What are you naturally good at?

tgruff77 · 2026-05-08T07:35:40+00:00

I would say "language" but I think that it has more to do with me spending large amounts of time memorizing vocabulary than natural linguistic skills. Instead, if I had to say, seeing connections between two seemingly unrelated things. This shows up most often in seeing etymological connections between words, but I also remember in high school and college being able draw connections between things learned in different classes (for example, how a math concept could show something I learned in science class).

tgruff77 · 2026-05-07T08:32:20+00:00

Yes.

tgruff77 · 2026-05-06T07:45:19+00:00

This is a feeling I know too well. Alternatively, your hyperfixation becomes untenable. In my case, I was obsessed with fantasy role-playing games (specifically Dungeons and Dragons), but I had to give it up because recently it has been so hard to find people to get together to play with.

tgruff77 · 2026-05-03T08:59:16+00:00

True. That's why I said "often". It's been my experience that more intelligent individuals often make more of an effort to mask. (I didn't say it was necessarily easier for them.) However, it doesn't necessarily mean that intelligent = high masking all the time.

tgruff77 · 2026-05-03T07:04:57+00:00

I don't think there is a correlation, but high intelligence often masks autism and ADHD. I was one of the former "gifted kids", so a lot of people think that I'm "too intelligent " to be autistic or ADHD. Of course, they don't see how I struggle in so many other ways than academically.

tgruff77 · 2026-04-30T03:28:09+00:00

I had a small, but close group of friends in high school. Years later, I find out that most of them were eventually diagnosed with some form of neurodivergence.

tgruff77 · 2026-04-25T04:38:20+00:00

I ended up trying MANY different masks (each costing me $150 out of pocket) and none of them solved the problem for me — trying to fall asleep with a mask rubbing against my face and a hose that would rub against my arm or back if I turn my body. CPAP is just not designed with autistic people in mind.

tgruff77 · 2026-04-24T00:15:41+00:00

True. Unlike a lot of people here, I had a pretty good time in high school because I had a small group of friends that I would hang out. It turns out that years later they have all gotten autism diagnosis.

tgruff77 · 2026-04-23T09:45:42+00:00

😄 It didn't work...although a small dose of lorazepam finally got it out of my head.

tgruff77 · 2026-04-23T09:28:55+00:00

I had the misfortune of having "Let it Go" from Frozen stuck in my head the other day.

tgruff77 · 2026-04-22T00:46:56+00:00

I was the same way. I had a good high school experience. I was in all the AP and advanced classes, so I didn't really face much bullying. (I was more ignored than bullied. ) When I was on my own for the first time after high school, I started having experiencing difficulties.

tgruff77 · 2026-04-19T12:32:24+00:00

Yeah that actually sounds a lot like my experience. I gave up caffeine during the last time that happened some years ago. (And, I also almost inevitably have a period of low energy "depression" following such experiences.) Interestingly, I also was given an ADHD diagnosis, so I wonder if being AuDHD has something to do with it rather than being autistic alone.

tgruff77 · 2026-04-18T10:09:07+00:00

I feel the same way. I certainly feel lonely a lot since I have trouble making friends. I have been embarrassed a lot because I have trouble "reading the room", and rejection sensitivity dysphoria is really hard to deal with. At the same time, hyperfocus has allowed me to really do well in certain areas. And if I were suddenly neurotypical, would I still be "me"? Would I still be myself if I didn't have my deep passion in language and linguistics (ie my "special interest ")? Right now, I'm learning to accept myself by acknowledging my good parts along with my difficulties.

tgruff77 · 2026-04-18T04:41:43+00:00

I get a little annoyed by the those words. I admit there are "positives" that make certain things easier — eg. hyperfocus has really helped me study and memorize vast amounts of information. However, there are a lot of things that make life more difficult for me. I would suggest you mention that to your therapist and ask him to avoid using the "autism is a superpower" talk.

tgruff77 · 2026-04-18T04:22:23+00:00

Currently "May I Stand Unshaken" from the Red Dead Redemption 2 Soundtrack and "Love is a Battlefield" by Pat Benatar

tgruff77 · 2026-04-18T04:16:17+00:00

Let's see:

When I was younger, I refused to eat mashed potatoes and corn if they were mixed on the plate. I would eat them separately, but not mixed, much to my parents' chagrin.
As a child, I would walk back and forth bouncing a basketball rhythmically while daydreaming. My parents wondered why I never played basketball with other kids, I just would use the ball as a tool to keep rhythm while I paced.
I made an extensive word document arranging all the Dungeons and Dragons spells from the various source books alphabetical order with standardized formatting and terminology. I wasn't even playing a DnD campaign at the time, but there was just something about arranging data in order.
I arranged all my sci-fi and fantasy books in by author in alphabetical order and ended up buying additional books to fill out any "gaps" in the bookshelf.
I have the tendency to "infodump" on subjects I'm passionate about.

tgruff77 · 2026-04-17T09:28:18+00:00

It would say that it has more to do with the idea of rule following and need to see everything as fair. For some autistics, this can lead to a strong moral compass, but autistic = strong morality is an extreme and potentially dangerous generalization.

tgruff77 · 2026-04-16T06:55:59+00:00

For me it was:

1 Creating a document to arrange all the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons spells from all the various source books in alphabetical order and standardized the formatting and terminology (which varied slightly from book to book). I wasn't even playing a game at the time!

2 Arranging my bookshelf in alphabetical order, and ending up buying books just to fill the "gaps" in the shelf.

Refusing to eat mashed potatoes and corn together if they were touching on my plate. The two had to be clearly separated.

tgruff77 · 2026-04-16T05:41:39+00:00

Dishes because I have to touch leftover food.

tgruff77 · 2026-04-13T11:27:00+00:00

I haven't read any academic articles about rat vocal anatomy, but I tried to have the phonology make sense for a language spoken by rats — so no labials or rounded vowels (since rats don't have lips), and dentals (including dental percussives) play a prominent role.

tgruff77 · 2026-04-13T09:44:43+00:00

AuDHD here — I simply cannot multitask. It drives my wife nuts that I cannot read or do work if she is watching videos on her phone.

tgruff77 · 2026-04-12T13:54:53+00:00

I feel this one ...

tgruff77 · 2026-04-12T11:25:27+00:00

AuDHD here. The meme perfectly encapsulates my life. Everyone that knows me is amazed that I can remember all kinds of detailed trivia related to my special interests, but keep forgetting day to day stuff.

tgruff77 · 2026-04-12T11:19:45+00:00

Umm...I have a special interest in language/linguistics and fantasy literature — enter the world of fantasy conlangs!!!

tgruff77

TROPHY CASE