I'm autistic 1.5, have perfect pitch, taught myself to read at 2.5. I can do well in university, excel with music theory and technology - but I can't study, work and cook/clean at the same time. Always weird people out. Frequently lose the simplest jobs because I can't multitask and screen out background noise and end up crying in front of the customer! And I'm perpetually single and childless at 47.
I have most definitely cried at past jobs in front of people! And of course have been fired more than once. It's not a world built around disability. But it's amazing that you have perfect pitch!! I'm a terrible singer, and I'm so in awe of people who have talent in this area.
GIRL THREE SECONDS IN AND WE ALREADY HAVE THE CUTEST HAT HOLLY YOU ARE SO TALENTED 💜 It's so nuts how for so many of us, the "hard" things are so easy while the stuff that should be "easy" is difficult every time. Thank you for sharing your perspective!!!
I’m spikey af. I have a knack for balanced home design, holiday decor, plants, art and lighting but ask me to put together a document to turn that into a business and I’m lost. I have so many great ideas but the logistics are impossible
What a beautiful beret Holly, and I think it is amazing that you can visualize the parts and pieces and bring it all together to make such a lovely creation! I am trying not to covet that gift 😇 I know what you mean, that you "instinctually" knew how to do that. I have that sense too, with my vocation especially, which makes it confusing to people because my work is inherently social and requires "emotional intelligence." And yet, I just don't get most of the social and communication stuff of the world, and don't care about it... And I am weary of feeling shame and judgement about my differences... Once again Holly, thank you for your honesty and transparency. It is really validating!💚
Agree! I think that NTs expect that there is a fixed hierarchy of difficulty. So bogus, different tasks require different types of thinking from different parts of the brain, and a person can be better or worse at each type of thinking individually. I think this is true for them too and we just notice it more because some parts of our brains are more or less connected or whatever.
Yes! I love how you put the "hierarchy of difficulty." For us, the things they see as simple can often be so stress-inducing and complex and vice versa.
Agree so hard! Things I'm great at: Learning a foreign language (like I can learn 3-4x faster than anyone else in my classes when it's a school setting), knitting, coding/automation/using software to solve problems at work, cooking a meal to exacting standards Things I'm terrible at: I stumble so much in verbal communication, I struggle immensely to be concise with written communication, I make people hate me due to being too honest in my communication, enteroception--knowing when my body is hungry or thirsty or tired, taking care of my son week in and week out, I need a lot of help in order to guarantee that all of his needs are met, absolutely cannot drive, going to a store in-person is very hard for me and I need to use a lot of accommodations to get through it
Also Holly I did the same thing for my dog's sweater dress this year. I got the concept in my mind and just made a pattern by myself for it. It's fully unique to her. It was just something I felt I needed to do and then I did it and it felt really good like I solved a problem and did it in the way I wanted.
I completely relate to everything you say you are terrible at! Thank you for being honest about needing help taking care of your son. I am a parent, and parenting to begin with does not come naturally to me, but also I need so much support around it. This makes me feel very seen! You have so many skills, too! I would love to be better at learning foreign languages. I am trying to learn German, but I am very slow! And everything you have listed is just the picture of an autistic person. There is nothing odd about it. I wish everyone understood that the spiky skill set is "typical" or "normal" for us.
I wish it wasn't so emphasized by NTs and even some ASD creators with the whole "superpower" movement. I have a spikey profile it's just mine starts at average with lots of dips into oh shit how do I do that 🥲. I think it's really important to acknowledge that spikey does not equal proficiency. It can just mean increased deficits in certain areas.
