Asperger's Syndrome -- Writing Advice

No one has mentioned how its common for aspies to have an unusual amount of interest in a particular subject, have they?

The subject could be anything whether it be science fiction, video games, dogs, glass door knobs, or even sirens. They will often be able to tell you all kinds of amazing information about the subject, and you will often tell them that you're tired of hearing about that subject.

As someone with Aspergers I think you should defintely include the following:

-Particular intrests bordering on obsessions: This can be just about anthing and can change over time, just myself I've counted Knights, Norse Mythology, Japan, Webcomics, and more as obsessions.

-Very logical or litteral minded

-Blunt & honest

-Ability to concentrate on specific tasks: More then once I've stayed up until 5 in the morning playing a single game or reading a book.

Now, I like to compare Aspergers with Mad Scientist or Absent-Minded Proffesors, it's not strictly accurate but I find it's close enough.

Instead of saying "my character has asperger's", you really ought to start out with his motivations, goals, and dreams, and THEN examine how his motivations and goals are effected by the condition. For example, maybe he wants to be a recognized science fiction author, but his asperger's keeps him from being able to focus on any one story for any length of time, and he starts to get frustrated and ends up blowing his life savings on a trip to Tokyo because he is obsessed with anime/a weaboo and thinks that he can score with a Japanese girl.

Or something similar to that, at any rate.

Two of my closest friends have Asperger's Syndrome, and I can safely say that there is one thing that way too many people seem to skip over when talking about it: Obsessive metacognition.

My God: ...dude. I characterized him for about three years before I realized he was an aspie. Think I'm good.

I don't think "honesty" is an across-the-board trait for Aspergics. I personally have no problem telling lies (I don't think I'm very convincing at it, though). I do however have a real problem recognising when other people are not telling the truth. Don't know whether that's related to my AS or not.

I have Aspergers and I LIKE socializing.

Only thing is, it's a harrowing gauntlet of near-literal pain to me 90% of the time. XD

(Especially in those really bad situations, like at work when I have to help customers out to their car at closing time. I can never tell when I'm giving off the "serial killer vibe"... I've actually made someone scream before, and I think another customer was considering calling the police because she didn't believe I was a real employee. Oh geeze. The repressed memories are coming back! Ha ha)

edited 4th Nov '11 6:16:05 AM by jakujakujaku

I'm an Aspie with an unusual symptom, so I figure I should weigh in here.

In addition to the usual — hypersensitivity (getting worse instead of better), poor social skills (getting better), bluntness/honesty (getting better, but I still come off like a dick sometimes), formal speech/Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness (probably getting worse, but if it is it's barely a noticeable progression), and obsessive narrow interests (about the same as when I was diagnosed), I have a severe germaphobia. I've been told by a couple of "civilian" sources that this is a symptom of Asperger's, but haven't been able to find any official documentation to corroborate it... still, I figured it might be worth mentioning. There's certainly a potential for hilarity in fight scenes... he could wash his hands after beating up a Mook, or panic when an opponent's blood splatters on him accidentally.

And yes, hypersensitivity + germaphobia does suck the big one. Being absolutely certain something has touched me when nothing is actually anywhere near me is the hell I live in every waking moment.

It's also worth mentioning, since you were worried about this for the purpose of flashbacks, that even in childhood Aspies who take a martial arts class have better motor skills than Aspies who don't. Karate taught me balance, which is how my motor development caught up to (and eventually exceeded) that of my classmates. So just put in a throwaway reference somewhere that he took karate as a kid, and you'll be fine. Plus it'll give you a way to keep him alive without destroying Willing Suspension of Disbelief if he sees combat, since he has some fighting skills.

Interesting. I was originally going to have a slight dislike of germs due to his upbringing (grandmother always kept the house clean, so he was unused to dust).

In my case (as a spectrum hyperlexic), the bluntness doesn't appear too much. I am critical and consider myself more mature than most boys my grade (behold! PE class!), but I usually keep my comments to myself. In terms of speech...it's sort of hampered by my speech disorder, but my acting teacher says I have a thing with words, as I was using them to skid the point. But perhaps that's from my experience as a writer.

