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Your symptoms on the circle?

Cloudracer

Cloudracer

Member
Hey,

So I'm still the new guy, but as I've joined the local fanclub (support group) in my area (Switzerland - Geneva) I'm now trying to understand this thing, and it's relatively intruiging, gotta say - SO:

As I'm starting to come to the understanding (please correct me if I'm wrong to prevent Miss Understandings) we're no longer refering to the archeic spectrum, but rather to the circle, yes, therefor, which do you exhibit?

My symptoms are:
- Fierce obsessions and hard times dealing with change (most forms of change)
- Routines
- Giftedness in some artistic areas
- Sexual deviations
- Hypersensitivity in general and Ultrasensitivity to noise
- Rigid thinking

Yours? Whatchagot?

(- One to one variably acceptable social skills, but sometimes monotonous speach and slight discomfort and seeming incapacity for romantic life (for some reason, don't ask, I'm clueless as to the reasons) and don't always pick up on sarcasm)
 
ASD2 with no comorbities. I'm considered to be high functioning yet also listed as someone of special needs and in need of substantial support. I'm on a disability pension for my autism.

- High intellect and eidetic memory
- Broad spectrum polymath, gifted in everything except art and music
- I don't have any fierce obsessions but am instead interested in almost everything around me
- No sexual deviations, I'm a fairly non adventurous hetero male
- Highly socially skilled and generally well liked by most people
- Hypersensitivities include sound, smell and touch, I also had superb eyesight before I got old
- Hypersensitive to aggressive emotions in people around me and I react aggressively to domineering personalities
- Not terribly bothered by change and very flexible in my thinking
- Very rigid when it comes to people telling me how I should be living or where they think I'm going wrong in life. I have lived by my own philosophies since childhood and anyone that tries to challenge that finds out what the words Stubborn and Obstinate really mean.
 
ASD1 with ADHD and OCPD. I am considered low needs but still need more help than neurotypicals. As I grow older, though, I find I am more inhibited or aware of my limitations than before. I was denied disability when I was younger because I "can technically be a part-time janitor." I have also been told to drop out of school and give up ever making something of myself by a vocational rehabilitation professional.

- High intellect and good long-term memory
- I'm decent or good at a lot of different things, except performing music
- Hypersensitive to light, smells, and sounds, but I suffer frequent ocular migraines
- Hypersensitive to strong emotions like grief or anger
- Have problems with eye contact, especially with strangers
- Highly impulsive and mood-driven
- I have strong physical reactions to anxiety and a high tolerance for pain (I've had 9 dislocations and 1 broken bone)
- I have always had stomach issues, and I either overeat or undereat. I have ranged from an anorexic 177lbs for my height and frame to a hefty 325lbs.
- Do poorly with some change, but can be flexible with some things
- I have problems with overworking myself, overly self-critical, over-perfectionism, and self-doubt
- I have a lot of routines that are shifted every few weeks and probably contribute to my mental health problems
- I hold myself to an impossible standard and can't give myself credit for what I have succeeded at
- Masks as too passive, shy, or submissive. I have difficulty self-advocating or dealing with my problems.
- I am too rigid in my expectations and don't give myself enough time to rest, but I also waste too much time on my relatively unproductive activities like television and video games.

Currently deciding how to recover from burnout.
 
@Cloudracer

This circle idea is new to me. Is this what you mean?

www.psychologytoday.com

From Autistic Linear Spectrum to Pie Chart Spectrum

The "spectrum" in autism spectrum disorder suggests a linear progression. Representing autism as a pie chart instead could better show the diversity of experience.
www.psychologytoday.com www.psychologytoday.com

Claire Jack



Claire Jack
Click to expand...
 
Uh, why has it become a circle? Now I don't think I fit on the spectrum at all now. When it was a line I felt I was on the left end (the high-functioning end). Now I'm probably nowhere on it.

Anyway I'll list what symptoms I do have, trying hard to avoid listing any ADHD symptoms.