I think it can go both ways in the other direction. No, I don't like the superpower trope, either. But I also love that autistic people are pretty honest about the things they do well, just as they are with issues they have. I think we all have skills. It must spike up to spike down, at least a little. And I also love that the autistic community's "skills" aren't always what NT people consider as such. I think the autistic community is more okay with not all of our skills being "productive" or have to be used for monetary gain, etc.
hi holly, nice hat. awesome that you can make things like that. 33 audhd, i can draw super good but 3d art escapes me. and like many of you, i cannot drive 😂 i like the notion of a spiky skillset tho. for every gift we have, a skill others take for granted is nerfed. when people say i have talent in drawing they almost always add “i cannot draw a stick figure!” or something along those lines, with a hint of envy. it secretly annoys me that they act like its something i can just innately do. the truth is yes i have talent but i have invested countless hours of my life into this skill, drawing as a coping mechanism to escape hard realities or as a way to understand an endlessly confusing world. i love it but it is still work. i just hope nts realize that talent does not equal skill, and that they learn to be grateful for what they can do rather than envious of what others can do. (if anyone is reading this who wants to draw better, the secret is: draw thousands of bad drawings. you will get there. but another secret is: you will never be as good as you aspire to be. that’s the point of aspiration.)
I used to be a professional portrait artist (graphite hyper realistic) and also had a caricature artist gig on weekends. It made me hate drawing, gave me a huge dose of imposter syndrome plus some of that PDA in there. The comment that got me the most was "it's like you are doing magic!" No, I started drawing realistically at two according to my mom and honed in my skills for decades. I can do a portrait "really fast" because I will hyperfocus on it, meaning I forget to eat, drink, go outside, sleep well. Then I feel bad about charging someone for it because it took me 3 days max and I see all of the flaws that they don't notice. I used to call it my ill-gotten art supplies fund 😂
I love that you say this!! Yes, I can conceptualize 3D projects, but if I didn't have the years of practice (and often being bad) at crochet or sewing, I wouldn't be able to do anything with that conceptualization.
@@hollyoddlythat's the first thing I thought of when you said you intuitively got just enough yarn for your hat project! Stuff like this only becomes intuitive because of many hours spent practicing the specific craft and being used to its materials.
Everytime I do something I've trained at a thousand times over, it's always as if it's the first time doing it. It's nigh impossible to replicate my own achievements.
I’m an AuDHD woodworker and cabinet maker but otherwise have a skill set that is spikey AF. I can’t drive, often eat bagels and hummus for days on end because cooking…😬 I’m an awesome world traveler and can build you a whole ass house, not so much other things. I’m also excellent at laundry 😀
Yes! And that is so "normal" for autistic people. It's not a situation for us of: well, you can do "this," so you should be able to do "that." I love that we know it doesn't work that way at all for us. Also, I love that you can build cabinets and a house. That is pretty epic.
@@ZhovtoBlakytniy I've often said the same thing! We need a whole city of autistic people who can just trade our talents, strengths, and special interests to help each other out! If only!
Hi Holly, I discovered your channel through your last video, which truly resonated with me and rocked my world. This new video on autistic savants and spiky skill sets is incredibly illuminating. Your perspective helps me so much in understanding myself and when interacting with my autistic peers. I’ve always known I have a very spiky skill set-my IQ test results were so varied that they didn’t even give me a total IQ score because of it. It’s frustrating to think that despite such clear indicators, autism wasn’t considered by the professionals at the time. Your insights are helping me process these experiences and see them in a new light. Understanding the concept of spiky skill sets allows me to better support my peers by being aware of the challenges they might face. I can now encourage them and contextualize their struggles, knowing that this is a common experience among us. I also appreciate that you use identity-first language. While I respect those who prefer person-first language, it’s reassuring to see a Level 2 autistic individual embracing identity-first terminology. I personally gain a lot from my social identity as an autistic person. I made a 30-minute video on my channel responding to your last video that gained a lot of attention, as well as discussing points from Kaelynn Partlow’s book, Life on the Bridge. Since you’re interested in continuing the conversation, I’d love for you to check it out if you have the time. Thank you so much for pioneering the way with these insights. I can’t wait to hear more from you! Wishing you a great day and a wonderful weekend. Best regards, Sam
I just watched it! Thank you so much for including me in the conversation! I loved that you were outside watching the sunrise. It made me feel like I was listening to a friend that I've known for a while talk about a subject I always enjoy! Also being ADHD, I kind of love that you jumped around a bit. Sometimes my mind wanders, and I think that helps break up the monotony. And yeah, I do also gain a lot from autism as a social identity. I've felt less a lone and more seen than ever this year. It's such a part of me that every action or thought I have almost can be linked back to it. And having others who are so like me is honestly life-saving.
