Being autistic, adhd and random stuff

[Sign54]

Autism does not correlated to lack of sexual desire(ask me)

 

[Strixaluco]

Autism does not correlated to lack of sexual desire(ask me)

There are more (in %) asexual people among autistic people than among the whole population - but I suspect the same may be true for hypersexuals. Autistic community is full of all kinds of deviations from "normal" sexuality and gender.

 

[Sign54]

There are more (in %) asexual people among autistic people than among the whole population - but I suspect the same may be true for hypersexuals. Autistic community is full of all kinds of deviations from "normal" sexuality and gender.

Good point. I am autistic but not asexual.

 

[stickygirl]

Good point. I am autistic but not asexual.

meh, sex... I can take it or leave it. I'm whatevsexual

 

[PMarky2]

There are more (in %) asexual people among autistic people than among the whole population - but I suspect the same may be true for hypersexuals. Autistic community is full of all kinds of deviations from "normal" sexuality and gender.

Sex is an interesting one with me. I like sex, but I am not randomly horny like some guys who would hump a pile of rocks if they thought there was a snake under it. That said, with the right woman I have a very high level of desire, and can be quite inventive. If a woman can fire up my mind she will fire up everything else.

 

[Strixaluco]

Good point. I am autistic but not asexual.

Same. I also happen to be cis-straight, but the amount of all kinds of rainbow people among autistic people is huge.

And bdsm circles are full of neurodivergent people too.

 

[anthrodisiac]

Sex is an interesting one with me. I like sex, but I am not randomly horny like some guys who would hump a pile of rocks if they thought there was a snake under it.

I have so, so, so many questions about this...

So, they think there's a snake, and thus they hump the rocks? Are they trying to... fuck the snake? Why a snake? Why not pick up the rock to get to the snake? How frequently are guys doing this? Is this some weird cultural thing I'm unaware of? Is it only random horniness that causes snake-infested rock pile humping, or can non-random horniness induce rock humps? Do certain species of snakes cause this behavior more than others?

Though, to be fair, snake anthros are sexy as all get out

 

[stickygirl]

I have so, so, so many questions about this...

So, they think there's a snake, and thus they hump the rocks? Are they trying to... fuck the snake? Why a snake? Why not pick up the rock to get to the snake? How frequently are guys doing this? Is this some weird cultural thing I'm unaware of? Is it only random horniness that causes snake-infested rock pile humping, or can non-random horniness induce rock humps? Do certain species of snakes cause this behavior more than others?

Though, to be fair, snake anthros are sexy as all get out

Well your question has kicked a hornets nest... maybe a horniest nest?

An expression I've heard commonly is that men will 'shag anything with a spine' but they're ruling out all the invertebrates, some of whom would give a fine BJ. Come to that, a vajayjay is much like one of our single-footed cousins.

 

[stickygirl]

I'm just reading an interesting article that suggests different ways to describe The Spectrum to regular folk. There's a lot of gaslighting in the UK, so having a quick explanation in your back pocket is useful.

I'm currently saying we eat at the autism diner, there's lots of choice on the menu but the waiter chooses for us, handing us a plate of random items in varying quantities. The NT people eat next door, and have a sensible waiter.

 

[PMarky2]

I have so, so, so many questions about this...

So, they think there's a snake, and thus they hump the rocks? Are they trying to... fuck the snake? Why a snake? Why not pick up the rock to get to the snake? How frequently are guys doing this? Is this some weird cultural thing I'm unaware of? Is it only random horniness that causes snake-infested rock pile humping, or can non-random horniness induce rock humps? Do certain species of snakes cause this behavior more than others?

Though, to be fair, snake anthros are sexy as all get out

Yeah - the first time I heard the expression my brain ran all of those scenarios.

 

[PMarky2]

URGH - my life currently seems to be locked in a race between what I need to get done, and burnout. All the bad signs are there - I'm irritable, sleeping badly, craving a certain someone's company intellectually, also horny for that certain someone most of the time, and drinking more than I should. So basically, fucked up mess until I get a break.

What is weird is that this is not usually a time of year when I am under a lot of stress, but I think the difference is this year I am in the middle of trying reorganize the course content for the online program, and I keep running into folks who are locked into some pretty binary thinking. However, I have got the chair of the academic programmes committee convinced, so I am halfway there. One of "the joys" of my ASD-ADD is that I don't think outside of the box very often, but when I do, the system I have come up with is the way that it has to be done.

 

[PMarky2]

Well your question has kicked a hornets nest... maybe a horniest nest?

An expression I've heard commonly is that men will 'shag anything with a spine' but they're ruling out all the invertebrates, some of whom would give a fine BJ. Come to that, a vajayjay is much like one of our single-footed cousins.

I like the way you think!

