Nerds, Geeks, & Asperger's Syndrome

A common thing I have heard from various people is that a lot of people on the autism spectrum (especially Aspies) are either geeks or nerds and that is a good thing. I have also been told on numerous occasions that a lot of people are undiagnosed in engineering professions or professions related to working on computers. My own observation has been that this is true. It also seems true that there are a lot of geeks and nerds who fall somewhere on the autism spectrum who have gone undiagnosed for one reason or another. Me personally, I identify myself as a nerd/borderline geek. Nerd sounds cooler, so that is why I go with that term.

The reason a lot of people in the engineering or computer professions tend to go undiagnosed is because they are able to financially take care of themselves and even form some bonds with their co-workers or friends from school who share similar passions. A while back I made a YouTube video about The Big Bang Theory and how I felt many of the characters, especially Sheldon feel somewhere on the autism spectrum. It is my theory that the people involved on the show are well aware that these characters have Asperger’s Syndrome, but just like in real life, they go undiagnosed due to their ability to find intellectual and financial success. Social success, however, is another story altogether.

However, I want to add that there are other nerds and geeks that are on the autism spectrum that have gone undiagnosed. What I mean by this is that there are people who aren’t as financially successful like the characters on The Big Bang Theory. Where do you meet such interesting people? A common meeting ground would be major conventions like Comic Con and Anime Expo or BotCon or pretty much anything related to nerd/geek culture. Me, I am very much guilty of going to such conventions, and I have even started Cosplaying which is where you dress up as characters from TV shows, comic books, anime series, video games, etc.

Now, I also want to say that there are a lot of people not on the autism spectrum who are into what is considered this nerd culture. As a matter of fact, I would go so far as to say that things like comic books and Star Trek have finally become the trendy popular things with society as a whole. Nowadays, it seems to be cool if you are into these sort of things whereas back in the 80’s and most of the 90’s, you would be shunned by society for liking these things. I guess the moral of the story is that society was behind times and for once, those of us on the autism spectrum were ahead of times. Actually, I would argue that a lot of us with autism and Asperger’s Syndrome are very much in-tune with what is going to be the next big thing before the rest of society. For instance, I used to be big on technology, and I think there are a few Aspies who know what the next big technological breakthrough is going to be before the general audience.

So, what is that I am trying to get at? I guess I am saying that it is cool to be a nerd or a geek or both. Today, society seems to be more open and liking Iron Man and Captain Kirk can actually be seen as something cool and not something that only dorks like. I think this is a good thing. I am rather happy to see a lot of other people take passion in my likes. And, I think the direction society is going in is a good thing.

With that said, I welcome your comments and/or questions. What are your thoughts? Am I right? Did I get some things wrong? I look forward to hearing from you, and with that said, I would like to wish everyone a most awesome day of awesomeness!

Just as a quick nerd/geek culture bonus, here is a video I did a few years ago about Star Wars vs. Star Trek!

Who is Arman Khodaei: Autism, Asperger's & Beyond

This video was created as a starting point to those just finding out about me, Arman Khodaei. I felt that I did not have a good introduction video on YouTube and wanted to create a main video that people can click on the first time they find my channel.

Arman Khodaei is the program director for Empower Autism Now, and is also an autistic individual. He maintains his blog empowerautismnow.com on a daily basis and also has guest bloggers involved in the community who also contribute. He runs a series of free Autism & Asperger's workshops that are open to anyone in Southern California.

My Experiences at the Autism & Asperger's Group in Southern California

Today, I am proud to present another guest entry, this time by Steve Philips. Steve is a consistent member of my Empower Autism Now groups in Southern California, and also a good friend. He plays bass guitar for a band and also has a YouTube channel for his music and to discuss Asperger's Syndrome.

Hi, my name is Steve and I just recently learned that I am on the autism spectrum about a year ago. I met Arman and Chris, whose stories are also on this blog, through meetup.com and have been an active member of Empower Autism Now for a few months now and we've all become very good friends.

Being part of the group has been great for meeting people who share similar life experiences like being misunderstood in many situations by the way we might behave. Such as awkward body language, voice tone and face expressions. Sometimes I may not express those emotions at the proper time or not at all. I recall one incident where someone thought I was giving them a dirty look and this person tried to start a fight with me! What was crazy about that is that I am someone who does not go around making trouble with people to begin with. There was another time when I was driving on the freeway, I had the passenger of another car reach out of his car window and start yelling at me out of the blue. 80 percent of the time I am not even aware that I am making such faces however I do have to be careful about these things and watch my behavior. Overall as far as far as not showing proper emotion, I literally have to think about these things where as with most neurotypical people, these things are more instinctual and natural.