I’m good at putting creative art together in abstract ways or creating new combinations of styles. I’m the same with energy work and that type of interest because it relates to my fascination with symbols and things like dragons and Tibetan art. It’s all based on the same things I’ve been interested in for a long time but it’s always new for me to explore multiple projects at once. ❤
I love that you can also keep long-time special interests feeling new! Do you also have ADHD? Most of my special interests are very long-running, but I rotate them so they never feel old.
Im level 1 autistic but looking over my history they said i was level 2 as a kid (not sure if anyone else has had similar said to them or if this isnt generally the done thing?!) Anyway, if i had had a diagnosis in childhood i probably wouldve been considered a savant, i learnt to talk early and taught myself to read at 2 and a half. Memorised the names and characteristics of all of the different dog breeds. But in reality I'm not a savant, I just have a high IQ and am hyperlexic. I have the same spiky profile as many autistics and have never been a genius. I was in special ed maths and advanced English classes 😅 I was just REALLY GOOD at what I was interested in ha. I've given you a subscribe 😊
Thank you! No pattern, unfortunately, but this stitch was really fun! It was a double crochet into the front of the bar, then into the back. It made those ridges around it. See, I can't even explain it, let alone make a pattern for it. 😂
Genius IQ (using your words, not mine. I don’t like calling myself that, but I’ll accept others saying I seem smart), I’m pretty obsessed with learning just about anything but especially foreign languages and I’ve studied maybe 20 to differing degrees but can only hold conversations in maybe 4 or so (and can read or write simple orthography with like Korean, Kana, Cyrillic, Hindi/Devanagari, and a few others), advanced musician (performed internationally and on nationally-broadcast stuff) but I struggle with loads of basic tasks from keeping myself fed to cleaning the house - anything chore like. I had been on track to go to medical school, but everything kinda fell apart when responsibility for like feeding myself and paying rent fell on me I hold the KNOWLEDGE of how to fix damn near anything, or in your example plentiful crochet stitches, but not the actual Executive Function to ever fully DO those tasks unless all basic needs like food and work and SCHEDULING were taken care of for me. My Executive Function basically doesn’t exist. My diagnostic paperwork didn’t outright say I’m ASD 2 but most autistic connections I know who read it basically said that all the “Severe” and mentions of whatever impairments suggested I’m level 2 🤷♀️ I can teach you how to fix anything, I can tutor you in almost anything a university offers, but I can’t function
I most definitely know what you mean, and I wish this world was equipped to help care for us so that we could use our talents to help the world. It's sad that it doesn't work that way.
We're lovable porcupines! I'm an anxious AuDHDer. I have major hang ups around travel and airports if I'm by myself. I need someone else to lead there. I have a friend that I haven't seen for almost 10 years because she lives around 5 hours drive away (less by plane), but the idea of the border crossing or customs has really held me back. I'm hoping we can visit her and her family in the next year or two with my spouse taking point.
Without a support person, there is so much I can't do by myself! I always get worried about having a meltdown and no one around me knowing that's what's happening. Oof.
