The girl I know who is 2e with Aspergers is not only socially awkward, she seems unaware that she is saying or doing things that make her appear odd and is hurt when it is pointed out and becomes defensive. She is very, very naive and seems much younger than her age as well. I don't see my HG kids as appearing younger than their ages. They may appear different in some ways, but if anything, they appear older than their ages.
Exactly... I've seen this behavior in all three of us - mostly in my son, leastly (is that a word? it is now ;p lol) in my daughter, and I, as a child, somewhere in between.
As a child I was a lot more clued out, prone to "oops" moments that I'd later think about and realize were wrong. I never knew what to say, how to say it, and the subtleties of conversation and interactions escaped me. I lacked "social emotion" (I was extremely sensitive in other ways though). Meanwhile I had sensory issues and encyclopedic fixations. Hmmm
Now I'm much different. (Much) I'm either incredibly chameleon-skilled, or I've learned and evolved (life therapy), or I was never on the spectrum to begin with.
Interestingly, the most dramatic changes happened during and after pregnancy. It makes me wonder if there were actual hormonal changes to my brain (a sort of re-wiring?) or if the experience of motherhood was enough to connect me? Motherhood/parenthood is as common as it is extraordinary, so maybe that was it? It's definitely profoundly changed me, that's for sure.
I can't really articulate the degree to which my understanding of human behaviour has changed. As a kid, I thought people were weird, and I couldn't understand how they socialized. I was always "wrong" in my attempts. Now I get it!! (yay
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