it just me, but is it the "typical" for one with Asperger's to be "strong", "brave", and "stable" during the death of a love one?

I am not trying to troll or pick at people. I just believe I am not grieving right. :(

I really loved this relative that died and was close, but I am the "brave" one during this time. :cry:
 
I apologize for asking this but...

Is it just me, but is it the "typical" for one with Asperger's to be "strong", "brave", and "stable" during the death of a love one?

I am not trying to troll or pick at people. I just believe I am not grieving right. :(

I really loved this relative that died and was close, but I am the "brave" one during this time. :cry:

I'm really sorry for your loss... and I think there's no right or wrong way to grieve... as for "strong", "brave", and "stable" I've seen people who are not on the spectrum being that way... sometimes we seem to be or appear to be less emotional, or our emotional response might be inadequate but it doesn't mean that it's not the right way to do it. My childhood friend lost her father when she was 15, and she didn't react as you would expect a "normal" person would react and she wasn't on the spectrum. She just decided that she had to be strong for her little sister and her mom. But who knows how much pain she really felt inside.

... you're obviously in a lot of pain and how you feel it or how you express it, doesn't matter... those are your feelings, and your way to express them...

no words could help you right now probably, but my thought are with you and I believe a lot of people here feel the same way.
 
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@ epath13- Thanks. Also I'm going through a family mess right now. So ugh... I just want to get the death certificate and move on with the service/memorial. My grandma wouldn't want this craziness. :-/

If I say any crazy stuff, I apologize. Hence the reason why I am trying just to stay on familiar grounds right about now.
 
@ epath13- Thanks. Also I'm going through a family mess right now. So ugh... I just want to get the death certificate and move on with the service/memorial. My grandma wouldn't want this craziness. :-/

If I say any crazy stuff, I apologize. Hence the reason why I am trying just to stay on familiar grounds right about now.

Hope you'll be able to resolve everything.... good luck
 
I don't seem to get offended easily because I often see online that people get offended over anything and it doesn't even offend me. Is this an AS thing?

Also when I see things in public that make me uncomfortable, I don't look nor pay any attention to it. I can block it out. It seems like lot of people can't. Is this an AS thing?

I also tend to not get embarrassed like other people do. My husband says lot of things just do not embarrass me. Things that normally embarrass people do not embarrass me. Is this an AS thing?
 
My daughter was recently diagnosed w/ AS and the more I learn about it, I believe I am also. I can completely relate to what you are saying. I have gone through the death of close relatives, even watching their very last breath. I felt like there was something wrong with me because I was not grieving like everyone else at the time. I loved them dearly but could not outwardly show emotion about it. As far as my grandparents' passing...I miss them very much but it was a very natural and logical process to me.
 
Anyone else mix up related/semi-related words often? I do all the time. Words I most commonly mix up, that I can think of at the top of my head, are "curtains" and "blinds". That's always bugged me a lot. Whenever I say that, someone corrects me and probably thinks I'm too stupid to know the difference between blinds and curtains. :(

I know for sure that this isn't just an ASD thing. But it's perhaps more common of a problem in people on the spectrum than in those who aren't.
 
Is this typical: to transition from being an honor roll student in elementary school, to having difficulty in the later grades?

I did great in elementary but as soon as I hit middle school I got stuck in a rut. I could barely understand algebra or pre-algebra, took several days to finish a writing assignment, and pretty much almost gave up on school due to low self-esteem and depression. My grades got progressively worse and I graduated with a 2.8 GPA if I'm not mistaken. Some people might say that's not bad, especially given my circumstances and the fact that I was in honors classes in a mainstream environment (which was utter hell at the time), but I could have done better if I'd gotten the right support early on.
 
Is this typical: to transition from being an honor roll student in elementary school, to having difficulty in the later grades?

I did great in elementary but as soon as I hit middle school I got stuck in a rut. I could barely understand algebra or pre-algebra, took several days to finish a writing assignment, and pretty much almost gave up on school due to low self-esteem and depression. My grades got progressively worse and I graduated with a 2.8 GPA if I'm not mistaken. Some people might say that's not bad, especially given my circumstances and the fact that I was in honors classes in a mainstream environment (which was utter hell at the time), but I could have done better if I'd gotten the right support early on.