First, I have to say that beret is really cool! Good work, and use of your mind's eye. I can totally relate with you on the ability to manipulate and take apart something in my mind in the same way. I can include my senses in the experience. This is how I come up with ways to fix broken things, make art, and cook. My spikey skillset goes like this - Strengths: I'm super creative, I'm a great cook, I know a lot about animals, nature, human anatomy and biology, I can sew, embroider, do leatherwork, I love to deep dive into folk cultures as an area of expertise, I know many natural fiber processes, I'm a huge flax nerd. I can fix appliances and electronics. I am good with little children and old people. Struggles: can't drive, phone calls are really hard, tieing shoes, learning new languages (I can do it, but it takes me way longer to grasp), tech stuff, shopping, going to doctor appointments alone, cleaning, mowing the lawn, taking or giving compliments (in an NT way, I only give them if I mean it), self care without a bunch of notifications, hosting and entertaining guests, dealing with authorities (PDA?), I'm dyspraxic and alexithymic. I'm probably bad at fashion trends
Okay, I need your ability to work with little children and old people, and I'll mow your lawn in exchange and fawn over anyone in your life who needs compliments! 😂 I wish it worked that way!!
What a gorgeous beret! The color is perfect for you. I’m starting to think my spiky skill is masking, lol. Kinda joking but kinda not. Interesting conversation!
I think masking is an art! I feel like it takes so much pattern recognition when it comes to NT behavior, movements, and reactions! I'm totally counting that one!
can't ride a bike. get lost even if I have a map - sometimes even with GOOGLE maps - even in my hometown. I can't hold conversations in noisy rooms and misunderstand written word constantly in uni. i don't hear certain tones of voice / inflections. but I am a music composer and I can hear the finished product of my songs and pieces in my head - all individuals parts making up the whole - literally starting from a full symphony in my mind then rebuilding it piece by piece in real life.
Wish I had gotten the autism (and ADHD) that makes me remarkably good at anything, but nope, I just got the type that makes me slow at everything. Most of the things I’m pretty darn good at take me longer-sometimes a whole lot longer-than they would most people. I’m not good enough at anything to make up for the lost time and frustration. In most other ways I probably qualify as level 1, but the speed/pace of the average level 1 person would put me to shame.
I have dyspraxia, which also slows me down. I would say slowing down might be a talent. I never take the time necessary for most tasks, and I feel like most people speed through life.
I can understand conceptually how your reverse engineering process works for your crocheting but I couldn't do it myself and I do find it very impressive. It's an amazing skill that you have there and at the same time I agree that it is just something that makes sense if you're autistic I can understand what you're doing but I couldn't do it myself. My skill set lies elsewhere. I'm pretty good at talking about General Relativity quantum mechanics and where you can find a verse in the Bible but I'm terrible with paper work.
And there is no way I can grasp quantum mechanics. My dad was an engineer, and I was constantly lost. I love that autistic people have these strengths that span so many interests. Someday we will have a database of strengths so that we can all help each other! Or maybe I have a lot of wishful thinking!
Yes! And I love that for the autistic community it's completely "normal" to be able to fly a light plane and not drive! That makes sense to me. The same with understanding nutrition on a deep level and not being able to cook a whole meal with sides, etc. That's my problem with cooking. I can't get it all timed to be ready at the same time and not be under/over cooked or cold. I have full meltdowns from cooking!
I can blend together complex and layered perfumes based entirely on vibes but I'll melt down at the idea of having to make a phone call to someone other than my immediate family. I've constructed multiple kits of historic costume from the undergarments outward...but I can't wash dishes to save my life. It's really spiky over here. 😅
I'm autistic 1.5, have perfect pitch, taught myself to read at 2.5. I can do well in university, excel with music theory and technology - but I can't study, work and cook/clean at the same time. Always weird people out. Frequently lose the simplest jobs because I can't multitask and screen out background noise and end up crying in front of the customer! And I'm perpetually single and childless at 47.
Do you have pitch perfect hearing? Thats cool, I wish I could sing well and play instruments.
I have most definitely cried at past jobs in front of people! And of course have been fired more than once. It's not a world built around disability. But it's amazing that you have perfect pitch!! I'm a terrible singer, and I'm so in awe of people who have talent in this area.