But from a few Aspies I had encountered that usually aren't paired with some other disorder, they tend to be more subdued. Less rowdy, a little more reserved. Either that, or they have a superiority complex. *

It depends, but from what I know, Aspies tend to think as themselves as separate from their fellow kin. They might be able to hide it, but if "normal" and "high-spectrum" are on two sides of a coin, Asperger's is the rim.

EDIT: I don't have problems with faceblindness. In fact, I develop a sense to focus on facial features, particularly noses.

I have the heightened senses, to a degree, but mostly to touch and sound. I had to use a brush when I was younger to calm my nerves, along with the tendency to touch things twice. I also used to cover one ear when hearing loud constant noises, and I can focus on individual instruments in a song quite easily.

Really, I share a lot of Aspie traits, due to being on the spectrum, but I don't consider myself one. Reading could be considered my obsession, but only due to my hyperlexia. I really don't go on tangents compared to one of my siblings, who often gushes about video games he never played.

EDIT 2: Say, is the ability to absorb information easily is an autistic trait, or is it just me?

edited 4th Nov '11 2:33:57 PM by chihuahua0

It might be worth mentioning that "dislikes change" applies very easily to one's wardrobe.

As an example, I remember wearing nothing but green long sleeve shirts, black sweat pants, grey boxer-briefs, and blue socks for YEARS.

In fact, I think the only reason I stopped was because my beloved clothes started falling apart...

edited 4th Nov '11 8:25:12 PM by jakujakujaku

Already covered, :3

I don't have asbergers, but I've known a few people who do. One thing I notice about them is they either over-talk about things, because it difficult for them to tell how appropriate it is to talk about something which other people don't know about or have interests in, or they over-apologize about little things because they think they've been over-talking or saying odd things when it isn't necessary, and make things awkward for themselves, once again because it's difficult for them to tell on their own how appropriate they are being.

Although I'm probably a nightmare to talk to for most Aspies, since I don't give a lot of facial ques unless someone is really pissing me off. I have kind of a flat affect unless I'm really excited, and I can come off as angry, bored or uninterested when I'm not mad at all and highly interested.

edited 6th Nov '11 4:44:11 PM by NoirGrimoir

Here's an expert from a part of one of my stories where I was introducing a character with the Ass burgers.

"Great-grandson of Barnaby Dingwinger and current heir to the REDS, Birdy was a very fortunate individual. His last name alone could grant him access to the snootiest places in Argle Blarg. His ugly mug was one that would appear in all kinds of trashy tabloids. But Birdy wasn’t the type to visit high-brow establishments or get wrapped up in scandals with secretaries looking to score a talk show appearance or two. In fact, he rarely went out at all and women (real ones, anyway) had since fallen off his list of priorities after a certain incident that would break even my heart to retell. Instead, Birdy opted to spend his days sitting behind a computron trying his best to incite angry responses from people across the Argle Net (though he wasn’t very good at it). His main hobby involved anything water-burkies: collecting memorabilia, having fun with the ones he lived with, and not shutting up about them whenever another human being was present. He also had an interest in foreign cartoons particularly ones from a certain archipelago in the Far East. Yes, Birdy was one of those people. "

From my experience, people with high-functioning Asperger's feel awful when around people with mental disabilities because of heir awareness that they could have turned out like them. They also feel terrible when they contemplate telling the truth and disappointing their parents, moreso than people without Asperger's.

That pretty much sums up one of my friends in a very neat little nutshell. It's weird hearing someone else mention it, considering how idiosyncratic I always found it.

[Puts on psych major hat.]

Apart from talking with people with Asperger's (which you seem to have already done), another good thing to do would be to look at the diagnostic criteria (no, not on Wikipedia - the actual DSM criteria) and at the research on autism. Google scholar and psycinfo.com are your best friends here. A good one to start with is Kiln's study on visual fixation patterns (here you go), although fMRI studies are also very useful if you can understand the language. Hope you like the term "facial fusiform area", because you are going to be hearing it a lot.

edited 14th Nov '11 12:46:35 AM by Sparkysharps

I myself have Asperger's, and I have to agree with much of the posts here.