As far as making friends, I do relate to some of what Arman said on his post. However, I do have a history of making friends and then totally disappearing on them. Sometimes I'd rather be by myself and recluse to my narrow focus, which is music. I am also an accomplished jazz R&B funk bass guitarist and music is something that can be an obsession for me. But has far as making friends and keeping them, I have been making more of an effort to keep in touch with them. Solitude can be an addiction but is something to overcome. I also have had some little successes in some social situations but reading people's nonverbal cues and knowing when it's my turn to speak can be very difficult for people like us. More specifically, if someone has a certain look on their face, I might interpret it very technically and not get the emotion of what's in the look on their face. Unfortunately these things can make me look very oblivious. The bottom line however is that an Aspie should not wallow in self-pity. Yes, everybody has problems in life but it's just that our problems are just very unique. The best thing to do is to just let things go and just try to keep a positive attitude.

Benefits of Being Autistic or Having Asperger’s Syndrome

In general, a lot seems to be focused on the negative aspects of being on the autism spectrum and not enough emphasis is put on the positive aspects of being autistic or having Asperger’s Syndrome. I think this is because a lot of the people discussing autism are either parents worried about their child’s future or professionals who tend to look at autism as a bad thing or something that needs to be cured.

With that said, here are a few things that I believe are good about being on the autism spectrum!

Extraordinary Memory—Even though this is not true for every autistic individual, I have known quite a few people such as myself who have strong memories. For me, I tend to remember small, random details, and I have met quite a few other people like that. I often get emails from people telling me that they have an amazing memory and if that means they are autistic. And, I will say this, it could very well be possible that you are somewhere on the autism spectrum. However, having a good memory does not make someone autistic. It is just a trait many of us on the autism spectrum share. And, no, not every autistic person has a great memory. Please remember that autism affects people in different ways and to varying degrees.

Less Likely to do Unhealthy Activities—I know this isn’t true for everyone on the autism spectrum, but it seems that a lot of autistic people I have met don’t drink, cuss as much, or do unhealthy things in general. I know I don’t drink or smoke or do drugs. I don’t break the rules. This seems to be the case for a lot of us on the autism spectrum. We tend to follow the law more and don’t do things that could be harmful for us. But, I have known a couple people on the autism spectrum known for experimenting. So, this isn’t true for all of us.

Don’t Need as Much Attention from Others—I think a lot of us on the autism spectrum might desire more friends or want to know how to reach out and connect better with other people. But, one thing I do feel is true is that we feel more comfortable being alone. I think humans in general are social creatures and tend to go crazy if they are left alone for any period of time. I know for me, I could be left alone for weeks without any impact on my mental health. I would enjoy my time alone and use it for reflection. I think a lot of people can learn something about themselves in this regard. I don’t get why most people go crazy when left alone to their own thoughts. That honestly makes no sense to me, but I have met a lot of non-autistic people like that. So, yes, I do think it is a good thing that many of us on the autism spectrum can be content being alone with ourselves.

 Very Loyal—This is something that I have observed from my group members and have also seen in myself. I feel that people on the autism spectrum can be among the most loyal people out there. When we join a group of people, make friends, or enter a romantic relationship, we tend to stick with it. Of course, this also means we might stick with something from our childhoods as well such as still being obsessed with Pokémon or Star Wars action figures even when we are adults.

Hardworking—This kind of goes back to the whole loyalty thing, but I feel many of us on the autism spectrum do the tasks were are told and don’t put up much fuss. When we have a job, we do our work. Now, we might not be the most social people on the workforce, but we tend to be the most thorough when it comes to doing our jobs, and we make sure we do a good job.

With that said, these are just among a handful of the positive qualities you will find in autistic individuals. Do you agree with my list? What other qualities would you mention?

Also, I do have an update on Autism in Love. The Kickstarter goal was not reached, but that is not deterring the filmmakers. They have a new idea to raise funds which they will soon share with the public, and they have also started a mailing list which you can join through their Facebook fan page. As things develop, I will continue to keep everyone in the loop.

With that said, I would like to end this entry with a video I made a couple years ago about bringing out the best in autism. Enjoy!

Trusting Ourselves

This video is based on a topic we went over in one of my groups last week. Most of us go on living our lives not trusting ourselves. As a result, we don't really know who we are. We end up trusting everyone but ourselves. Self-trust is very important, and the more we learn to go with our gut instinct and trust our intuition, the more likely we are to live fulfilling lives. Please watch the videos for my thoughts on tips on this intriguing topic.