GIRL THREE SECONDS IN AND WE ALREADY HAVE THE CUTEST HAT HOLLY YOU ARE SO TALENTED 💜 It's so nuts how for so many of us, the "hard" things are so easy while the stuff that should be "easy" is difficult every time. Thank you for sharing your perspective!!!
It really is! I think that's what might freak NT people out a little. If we can do "this," then we should be able to do "that." Nope! 😅
A great video, Holly. Love the beret - and interestingly I mix my own clay colours and I nearly always have just the right amount I need. 🧡
I’m spikey af. I have a knack for balanced home design, holiday decor, plants, art and lighting but ask me to put together a document to turn that into a business and I’m lost. I have so many great ideas but the logistics are impossible
I've heard this a lot, and I know I couldn't run my tiny biz without the help of my spouse. I would be lost.
What a beautiful beret Holly, and I think it is amazing that you can visualize the parts and pieces and bring it all together to make such a lovely creation! I am trying not to covet that gift 😇
I know what you mean, that you "instinctually" knew how to do that. I have that sense too, with my vocation especially, which makes it confusing to people because my work is inherently social and requires "emotional intelligence." And yet, I just don't get most of the social and communication stuff of the world, and don't care about it... And I am weary of feeling shame and judgement about my differences...
Once again Holly, thank you for your honesty and transparency. It is really validating!💚
I'm glad we have the autism community because we can celebrate our differences. It can be very sad that so many others judge us.
sweet... thanks!
Agree! I think that NTs expect that there is a fixed hierarchy of difficulty. So bogus, different tasks require different types of thinking from different parts of the brain, and a person can be better or worse at each type of thinking individually. I think this is true for them too and we just notice it more because some parts of our brains are more or less connected or whatever.
Yes! I love how you put the "hierarchy of difficulty." For us, the things they see as simple can often be so stress-inducing and complex and vice versa.
A Maurice Chevalier laugh is very appropriate for a beret.
Agree so hard!
Things I'm great at: Learning a foreign language (like I can learn 3-4x faster than anyone else in my classes when it's a school setting), knitting, coding/automation/using software to solve problems at work, cooking a meal to exacting standards
Things I'm terrible at: I stumble so much in verbal communication, I struggle immensely to be concise with written communication, I make people hate me due to being too honest in my communication, enteroception--knowing when my body is hungry or thirsty or tired, taking care of my son week in and week out, I need a lot of help in order to guarantee that all of his needs are met, absolutely cannot drive, going to a store in-person is very hard for me and I need to use a lot of accommodations to get through it
Also Holly I did the same thing for my dog's sweater dress this year. I got the concept in my mind and just made a pattern by myself for it. It's fully unique to her. It was just something I felt I needed to do and then I did it and it felt really good like I solved a problem and did it in the way I wanted.
I completely relate to everything you say you are terrible at! Thank you for being honest about needing help taking care of your son. I am a parent, and parenting to begin with does not come naturally to me, but also I need so much support around it. This makes me feel very seen!
You have so many skills, too! I would love to be better at learning foreign languages. I am trying to learn German, but I am very slow!
And everything you have listed is just the picture of an autistic person. There is nothing odd about it. I wish everyone understood that the spiky skill set is "typical" or "normal" for us.
@@sejhammer Yes! I love when a mental image of what something should be comes together as it should! It is so satisfying.
I wish it wasn't so emphasized by NTs and even some ASD creators with the whole "superpower" movement. I have a spikey profile it's just mine starts at average with lots of dips into oh shit how do I do that 🥲. I think it's really important to acknowledge that spikey does not equal proficiency. It can just mean increased deficits in certain areas.
I think it can go both ways in the other direction. No, I don't like the superpower trope, either. But I also love that autistic people are pretty honest about the things they do well, just as they are with issues they have. I think we all have skills. It must spike up to spike down, at least a little. And I also love that the autistic community's "skills" aren't always what NT people consider as such. I think the autistic community is more okay with not all of our skills being "productive" or have to be used for monetary gain, etc.
hi holly, nice hat. awesome that you can make things like that.