I am glad to say I got a break from the chaos this morning and got to hang out with my ND friends at the church clean-up morning. Our weirdness throws a protective shield around us!

 

[PMarky2]

BAF and I have finally reconnected over the last month, which is much happiness for me. We have slowly been working through our issues and got to the place where we both decided it was foolish to be distant. Also, we got talking when her Mom was not around and we discovered that we have much the same mix of ADHD, ASD, and OCD, as well as similar interests, which probably explains my sense of belonging when I am around her.

My burnout risk is finally down from critical to elevated. I've basically won my battle on restructuring graduate online studies too. Now I just need a rest, a willing woman, or preferably both. We can but dream!

 

[Strixaluco]

BAF and I have finally reconnected over the last mont

I'm so happy for you!

 

[stickygirl]

A friend sent me a link to this article that suggests a different viewpoint on neurodiversity. 'What if Neurodivergence isn't the deviation?' What's your opinion on the idea?

 

[PMarky2]

A friend sent me a link to this article that suggests a different viewpoint on neurodiversity. 'What if Neurodivergence isn't the deviation?' What's your opinion on the idea?

The historical argument is good. I tend to think the more significant shift is not so much between the hunter-gatherer culture, but between a society based on agriculture and crafts in which everyone engaged in a variety of tasks, and one based on industry and having a job which is often highly repetitive - e.g. sitting in a cubical and reviewing data. Agriculture still requires the skills NDs excel in to a high degree, especially when there is animal husbandry involved.

I do think the author missed a trick by not highlighting what stresses cellphones and smartphones - those little boxes of overstimulation - impose on NDs. Like several of my ND friends, I can function pretty well if I keep the distraction level to about what I would have experienced in the 1970s and 80s, but once I start getting over stimulated I am f*cked, and not in a good way.

There seems to be a sense in which NDs get caught either way - being under-stimulated by the industrial age, and over-stimulated by the digital, but at this point I am just chucking ideas at the wall and seeing if they stick.

 

[Strixaluco]

A friend sent me a link to this article that suggests a different viewpoint on neurodiversity. 'What if Neurodivergence isn't the deviation?' What's your opinion on the idea?

Well, I recall reading about autism correlating with neanderthal genes. It could indeed be that large part of it is original that way. Neanferthals lived in smaller communities than the following human species.

On the other hand, autism can occur by gene mutation. Those people apparently tend to have a more difficult case of autism, I suspect they don't usually have children.

 

[PMarky2]

Well, I recall reading about autism correlating with neanderthal genes. It could indeed be that large part of it is original that way. Neanferthals lived in smaller communities than the following human species.

On the other hand, autism can occur by gene mutation. Those people apparently tend to have a more difficult case of autism, I suspect they don't usually have children.

Ah yes, the Clemson and Loyola studies did show that there was a link between Neandertal DNA and the occurrence of Autism, but it seemed pretty nuanced. IIRC, it was something along the lines that one of the genetic triggers for autism is more commonly found in human DNA "borrowed" from our Neandertal ancestors making ASD more likely when the other genetic, etc., factors come into play. I thought it was a wonderful example of how complex ASD is as a condition, and of its ability to defy simple explanation.

 

[stickygirl]

Thanks both and anyone else is welcome to add further comment.

As I read it, my immediate question was 'what about level 3 autism?' How does that fit the tree-hugging hunter-gathering profile? To ignore that type of autism sounds like ableism.

The author doesn't come right out to suggest particular autistic traits have appeared from natural selection, but surely that can be deduced. If that were the case then how have 'deviant' NTs gained the upper hand to create a civilisation filled with challenges that the majority NDs find abhorrent? Or did the NTs take advantage of indigenous ND populations by brutally eradicating them, because they were unable to defend themselves?

The idea of cuddly, hobbity auties living at one with nature sounds whimsical to me - and the sepias of the accompanying illustration support that nostalgic fantasy. I'm not sure how walking into door frames compares to bumping into forest trees and scaring away your lunch! Sustained repetitive behaviour can be found in every agricultural practice: planting rice in paddy fields, threshing corn, cutting reeds for thatching - even the animal world is full of repetition.

The ideas outlined in the initial paragraphs were intriguing, but the cherry-picked list of traits reminded me of astrological star signs that suggest Capricorns are hard-working, reliable and faithful, while Aries are often narrow minded and pugnacious. I like the idea that NT could be a divergence, but this article doesn't convince me.

 

[PMarky2]

Thanks both and anyone else is welcome to add further comment.

As I read it, my immediate question was 'what about level 3 autism?' How does that fit the tree-hugging hunter-gathering profile? To ignore that type of autism sounds like ableism.

The author doesn't come right out to suggest particular autistic traits have appeared from natural selection, but surely that can be deduced. If that were the case then how have 'deviant' NTs gained the upper hand to create a civilisation filled with challenges that the majority NDs find abhorrent? Or did the NTs take advantage of indigenous ND populations by brutally eradicating them, because they were unable to defend themselves?