I had similar issue. And because of those difficulties I had to admit that I'm not like other kids in the class. I could not understand why algebra, physics and chemistry seem so difficult while there're such a simple subjects. There's nothing really to understand, just watch, remember and use that information. History was even worse. On the other hand with geometry I didn't even have to think much I remembered everything right away, the same thing with biology. When my parents found out about the "slide", they told me that they will do homework with me until I get it together. I didn't really like that so I told to myself, that I had to find a way out and I did.

Now I think I know why it was so difficult. I remembered bits and pieces and with certain subjects it was hard to connect those pieces together. Plus it was hard to remember anything that I couldn't visualize. So basically it's not the data that I didn't understand but how to remember, organize and apply it. Later I figured out a way to apply it without organization but that created chaos in my mind, which never stopped bothering me.

And I agree that with proper support I would also be able to go above and beyond, and be more interested in learning. That's why when I saw warning signs in my son I wanted to make sure that he got the support at least from teachers for now. And that the teachers understand, despite of his intelligence he might have difficulties in the future because of processing issues, so they could address those issues and help him to continue moving forward.
 
I have been wondering about this, actually.

- I tend to laugh at very inappropriate times ("sad" parts of movies, violent crimes in the newspaper, etc)
- Stuffed animals. I am 20 years old and still collect stuffed animals, sleep with, and carry them in my bag as friends.
- Obsession with Suicidology, blood, and animal skeletons.
- Dressing too young for my age yet speaking like someone with a PhD.
 
I have been wondering about this, actually.

- I tend to laugh at very inappropriate times ("sad" parts of movies, violent crimes in the newspaper, etc)
- Stuffed animals. I am 20 years old and still collect stuffed animals, sleep with, and carry them in my bag as friends.
- Obsession with Suicidology, blood, and animal skeletons.
- Dressing too young for my age yet speaking like someone with a PhD.

I talked about this with someone actually last night, who said he does this also sometimes. So I don't think you're alone in that. Although, I do feel like I generally have "innapropriate" reactions to highly emotional situations. The most common one for me is actually my lack of reaction to things sometimes.

I still love stuffed animals and toys and often sit and play with them when I'm bored or thinking of things. I find them really calming to look at. I feel like it wouldn't be uncommon either for Aspies to have "childlike" interests like that. I probably also dress a bit young for my age (although I'm kind of small and most people think Im younger looking, so it may not be as noticeable, at least, yet), and I've been told often enough that I have a childlike walk and mannerisms.

With that said, I also have some dark or really weird interest-obsessions, all of which I won't go into here. It's not that I really love it for myself, but I just find bizzare or creepy things (that are real) fascinating. I probably have a really weird, screwed up interest history. I think the last time I noticed it was when I looked at documentaries and was telling someone a list of things I've watched.
 
Luckily I also look young (I'm 20, could pass for 14) but my creepy interests...I mean I literally read about serial killers for hours =P
And other very odd things.
 
The most common one for me is actually my lack of reaction to things sometimes.

That sounds familiar... up to where people tell me "did you hear what I just said?" Yeah I heard you. "Well? Doesn't that upset you?" No, should it?

The fact that people expect that you have the same response always got across to me as weird.

It's not that I don't care, but some stuff just doesn't touch me the way it does other people. I'm fine with that, but apparently there's other people that are not fine with me being fine with that...
 
That sounds familiar... up to where people tell me "did you hear what I just said?" Yeah I heard you. "Well? Doesn't that upset you?" No, should it?

The fact that people expect that you have the same response always got across to me as weird.

It's not that I don't care, but some stuff just doesn't touch me the way it does other people. I'm fine with that, but apparently there's other people that are not fine with me being fine with that...

The same thing happens to me.
Also, I will be expected to find things funny which I recognize to OTHERS it maybe funny, but it doesn't hit the "funny nerve" with me.
Also tending to "not get jokes" at all.
 
