"Main characteristics
Difficulties with social relationships." True. I find it far easier to maintain friendships online than I do in real life and whilst I am married that does not mean there are no difficulties in that regard, but rather that I have an understanding and supportive partner who likes my personality.
"Not picking up signals and info that NTs take for granted such as facial expressions, intonation and inferred information."
I don't actually register a lot of these at all, unless they are very obvious.
"Difficulties with communication.
May speak fluently but take little notice of reactions, may monologue, may not be aware of audience's feelings or reactions."
Again I tend to not realise I should or could be picking up on these things. I think I monologue, especially if I have something important to state.
"May be over-precise, formal or literal in speech. Jokes, metaphors, sayings, figurative language may cause total confusion, stress, meltdowns etc."
I can be very precise sometimes. Jokes aren't usually a problem as I like verbal humour. I can't easily tell when someone's teasing me. Very little problems with figuratuve or metaphorical language as wordplay is a strong interest of mine. I always see the literal interpretation and sometimes I take it too literally, but usually I can understand the actual inference.
"Difficulties with social imagination, imaginative play and flexible thinking.
This one causes some confusion as people say 'Well, he plays with his lego and makes up stories and has imagination, so...?'
It's the social aspect of imaginative play that can cause difficulties. If the child is in total control of their 'world' and setting the agenda, then they are being imaginative. AS children find it difficult to play when other individuals are involved that have different ideas or who don't perform as expected, unlike a lego or toy figure."
Very much so. I need to have complete control of my imagination and my stories are always very plot driven. Also, I can picture myself in any place or time. I can not picture myselk as anyone else.
"Abstract thinking is another area of difficulty, although the child may learn facts and figures easily, dealing with abstract concepts, without clear outcomes may be a challenge. Subjects like literature, religion and philosophy."
Now abstract I can grasp quite easily as I just come up with a picture to explain it. Marriage is two people at a wedding. Death is a funeral or a gravestone. Religion is a bearded bloke sitting on a cloud. Philosophy is just reading Aesop's tales or picturing Archimedes in his bath (ok, that's not philosophy, but it's my standard picture for it). Or Diogenes and his Cynics. Literature is almost always plot driven, anything that looks at character development I don't like. So an Agatha Christie murder mystery, with its familiar patterns and people is perfect.
"They may also be:
socially awkward and clumsy in social relationships with others"
I can be unless I know the person well. Then I actually appear more on the spectrum as I don't try and hide anything.
"naive and gullible, a good rule of thumb is that many Aspies function at an emotional age 2/3 that of their chronological age."
Unsure of this. I always feel more immature than others my age and DH admitted that I appeared much younger than other women my age, but I think I can be quite mature in many ways.
"unaware of how others feel"
True, unless someone points it out or is really obvious I will miss blatant clues.
"unable to carry on a 'give and take' conversation"
Depends. If it interests me then to some extent, though if it interests me too much then I will hog the talking. If I can't grasp it I will be unable to maintain the talking.
"upset by any change in routines and transitions, often undetectable to NTs"
Yes, I do like my routines. But I can hide it well so only increased silence or snippiness will be the clue, plus four hours on the internet to settle myself once the lads are in bed.
"literal in speech and understanding"
It depends. If I'm reading, not so much, but I've been caught out by actual talking.
"overly sensitive to lights, noise, odours, tastes and tactile sensations again often undetectable by NTs"
Yes.
"have fixed interests or obsessions"
Definitely.
"physically awkward in sports, often those that require simultaneous application of different skills."
Oh god yes.
"Not a team player in any sense."
Again it depends. I much prefer to work on my own and could not have a supervisory job for example and when I played sports I always did my own thing with very little thought of what others were up to.
"Possibly
have an unusually accurate memory for details"
Yes
"sleeping or eating issues that cause problems"
Yes
"trouble understanding and processing things they have heard or read"
Not so much, but once or twice a month or once or twice a day, depending on how things or going, I will lose understanding of what is being said to me.
I"nappropriate facial expressions or body language"
Not so much inappropriate as low key.
"unusual speech patterns, repetative or irrelevant remarks"
Not sure.
"stilted, formal speech"
Quite often.
"overly loud, high or monotonous voice"
I sound about 6.
"stims that may involve rocking, fidgeting, joint cracking, humming, pacing..."
Lots of hand and finger stims and a fair bit of pacing. When Ds2's questionaire results came up and the doctor left the room I spent the time sort of spinning on one leg and walking with the other.