- Although I'm approachable, friendly, chatty, easy to talk to, self-aware, make eye contact and don't talk about special interests, I still don't seem to form friendships very well with my peers, although I can make connections with some people

- I don't conform much, as in I don't have any piercings, tattoos or dye my hair, and I don't drink tea, coffee or alcohol (I feel that not doing any of these things make me weird)

- I am sensitive to loud noises and easily startled

- I can sometimes be socially awkward or slow at coming up with a response, but this isn't always

- I have odd thoughts

- When I was in my late teens and early 20s I went through a phase of becoming extremely anxious or angry at things that resembled change to my weekly routine

- When I was aged 11-24 I had obsessions with certain people that I knew of in my life, such as select neighbours, teachers, etc. But the way I was obsessed and how I acted on it was more due to ADHD (a lot of impulsivity was involved, instead of lack of awareness). I also think my obsessions were a result of the social isolation that I suffered, where I'd turn to my obsessions for comfort, company and my own role models

- As just mentioned above, I suffered social isolation in my adolescent years due to being ignored and excluded by my peers

- I never went clubbing or on any vacations with friends for my 18th and 21st birthdays (or for any birthdays). I spent my 18th and 21st with my family, and didn't get drunk

- I've never worked full-time, only part-time (but I don't think this is due to ASD, as I think more autistics who have been employed work(ed) full-time, so maybe I'm just bone idle, I don't know)

- I can't bear clothing tags


Yes, my symptoms are more like "hit or miss", lost among prominent ADHD and anxiety but occasionally rears its ugly head but generally it isn't who I am. ADHD and even anxiety is who I am.
 
Au Naturel said:
Sexual deviations? LOL! It isn't a "deviation" if it is what comes naturally.
Click to expand...
I think studies on sexual deviations in autism included stuff that's probably less desirable, like compelling thoughts and compulsions, often with an unwilling counterparty. I think some of it reported as deviant is considered more mainstream nowadays, like giving or receiving physical pain, humiliation.
 
ASD3-P ADHD schizotype
EIA Dx + Schizophrenic Dx
PTBI x2 PTSD with agora/andro-phobia & panic disorder

Mental retardation
Verbal/vocal processing disorder (Dumb)
Extreme literal thinking and visualization
Non-masking
Innability to group think
Innability to lie/be dishonest
Extremely vivid hallucinations and flashbacks: Auditory, Visual, Tactile, Gustatory and Olfactory.
Tendency to get lost in delusions/fantasy. Disassociation + DR/DP
Traumatic stress meltdowns/explosions, psychotic/psychosis breakdowns, Delerium, manic/depressive episodes.

Alienation, isolation
And "struggles" with empathy.

Playing this game on God mode.
 
ra49 said:
Thanks, Rodafina - it's a good article I will discuss with my therapist
Click to expand...
I’d never heard of the circle idea before this thread, but I’m always curious about thinking about things in different ways.
 
Autism can have as many different dimensions as one wants to use. Make it into a hypersphere if you want. It all depends on how granular the detail you are looking for. People are lazy and fewer dimensions are easier to visualize. It is hard enough to get people to think in more than just binary.
 
MNAus said:
I think studies on sexual deviations in autism included stuff that's probably less desirable, like compelling thoughts and compulsions, often with an unwilling counterparty. I think some of it reported as deviant is considered more mainstream nowadays, like giving or receiving physical pain, humiliation.
Click to expand...
You find the same "deviations" in nonautistic people. They are better at hiding them.

From what I've seen, the absence of sex is the more common condition among autistc people.

There is a fair portion of the population who think anything other than cis-het married sex in the missionary position is "deviant." "Deviance" is in the eye of the beholder. A moral judgment of "Anything I don't like." It isn't a useful psychological descriptor, nor is it in the DSM-V definition of autism. If one is not breaking a law or using coercion, it is irrelevent.

The belly of the Bell curve doesn't define normal. It defines most common.
 