I get chosen to be the mediator, the go-between, all the time as I can quite easily see both sides of the fence, which is weird because when its an issue involving me, people say I am argumentative while I am actually only trying to get to the bottom of things to see where I went wrong and yet they come looking for me to do just that for other problems that don't involve me?
 
I get chosen to be the mediator, the go-between, all the time as I can quite easily see both sides of the fence, which is weird because when its an issue involving me, people say I am argumentative while I am actually only trying to get to the bottom of things to see where I went wrong and yet they come looking for me to do just that for other problems that don't involve me?

I do this too, heh. It's mostly because I don't particularly care passionately enough about the issue for me to feel like I should have a black/white opinion on it. Most issues worth debating I think, never have direct answers. People often don't know how I side on an issue and seem to always take me as a bit more extreme than I actually am.

But I think I'm like this in a lot of ways. I don't care or feel like I don't have enough info or drive for a solid opinion, I don't feel like I should lie and just pick one for appearances...Even on little things, I'm probably quite annoying with simple decisions that I feel like I don't have the time or energy to put decent thought into.

I often find I also know what I REALLY don't want more than what I want. I have about a handful of things I'd want at a time and they're usually very specific and I can't do them anyways.

It probably appears really decisive a lot...and probably very inconsistent because there's a lot of things I'll have very strict opinions on.
 
Whenever I engage in too much social interaction, either by going to a pub, being on social networks too much... at some point I'll hit the point of realisation that I lack any "general" desires. Yes, I do have interests and things I like to do, probably even enjoy, but those are rarely things that are of any "use" so to say. I don't have the drive to "like" a lot of general accepted stuff apparently. And to add to it, I feel that I do not care enough for such things either to even make an effort for them. I have a hard time understanding why people even care for such things...

An example here would be having a driving license. I don't own it, nor do I care for it. In my logics, I'm "lazy" to the point where I'll be like... "yeah so? If I need a car and I don't have one, I'll just stay at home and do something else and get on with my life". Even if it includes doing "fun" things (such as a concert or such) I don't dwell on the pity I couldn't go... I just stop caring for such things. And in a way I understand that most people do not think of it like this and are pretty much on the "I need a car to go to work (or anywhere else)"... where I'm the opposite and just state "yeah, it's because everyone acts like this society is pushing such requirements on me". I know I'm overthinking stuff I shouldn't overthink that much, and might go with the flow, but it's a lot of stuff that society regards as "normal" or a "given" that I don't care for no matter how hard I try to enjoy or like it. It just bothers me up to really annoying levels. And it pulls my mind away from things I actually want to do at the moment. It's a weird feeling as if I don't belong in "this world".

I'm in a way probably way more nihilistic as I like to admit... yes I do like my things, but I don't care that much for acquiring new stuff up until the point where I have it at that moment. I rarely care for the chase and for the feeling of fullfilment/accomplishment. It's something I recently read in a book which sums it up fine and it uses something from Alice in Wonderland as the prime example, where the queen states; "Jam yesterday, jam tomorrow but no jam today". It could be seen as a drive or a feeling of accomplishment in the past or the future, but not realizing you're doing X on the spot and enjoy it. I only care for the moment, for the process... excitement is something of a moment, nothing that I like to remember myself of (besides that I have a weird way of remembering things)... most of the time I'm more into NOT doing X because I don't care for it that much and rather just live by the moment (moment, not even day). The times I actually thought about doing things I was more put off by it, even if it included "fun" things. It's in this way where I don't care for money, don't care for planning and feel totally uncomfy if I'm actually made aware that I should care, just because it's not my way of "functioning". I've had such "weird" run-ins with hunger and food... I don't have a longing to eat in general (surely my body will give notice every now and then) but in general if the thought of hunger pops my head, it's as if my mind tells my body "there's no food here now, so stop whining" and my mind kinda shuts down in bothering for it and I just don't care that much for it. Earlier today I was aware of such thoughts as I had this run in with "hunger"... I came home and it took quite a while for my mind to tell my body... "hey, you're home now, there's food around"... in a way it makes up for a weird and impulsive way to do stuff sometimes, I'm fine with this, but I'm quite sure it isn't the "norm". It does become a problem if other people are involved I guess.

