“Mark, I hear so many negatives about people with autism spectrum disorder [level 1]. You say there are many more strengths than weaknesses! What are they?”
Even though there are a number of deficits associated with ASD, there are numerous positives as well. For example, most people of the autism spectrum have the following strengths:
1. are independent and unique thinkers
2. are internally motivated (as opposed to being motivated by praise, money, acceptance, etc.)
3. have the ability to focus on tasks for a long period of time without needing supervision or incentive
4. are more logical than emotional, spending a lot of time “computing” in their minds
5. are often passionately devoted to -and eager to expound on- topics of particular interest to them
6. are visual, 3-dimensional thinkers, which lends itself to countless creative applications
7. have a higher “fluid intelligence” than “typical” people (i.e., the ability to find meaning in confusion, solve new problems, and draw inferences and understand the relationships of various concepts, independent of acquired knowledge)
8. have strong rote skills
9. have terrific memories and are able to memorize large amounts of information
10. pay attention to detail, sometimes with painstaking perfection
11. are not restricted to any social expectations that they have to meet
12. are not as concerned about their external appearance in comparison to “typical” people
13. rarely judge other people based on who is smarter, richer or faster
14. usually have a higher than average general IQ
15. are often precocious in speaking and reading and tend to use sophisticated or formal language
…and this is my short list!
Mark Hutten, M.A.
More resources:
==> Living With Aspergers: Help for Couples
==> One-on-One Counseling for Struggling Individuals & Couples Affected by Asperger's and High-Functioning Autism
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