Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Study re; autistic tendencies and math professions

Me, too! I was thinking, Sheesh, I have to choose? How?"

I think I picked theater, but only because it's been longer since I've been to a play than since I've been to a museum...

I counted the times I did either this year and answered that way. Heh.

This test does not weed out those who are intense and with broad interests.

I took the test and scored surprisingly low, considering my social anxiety issues.

My 10 year old son also wanted to take it, just out of curiosity, even though he knew it was for adults, so I let him. Because of his sensory issues, talking like an adult, ability to read words in a book that he had not seen before without being taught and ability to also name words that were spelled out for him starting at 2 1/2, people have sometimes suggested that he might have Asperger's. In fact, a few times people told us "he had to be autistic or have Asperger's because a normal kid could not do the things he was doing. Doctors told us that he did not have Asperger's, but when my son and I read Gifted Gear Reviews online a while back and learned that it was written by a a boy a few years older than my son and this boy had been diagnosed with Asperger's, I think my son was wondering if maybe he did have it because the things this boy wrote sounded so similar to the way he thinks and talks.

But my son, who my adult former cheerleader daughter thinks is even more social than she was at his age, with better social skills and no social anxiety issues like his mother, scored a 17. Math is not his favorite subject so he is only doing Aleks middle school math and he never wants to do the extra practice or do more than the minimum required to add to his pie. I don't think he will choose a profession that requires a lot of math. Yesterday, he told his aunt that he would like to earn college degrees in more than one thing so that he could be a writer or a video game designer or something that involves science.

Your DS never sounds like he's very far along on the autism spectrum to me, Lori. Not that that matters, but his score doesn't surprise me at all. I'd have guessed he'd score lower than I do.

I'm a spock/mathy:

Autism/Aspergers-->41 (likely)
ADD-->15 (unlikely)
OCD-->18 (likely)

Lori, reading your post reminds me a little of how I sometimes feel about myself. I do think I have a few personal quirks that seem to fit right on the spectrum. But, I think what evens out my score is that I also have excellent interpersonal sensitivity and skills.

It's kind of like, ewwww, I can totally tell what you are thinking by reading your subtle cues, when in reality, I don't even want to know you!

Not you, of course, by you I mean, any random person.
Does that sound like it fits? It can be anxiety provoking!

Just like any difficulty I've had to learn to mange it vs. it managing me.

If that is an indication of how they diagnose Aspergers, then I think Aspergers is an invented disorder. It's invented by airheads that prefer to chitchat about what color shoes they need to get to match their plaid suit. There's no room in their heads to be at peace with themselves, to not feel lonely when they are alone, and no desire to dig into the things that bring order to this world.

OK, that was a pretty extreme condemnation of people who diagnose Aspergers, I admit that. I don't even agree 100% with what I said. But what if we 'mathy' people were in the majority? Would the social butterflies be diagnosed with a 'disorder'?

I obviously not a mathy person since I score only 9....


oh well, it is good then that I did not change my mind back when I was a university student and keep studying physics instead of mathematics.

I wanted to add:SPG, not only I will come and enjoy your party but as well chat with everyone - whether you like it or not - and help you with organization if you let me hehee.

I SO agree! I do think AS is real, but I also think that a lot of the non-experts who make their pseudo-diagnoses that because a kid is bright and focused and introverted, he must have a problem are as annoying as all get-out.

Being a mathy introvert is not a disorder. No matter what your quiz score says.

So there, quiz! :p <pbbbb>

Lol!
Yes, I hear Physics doesn't involve much math...

Yeah, I am not sure it's fool-proof; my accountant bro got an 11!
I suppose mathy-folk are more complex a group than we imagine.
I don't really think of myself as 'mathy' although I enjoy programming at my job and trouble shooting programs and systems.

I guess at best I would say I am a lover of pattern whether that is in language, numbers, how a program behaves or doesn't behave, etc. I love to solve problems by finding the patterns.