Besides that I feel that I have a really weird connection with money... yes, I see it as an object of trade, but I feel most people have a totally different feeling with money. But I actually think I have a weird connection with objects in general.

Meh... I don't even know if this makes sense to anyone... might be totally a me thing...
 
Whenever I engage in too much social interaction, either by going to a pub, being on social networks too much... at some point I'll hit the point of realisation that I lack any "general" desires. Yes, I do have interests and things I like to do, probably even enjoy, but those are rarely things that are of any "use" so to say. I don't have the drive to "like" a lot of general accepted stuff apparently. And to add to it, I feel that I do not care enough for such things either to even make an effort for them. I have a hard time understanding why people even care for such things...

An example here would be having a driving license. I don't own it, nor do I care for it. In my logics, I'm "lazy" to the point where I'll be like... "yeah so? If I need a car and I don't have one, I'll just stay at home and do something else and get on with my life". Even if it includes doing "fun" things (such as a concert or such) I don't dwell on the pity I couldn't go... I just stop caring for such things. And in a way I understand that most people do not think of it like this and are pretty much on the "I need a car to go to work (or anywhere else)"... where I'm the opposite and just state "yeah, it's because everyone acts like this society is pushing such requirements on me". I know I'm overthinking stuff I shouldn't overthink that much, and might go with the flow, but it's a lot of stuff that society regards as "normal" or a "given" that I don't care for no matter how hard I try to enjoy or like it. It just bothers me up to really annoying levels. And it pulls my mind away from things I actually want to do at the moment. It's a weird feeling as if I don't belong in "this world".

I'm in a way probably way more nihilistic as I like to admit... yes I do like my things, but I don't care that much for acquiring new stuff up until the point where I have it at that moment. I rarely care for the chase and for the feeling of fullfilment/accomplishment. It's something I recently read in a book which sums it up fine and it uses something from Alice in Wonderland as the prime example, where the queen states; "Jam yesterday, jam tomorrow but no jam today". It could be seen as a drive or a feeling of accomplishment in the past or the future, but not realizing you're doing X on the spot and enjoy it. I only care for the moment, for the process... excitement is something of a moment, nothing that I like to remember myself of (besides that I have a weird way of remembering things)... most of the time I'm more into NOT doing X because I don't care for it that much and rather just live by the moment (moment, not even day). The times I actually thought about doing things I was more put off by it, even if it included "fun" things. It's in this way where I don't care for money, don't care for planning and feel totally uncomfy if I'm actually made aware that I should care, just because it's not my way of "functioning". I've had such "weird" run-ins with hunger and food... I don't have a longing to eat in general (surely my body will give notice every now and then) but in general if the thought of hunger pops my head, it's as if my mind tells my body "there's no food here now, so stop whining" and my mind kinda shuts down in bothering for it and I just don't care that much for it. Earlier today I was aware of such thoughts as I had this run in with "hunger"... I came home and it took quite a while for my mind to tell my body... "hey, you're home now, there's food around"... in a way it makes up for a weird and impulsive way to do stuff sometimes, I'm fine with this, but I'm quite sure it isn't the "norm". It does become a problem if other people are involved I guess.

Besides that I feel that I have a really weird connection with money... yes, I see it as an object of trade, but I feel most people have a totally different feeling with money. But I actually think I have a weird connection with objects in general.

Meh... I don't even know if this makes sense to anyone... might be totally a me thing...