33 audhd, i can draw super good but 3d art escapes me. and like many of you, i cannot drive 😂
i like the notion of a spiky skillset tho. for every gift we have, a skill others take for granted is nerfed. when people say i have talent in drawing they almost always add “i cannot draw a stick figure!” or something along those lines, with a hint of envy. it secretly annoys me that they act like its something i can just innately do. the truth is yes i have talent but i have invested countless hours of my life into this skill, drawing as a coping mechanism to escape hard realities or as a way to understand an endlessly confusing world. i love it but it is still work. i just hope nts realize that talent does not equal skill, and that they learn to be grateful for what they can do rather than envious of what others can do.
(if anyone is reading this who wants to draw better, the secret is: draw thousands of bad drawings. you will get there. but another secret is: you will never be as good as you aspire to be. that’s the point of aspiration.)
I used to be a professional portrait artist (graphite hyper realistic) and also had a caricature artist gig on weekends.
It made me hate drawing, gave me a huge dose of imposter syndrome plus some of that PDA in there.
The comment that got me the most was "it's like you are doing magic!"
No, I started drawing realistically at two according to my mom and honed in my skills for decades. I can do a portrait "really fast" because I will hyperfocus on it, meaning I forget to eat, drink, go outside, sleep well. Then I feel bad about charging someone for it because it took me 3 days max and I see all of the flaws that they don't notice.
I used to call it my ill-gotten art supplies fund 😂
I love that you say this!! Yes, I can conceptualize 3D projects, but if I didn't have the years of practice (and often being bad) at crochet or sewing, I wouldn't be able to do anything with that conceptualization.
@@hollyoddlythat's the first thing I thought of when you said you intuitively got just enough yarn for your hat project! Stuff like this only becomes intuitive because of many hours spent practicing the specific craft and being used to its materials.
Everytime I do something I've trained at a thousand times over, it's always as if it's the first time doing it. It's nigh impossible to replicate my own achievements.
I’m an AuDHD woodworker and cabinet maker but otherwise have a skill set that is spikey AF. I can’t drive, often eat bagels and hummus for days on end because cooking…😬 I’m an awesome world traveler and can build you a whole ass house, not so much other things. I’m also excellent at laundry 😀
I'm over here being a good cook and bad at laundry.
I wish we could all help each other in a talent exchange. 🥲
Yes! And that is so "normal" for autistic people. It's not a situation for us of: well, you can do "this," so you should be able to do "that." I love that we know it doesn't work that way at all for us. Also, I love that you can build cabinets and a house. That is pretty epic.
@@ZhovtoBlakytniy I've often said the same thing! We need a whole city of autistic people who can just trade our talents, strengths, and special interests to help each other out! If only!
Hi Holly,
I discovered your channel through your last video, which truly resonated with me and rocked my world. This new video on autistic savants and spiky skill sets is incredibly illuminating. Your perspective helps me so much in understanding myself and when interacting with my autistic peers.
I’ve always known I have a very spiky skill set-my IQ test results were so varied that they didn’t even give me a total IQ score because of it. It’s frustrating to think that despite such clear indicators, autism wasn’t considered by the professionals at the time. Your insights are helping me process these experiences and see them in a new light.
Understanding the concept of spiky skill sets allows me to better support my peers by being aware of the challenges they might face. I can now encourage them and contextualize their struggles, knowing that this is a common experience among us.
I also appreciate that you use identity-first language. While I respect those who prefer person-first language, it’s reassuring to see a Level 2 autistic individual embracing identity-first terminology. I personally gain a lot from my social identity as an autistic person.
I made a 30-minute video on my channel responding to your last video that gained a lot of attention, as well as discussing points from Kaelynn Partlow’s book, Life on the Bridge. Since you’re interested in continuing the conversation, I’d love for you to check it out if you have the time.
Thank you so much for pioneering the way with these insights. I can’t wait to hear more from you!