The idea of cuddly, hobbity auties living at one with nature sounds whimsical to me - and the sepias of the accompanying illustration support that nostalgic fantasy. I'm not sure how walking into door frames compares to bumping into forest trees and scaring away your lunch! Sustained repetitive behaviour can be found in every agricultural practice: planting rice in paddy fields, threshing corn, cutting reeds for thatching - even the animal world is full of repetition.

The ideas outlined in the initial paragraphs were intriguing, but the cherry-picked list of traits reminded me of astrological star signs that suggest Capricorns are hard-working, reliable and faithful, while Aries are often narrow minded and pugnacious. I like the idea that NT could be a divergence, but this article doesn't convince me.

My own pet theory about the rising rates of diagnosis is that modern society is very hostile to NDs of all descriptions. It is just that much more difficult for us to hide. In short, we have become more noticable, though I am not sure how that fits with level-3 autistics. This is why I am inclined to accept the historical argument made, but Autism is complex, and I am reluctant to accept any theory which seems too simple.

One comment I would make about repetitive labor in agriculture is that it varies with the seasons, and when you are done, you're done. Sowing in the spring, becomes weeding in the summer, reaping in the Fall, and then, after the frost has done its work, ploughing in winter. When things are slack, you mend things, and get on with other tasks around the farm. It isn't putting the same fecking widget in the same fecking place eight hours a day, five days a week, fifty weeks of the year, though I am sure some misery guts time-and-motion drone has tried to make it that way.

 

[stickygirl]

What I love about this thread is that it isn’t political or pornographic

 

[Strixaluco]

What I love about this thread is that it isn’t political or pornographic

Same, same...

 

[Strixaluco]

As I read it, my immediate question was 'what about level 3 autism?'

Yes, they aren't really properly functional in any kind of society. But already level 2 could do more in agricultural society than in modern society (probably just labeled weird/stupid/eccentric). Not that it proves autism being "the original normal" in any way. Society used to be much easier for everyone.

The reasoning regarding dyslexia and dyscalculia is much more sound. And there are other theories saying the hunter-gatherer group gained from  some members having autism and adhd. Not necessarily all. Just like there may be benefits for a species from homosexual individuals existing.

In short, we have become more noticable, though I am not sure how that fits with level-3 autistics.

To my knowledge, the rates of level 3 autistics haven't risen since 80s. The main difference is with level 1 which was recognised late overall, and badly even much later.

 

[anthrodisiac]

I have a lot of issues with this. First and foremost how much of it was clearly written by AI. But that's fine, everyone's doing it these days, who cares? Me.

As for the premise, I agree with @stickygirl, it's shaping data to fit a narrative. One where "We're perfect, NTs are the broken ones." Don't buy it. Neurodiverse traits tend to be overactivations of adaptive behaviors. Things like hyperattention and spatial awareness are evolutionarily beneficial, but NTs have that. NDs have it to the point where it becomes problematic, hence why it's classified as a disorder. It interferes with our ability to function within the confines of existing society, to varying degrees, and some of us are better at finding adaptations than others, but it doesn't mean it's not hard as hell sometimes.

The whole "society is a construct, and auties are magic fairy folk like humans were bred to be," is silly, and ignores the current reality. Some of the "skills" we have come at the severe detriment of social skills, which is evolutionarily the MOST important skill homo sapiens needed, as a hunter-gather society for 300k years, with units up to 150 people. Having difficulty socializing would have almost certainly led to being cast out, and death, and make gene selection for these traits less ready. The fact that we see an increase in disorders as medicine has improved (with notable exceptions, to be sure, as with any genetic variability) speaks to the fact that we've made it easier for people who would've otherwise perished and not be able to spread those genes to be able to do so, and so increase the prevalence of gene types that, plopped 50k years ago, would've resulted in a genetic dead end.

Which is not to say that we wouldn't let these genes proliferate: I would be dead so many, many times over if I'd been born even 5 years earlier. I like existing. I like how weird and wonderful our world is. But to try to push off ND as the norm just flies in the face of anything other than activist feel-goodery. We don't have to be the "norm" to be fucking awesome. We just are

 

[Strixaluco]

It interferes with our ability to function within the confines of existing society,

Not only that, though. In themodern world my sensory sensitivities are a problem. However, my sensitive hearing also makes me musical and helps me learn languages - a definite advantage. Same with acute eyesight for colour tones, and there are others.

Every single strength I have is tied tied to my autism. The biggest one is probably the quick brain capacity, making connections widely between things etc. (I've slept badly and describing it badly here.) It makes learning anything easier.

Being ND is far from being just at disadvantage, though some of us get it that way.