I can relate to this to some point....do you have a clear understanding of what is important for you in life? or even clear understanding of importance itself?
I promised myself not to mention past anymore so I guess I try to talk about the subject in relation to the present :) I've come to a conclusion (which is not necessarily permanent) that I fail to predict emotional aspect of consequences of my behavior. I don't know how I'm going to feel. I mean I can imagine but it will only be a mental image not an actual feeling. For instance, I always wondered what if, because of my lack of passion for money I end up on the street one day with no food, no home etc. I know it's a little bit of an exaggeration but still. I say to myself, "so what, I'll wait a little and die from hunger, who cares". I can imagine how terrible that would be but I can't perceive the emotional aspect of the event. Feelings and emotions towards actions, events, values etc make them important. I might have emotional connection to what is happening right now, has happened or even might happen if the situation is similar to what I have experienced but I fail to create an emotional atmosphere of a new situation in my mind therefore it doesn't have meaning for me. It appears that many people on the spectrum are missing this ability. To be honest even NTs have this issue but it's possible that people on the spectrum experience it to a higher degree.
Knowing that, I can already foresee my tendency to seek for experiences, which in the past were pleasurable and fear the unpleasant ones, while thrown into new experiences by somebody else's will. I personally do not like it. There's nothing wrong with accepting that kind of living, and I do believe it could promise to be more satisfying. But I think the best solution is to find balance between those 2: to go with a flow, periodically rowing in the direction I want to go. And that's hard because my mind tries to avoid accepting of anything new, so in order to create new experiences, new values, new interested etc, at some point I would have to rely only on my logic, understanding that I would have to do something that is not interesting or something I currently don't care for in order to obtain that new experience. It's almost like I have to plan my life logically, and jump into its unpleasantly freezing cold water in order to enjoy it in the end. And there's no guarantee that I will get the calculated enjoyment but if I don't try I will be just running in circles, or will be following somebody's else's carrot.
 
I can relate to this to some point....do you have a clear understanding of what is important for you in life? or even clear understanding of importance itself?
I promised myself not to mention past anymore so I guess I try to talk about the subject in relation to the present :) I've come to a conclusion (which is not necessarily permanent) that I fail to predict emotional aspect of consequences of my behavior. I don't know how I'm going to feel. I mean I can imagine but it will only be a mental image not an actual feeling. For instance, I always wondered what if, because of my lack of passion for money I end up on the street one day with no food, no home etc. I know it's a little bit of an exaggeration but still. I say to myself, "so what, I'll wait a little and die from hunger, who cares". I can imagine how terrible that would be but I can't perceive the emotional aspect of the event. Feelings and emotions towards actions, events, values etc make them important. I might have emotional connection to what is happening right now, has happened or even might happen if the situation is similar to what I have experienced but I fail to create an emotional atmosphere of a new situation in my mind therefore it doesn't have meaning for me. It appears that many people on the spectrum are missing this ability. To be honest even NTs have this issue but it's possible that people on the spectrum experience it to a higher degree.
Knowing that, I can already foresee my tendency to seek for experiences, which in the past were pleasurable and fear the unpleasant ones, while thrown into new experiences by somebody else's will. I personally do not like it. There's nothing wrong with accepting that kind of living, and I do believe it could promise to be more satisfying. But I think the best solution is to find balance between those 2: to go with a flow, periodically rowing in the direction I want to go. And that's hard because my mind tries to avoid accepting of anything new, so in order to create new experiences, new values, new interested etc, at some point I would have to rely only on my logic, understanding that I would have to do something that is not interesting or something I currently don't care for in order to obtain that new experience. It's almost like I have to plan my life logically, and jump into its unpleasantly freezing cold water in order to enjoy it in the end. And there's no guarantee that I will get the calculated enjoyment but if I don't try I will be just running in circles, or will be following somebody's else's carrot.

I think I do know what is important in my life... but I am quite adept in always finding the most important things to me having a massive catch 22.

As to if I know what importance is? Meh... in general I'd look up the dictionairy. If that doesn't help me, than apparently no I do not have a clear understanding of it. I could add that the rough idea might have popped my mind and got discarded as to "is this all?" because for a big part I know that I expect more out of life than there actually is... I have my own ideas and ideals on how to aim high and hopefully succeed, weirdly enough those are rarely in line to what popular belief is. That might be one of those catch 22's.
 

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