Wishing you a great day and a wonderful weekend.
Best regards,
Sam
I just watched it! Thank you so much for including me in the conversation! I loved that you were outside watching the sunrise. It made me feel like I was listening to a friend that I've known for a while talk about a subject I always enjoy! Also being ADHD, I kind of love that you jumped around a bit. Sometimes my mind wanders, and I think that helps break up the monotony. And yeah, I do also gain a lot from autism as a social identity. I've felt less a lone and more seen than ever this year. It's such a part of me that every action or thought I have almost can be linked back to it. And having others who are so like me is honestly life-saving.
I’m good at putting creative art together in abstract ways or creating new combinations of styles. I’m the same with energy work and that type of interest because it relates to my fascination with symbols and things like dragons and Tibetan art. It’s all based on the same things I’ve been interested in for a long time but it’s always new for me to explore multiple projects at once. ❤
I love that you can also keep long-time special interests feeling new! Do you also have ADHD? Most of my special interests are very long-running, but I rotate them so they never feel old.
Im level 1 autistic but looking over my history they said i was level 2 as a kid (not sure if anyone else has had similar said to them or if this isnt generally the done thing?!) Anyway, if i had had a diagnosis in childhood i probably wouldve been considered a savant, i learnt to talk early and taught myself to read at 2 and a half. Memorised the names and characteristics of all of the different dog breeds. But in reality I'm not a savant, I just have a high IQ and am hyperlexic. I have the same spiky profile as many autistics and have never been a genius. I was in special ed maths and advanced English classes 😅 I was just REALLY GOOD at what I was interested in ha. I've given you a subscribe 😊
Yes! I think we tend to be quite good at what interests us, and the rest can be quite a challenge. I wish I had your reading abilities!
I love your beret. I’d ask for the pattern, but it’s one of a kind 😉
Thank you! No pattern, unfortunately, but this stitch was really fun! It was a double crochet into the front of the bar, then into the back. It made those ridges around it. See, I can't even explain it, let alone make a pattern for it. 😂
Genius IQ (using your words, not mine. I don’t like calling myself that, but I’ll accept others saying I seem smart), I’m pretty obsessed with learning just about anything but especially foreign languages and I’ve studied maybe 20 to differing degrees but can only hold conversations in maybe 4 or so (and can read or write simple orthography with like Korean, Kana, Cyrillic, Hindi/Devanagari, and a few others), advanced musician (performed internationally and on nationally-broadcast stuff) but I struggle with loads of basic tasks from keeping myself fed to cleaning the house - anything chore like.
I had been on track to go to medical school, but everything kinda fell apart when responsibility for like feeding myself and paying rent fell on me
I hold the KNOWLEDGE of how to fix damn near anything, or in your example plentiful crochet stitches, but not the actual Executive Function to ever fully DO those tasks unless all basic needs like food and work and SCHEDULING were taken care of for me. My Executive Function basically doesn’t exist.
My diagnostic paperwork didn’t outright say I’m ASD 2 but most autistic connections I know who read it basically said that all the “Severe” and mentions of whatever impairments suggested I’m level 2 🤷♀️
I can teach you how to fix anything, I can tutor you in almost anything a university offers, but I can’t function
I most definitely know what you mean, and I wish this world was equipped to help care for us so that we could use our talents to help the world. It's sad that it doesn't work that way.
We're lovable porcupines! I'm an anxious AuDHDer. I have major hang ups around travel and airports if I'm by myself. I need someone else to lead there. I have a friend that I haven't seen for almost 10 years because she lives around 5 hours drive away (less by plane), but the idea of the border crossing or customs has really held me back. I'm hoping we can visit her and her family in the next year or two with my spouse taking point.
Without a support person, there is so much I can't do by myself! I always get worried about having a meltdown and no one around me knowing that's what's happening. Oof.
First, I have to say that beret is really cool! Good work, and use of your mind's eye.