The facial recognition thing is called Prosopagnesia (or something like that) and some people have compared it to everybody looking like a golden retriever - to us, all golden retrievers look pretty much the same, unless they have distinctive marks or a collar.

I have AS. If I want to lie, I have to do that 'super-villain' thing where you give off a double-meaning, or I just can't do it. And even managing to pull that off makes me feel a bit sick. Another is not explaining everything in detail (leading to our good friend Sequecial Loquaciousness). It happens in writing and typing. For me, it happens all the time on this board. Even right now. It leads to arguments when somebody with AS can't get something out of their head, and it's like a tic; it can't be suppressed.

I anticipate lies because I brim with cynicism, but I can't really detect them. But I expect people to tell the truth - a lot of AS traits seem to clash but they still manage to all fit into one person. Also I forgive people for things really easily.

Ironically, one of the hobbies a lot of AS people have, including me, is talking in depth about Aspergers, but regardless of their hobby, if you'll listen they will talk, and they won't notice if you're bored. But they're not necesserily life-long hobbies; they might last for just a few weeks.

I myself don't have hypersensitivity, but if somebody touches me and I don't like it, I've been known to start wailing in a room full of people.

A lot of aspies have no filter. As in, saying something without thinking it through, all the time. Then occasionally realizing after that the something said was rather offensive.

The thing about people with Aspergers is that everybody's issues with it are different; some people struggle more with the social aspects, some people with hypersensitivity, etc. Especially if you're planning to write someone on the higher-functioning end of the spectrum, making sure to check every box in the list of symptoms isn't going to yield a realistic character.

This is particularly true when you're writing about women or girls with Asperger Syndrome; as there is a lot more social and family pressure on girls to be socially adept, women with Aspergers in particular tend to be better at social functioning in at least some ways than men and boys with it are. As such, we're often diagnosed later in life; I wasn't diagnosed until I was 22 (after two previous psychiatrists told me I didn't have it), because in one-on-one situations like talking to a counselor, I don't act any different from a neurotypical person. It's in more high-pressure, group situations where it comes out.

The main issue my AS gives me is one you tend not to see much in pop cultural depictions of it, but one which is actually quite common in the real world: executive functioning. That has to do with time management and planning; a lot of Aspies struggle with those. It's related to the fact that we can be obsessive and good at focusing on things; the problem is that when that thing you're focusing on is something which is distracting you from what you NEED to be doing. It's really hard to pull yourself away.

ETA: One of the best examples I know of a character with Asperger Syndrome - and one where it's like, wow, the writers really DID do their research for once! - is JJ Jones from the third and fourth seasons of Skins.

edited 1st Dec '12 3:02:05 PM by EmmaWoodhouse18

I myself have been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome and my mother works for a company focused on Autism, so I feel I may be of some use here.

First of all, it's a good thing that you're not slapping all the traits in. Many people with Asperger's can have different traits compared to someone else that is also diagnosed with it. As a matter of fact, even I didn't know of one or two of the traits you listed. Try to focus on the ones that can benefit the story or the character's arc.

Another thing that is more of a general writing tip than specifically related to Asperger's; Try not to draw sympathy from the disability but the circumstances that it causes. This can be a fine line to walk and I myself have failed at it in the past.

One other thing, Autism isn't a visible disability, so keep that in mind with narration and point of view. Both the diagnosed and the people that interact with them may not be fully aware of it, and it's certainly not something you spend a lot of time thinking about how to get around.

Hope those tips help. I'll have a word with my mother and see if she can come up with anything useful.

I have asperger's and know many others who do, and there is only one unifying factor.

AN OBSESSION WITH JAPAN!

Also, not making much eye contact, so two unifying factors actually. Anyway, whatever you think you know about ASD, you're probably wrong.

Wait, there's a third thing. A massive tendency to break the fourth wall and acknowledge that they're probably just characters in a video game.

...No. There's no 'unifying factors'. Those ones aren't, anyway.

Although, that last point in your post makes me think you're just trolling.

What.