Cloudracer said:
Hey,

So I'm still the new guy, but as I've joined the local fanclub (support group) in my area (Switzerland - Geneva) I'm now trying to understand this thing, and it's relatively intruiging, gotta say - SO:

As I'm starting to come to the understanding (please correct me if I'm wrong to prevent Miss Understandings) we're no longer refering to the archeic spectrum, but rather to the circle, yes, therefor, which do you exhibit?

My symptoms are:
- Fierce obsessions and hard times dealing with change (most forms of change)
- Routines
- Giftedness in some artistic areas
- Sexual deviations
- Hypersensitivity in general and Ultrasensitivity to noise
- Rigid thinking

Yours? Whatchagot?

(- One to one variably acceptable social skills, but sometimes monotonous speach and slight discomfort and seeming incapacity for romantic life (for some reason, don't ask, I'm clueless as to the reasons) and don't always pick up on sarcasm)
Click to expand...

Mine are:
Struggles verbally and socially
Visual minded thinker
Sensory overloads
Not fit ' social norms'
Likes to be my own person
Hypersensitive
Prone to anxiety like in certain nervous situations, leaving the house, socially, scary situations
Passive and at times struggle to speak up for myself
Persistent special interests and talents
Collector and builds special collections
Loves to express
Weak in my body
Cannot lift.much and not physically strong
Have ocd too and adhd
Not good with intrapersonal
Has to mask a lot to fit in
Does not agree with a lot of people's opinions, interests and thoughts but does not want to be impolite
Has struggles being like minded but wants to be nice.
Family oriented and struggles with building friends because of verbal communication difficulties and differences
Struggles without constant love and support but also wants space at times and may hate being with others socially but enjoys affection
Preposition idk but that think where.your body sense is important and you have feelings about body sense
Synethesia that thing where you see images and smell things and can visually imagine
I can picture things in my head like smell, taste, sound and touch
Not always makes eye contact but can read faces and sometimes likes looking at them
Nervous and shy
Meltdowns and shutdowns
 
Au Naturel said:
You find the same "deviations" in nonautistic people. They are better at hiding them.

From what I've seen, the absence of sex is the more common condition among autistc people.

There is a fair portion of the population who think anything other than cis-het married sex in the missionary position is "deviant." "Deviance" is in the eye of the beholder. A moral judgment of "Anything I don't like." It isn't a useful psychological descriptor, nor is it in the DSM-V definition of autism. If one is not breaking a law or using coercion, it is irrelevent.

The belly of the Bell curve doesn't define normal. It defines most common.
Click to expand...
I do not think all autistics carry deviations, I think maybe that also could be a misconceptuon
But definitely there is a lot that do
And there is absolutely nothing wrong with it and it helps people be more loving and caring
But yes asexual can be a thing whereas autistics do not always like sex or enjoy it.
And also not only sexual but relationship wise where you view relationships different and have different needs and also trauma can make sexually more pronounced
 
Interesting that the original post by @Cloudracer lists "sexual deviations," (which is admittedly a term with negative connotations) because I have read that autists are more likely to be:
asexual
bisexual
transexual
hypersexual
(none of which I personally consider "deviant," btw)

I was struck by this, as I am both bisexual and (unfortunately) hypersexual.
 
Fraxinus said:
Interesting that the original post by @Cloudracer lists "sexual deviations," (which is admittedly a term with negative connotations) because I have read that autists are more likely to be:
asexual
bisexual
transexual
hypersexual
(none of which I personally consider "deviant," btw)

I was struck by this, as I am both bisexual and (unfortunately) hypersexual.
Click to expand...
The only sexual activities that are problematic are either those taken to an obsessive degree or those engaged in without consent. "Obsessive" is a subjective term and can only be judged by negative consequences.

Nobody becomes the best at anything without being obsessed to some degree. How many hours of practice a day does an Olympic skater or gymnast put in? We just don't apply the term "obsessive" to something we think well of.

Every trait is distributed to people on a Bell curve. A Bell curve that lacked a tail would be unnatural. And as you pointed out, "deviant" has a profoundly negative connotation; it is an accusation. Nobody describes behavior they approve of as deviant, even if it is uncommon.
 
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