I can totally relate with you on the ability to manipulate and take apart something in my mind in the same way. I can include my senses in the experience. This is how I come up with ways to fix broken things, make art, and cook.
My spikey skillset goes like this -
Strengths: I'm super creative, I'm a great cook, I know a lot about animals, nature, human anatomy and biology, I can sew, embroider, do leatherwork, I love to deep dive into folk cultures as an area of expertise, I know many natural fiber processes, I'm a huge flax nerd. I can fix appliances and electronics. I am good with little children and old people.
Struggles: can't drive, phone calls are really hard, tieing shoes, learning new languages (I can do it, but it takes me way longer to grasp), tech stuff, shopping, going to doctor appointments alone, cleaning, mowing the lawn, taking or giving compliments (in an NT way, I only give them if I mean it), self care without a bunch of notifications, hosting and entertaining guests, dealing with authorities (PDA?), I'm dyspraxic and alexithymic. I'm probably bad at fashion trends
Okay, I need your ability to work with little children and old people, and I'll mow your lawn in exchange and fawn over anyone in your life who needs compliments! 😂 I wish it worked that way!!
What a gorgeous beret! The color is perfect for you.
I’m starting to think my spiky skill is masking, lol. Kinda joking but kinda not. Interesting conversation!
I think masking is an art! I feel like it takes so much pattern recognition when it comes to NT behavior, movements, and reactions! I'm totally counting that one!
@@hollyoddly😊😊
can't ride a bike. get lost even if I have a map - sometimes even with GOOGLE maps - even in my hometown. I can't hold conversations in noisy rooms and misunderstand written word constantly in uni. i don't hear certain tones of voice / inflections. but I am a music composer and I can hear the finished product of my songs and pieces in my head - all individuals parts making up the whole - literally starting from a full symphony in my mind then rebuilding it piece by piece in real life.
I love uncommon gifts. Bike-riding might be practical, but music is essential.
Wish I had gotten the autism (and ADHD) that makes me remarkably good at anything, but nope, I just got the type that makes me slow at everything. Most of the things I’m pretty darn good at take me longer-sometimes a whole lot longer-than they would most people. I’m not good enough at anything to make up for the lost time and frustration. In most other ways I probably qualify as level 1, but the speed/pace of the average level 1 person would put me to shame.
I have dyspraxia, which also slows me down. I would say slowing down might be a talent. I never take the time necessary for most tasks, and I feel like most people speed through life.
I can understand conceptually how your reverse engineering process works for your crocheting but I couldn't do it myself and I do find it very impressive. It's an amazing skill that you have there and at the same time I agree that it is just something that makes sense if you're autistic I can understand what you're doing but I couldn't do it myself. My skill set lies elsewhere.
I'm pretty good at talking about General Relativity quantum mechanics and where you can find a verse in the Bible but I'm terrible with paper work.
And there is no way I can grasp quantum mechanics. My dad was an engineer, and I was constantly lost. I love that autistic people have these strengths that span so many interests. Someday we will have a database of strengths so that we can all help each other! Or maybe I have a lot of wishful thinking!
@@hollyoddly
I couldn't do it. That sounds like doing paperwork that has been injected with steroids.
I think we do have to celebrate the things we are skilled at & have talents in. I can... fly a light plane but I can't drive a >>car>in person
Yes! And I love that for the autistic community it's completely "normal" to be able to fly a light plane and not drive! That makes sense to me. The same with understanding nutrition on a deep level and not being able to cook a whole meal with sides, etc. That's my problem with cooking. I can't get it all timed to be ready at the same time and not be under/over cooked or cold. I have full meltdowns from cooking!
@hollyoddly >gentle hug
I can blend together complex and layered perfumes based entirely on vibes but I'll melt down at the idea of having to make a phone call to someone other than my immediate family. I've constructed multiple kits of historic costume from the undergarments outward...but I can't wash dishes to save my life. It's really spiky over here. 😅