Can you read maps?

[Divrom]

I've often said that asperger's is a condition of extremes. I seems that I am either hyper or hypo something and I'd say that's the case for most aspies I know as well.

One area where is seems that the stereotypcial aspie excels is in reading maps or taking in information in a tabular fashion. I am abysmal at both. And I just wondered if anyone else is the same.

Bus/Train time-tables make me anxious. They feel as if someone has thrown a load of data at me all at once. Strangely, I can probably help someone else make sense of a time-table, but when it comes to myself the anxiety makes everything jumbled. (I'm the same with budgeting. I can help you, but cannot do it myself.)

The other one is reading maps. I am just useless. If I had to do a journey on my own, I would have to pull over countless times to check how many more extra centimetres I had gone on the map and whether we were still on the right line. I'm not sure how much that is related to anxiety, but it feels like it is primarily as aspie thing as it is about the amount of info and only focusing on what counts.

Someone tell me I am not alone!

 

[Streetwise]

I've often said that asperger's is a condition of extremes. I seems that I am either hyper or hypo something and I'd say that's the case for most aspies I know as well.

One area where is seems that the stereotypcial aspie excels is in reading maps or taking in information in a tabular fashion. I am abysmal at both. And I just wondered if anyone else is the same.

Bus/Train time-tables make me anxious. They feel as if someone has thrown a load of data at me all at once. Strangely, I can probably help someone else make sense of a time-table, but when it comes to myself the anxiety makes everything jumbled. (I'm the same with budgeting. I can help you, but cannot do it myself.)

The other one is reading maps. I am just useless. If I had to do a journey on my own, I would have to pull over countless times to check how many more extra centremetres I had gone on the map and whether we were still on the right line. I'm not sure how much that is related to anxiety, but it feels like it is primarily as aspie thing as it is about the amount of info and only focusing on what counts.

Someone tell me I am not alone!

I am a carbon copy of you the only slight difference is ordnance survey maps

 

[Streetwise]

I've often said that asperger's is a condition of extremes. I seems that I am either hyper or hypo something and I'd say that's the case for most aspies I know as well.

One area where is seems that the stereotypcial aspie excels is in reading maps or taking in information in a tabular fashion. I am abysmal at both. And I just wondered if anyone else is the same.

Bus/Train time-tables make me anxious. They feel as if someone has thrown a load of data at me all at once. Strangely, I can probably help someone else make sense of a time-table, but when it comes to myself the anxiety makes everything jumbled. (I'm the same with budgeting. I can help you, but cannot do it myself.)

The other one is reading maps. I am just useless. If I had to do a journey on my own, I would have to pull over countless times to check how many more extra centremetres I had gone on the map and whether we were still on the right line. I'm not sure how much that is related to anxiety, but it feels like it is primarily as aspie thing as it is about the amount of info and only focusing on what counts.

Someone tell me I am not alone!

part two I used ordnance Survey maps for walking when I could so I felt calm

 

[spaceman]

Nah. Maps no way. Even sat nav or google maps. The constant map turning. I need it to stop at the right sort of eye view. Bad just show the pointer moving. My Google Maps, spins and follows the road. I need to expand, then my touch is bad .. end up on a different mode.

Hate all that stuff. Takes me a long while, to learn a route.

 

[spaceman]

*and show the pointer moving

 

[Mia]

I like maps, yet apparently I have a great deal of difficulty with north, south, east and west, have to place 'myself' in context within the map.
I endlessly reiterate; sun comes up in the east, and sets in the west. As I usually get it backwards.
Did some drafting and I learned from that, a great deal about measurement, scale, perspective.
Not bad with an orienteering compass. But don't ask me where I've parked the car in a large parking lot, with fifty or a hundred similar cars with similar colours.

 

[owlet]

I struggle with maps, because they're too 'big' in a way to visually lay down over what I'm seeing in front of me at that moment. I generally prefer to use landmarks to navigate.

 

[Kisa the tea]

I don't know how people survived without getting terribly lost before your phone could just tell you which way to go.
I agree that bus times can be difficult too. I just had to look into those for a trip i'm having and i've never been in a bus before because we don't have many here.
The only maps I really like are fantasy ones since they seem more simple to me i think. Real maps have like infinity roads everywhere and similar names and it's confusing.

 

[Streetwise]

I don't know how people survived without getting terribly lost before your phone could just tell you which way to go.
I agree that bus times can be difficult too. I just had to look into those for a trip i'm having and i've never been in a bus before because we don't have many here.
The only maps I really like are fantasy ones since they seem more simple to me i think. Real maps have like infinity roads everywhere and similar names and it's confusing.

good things to try with Google Earth as you can tap until it nearly gets to street level so you can see buildings instead of just tiny words and shapes and long lines.

 

[Mary Terry]

I've often said that asperger's is a condition of extremes. I seems that I am either hyper or hypo something and I'd say that's the case for most aspies I know as well.

One area where is seems that the stereotypcial aspie excels is in reading maps or taking in information in a tabular fashion. I am abysmal at both. And I just wondered if anyone else is the same.

Bus/Train time-tables make me anxious. They feel as if someone has thrown a load of data at me all at once. Strangely, I can probably help someone else make sense of a time-table, but when it comes to myself the anxiety makes everything jumbled. (I'm the same with budgeting. I can help you, but cannot do it myself.)

The other one is reading maps. I am just useless. If I had to do a journey on my own, I would have to pull over countless times to check how many more extra centremetres I had gone on the map and whether we were still on the right line. I'm not sure how much that is related to anxiety, but it feels like it is primarily as aspie thing as it is about the amount of info and only focusing on what counts.

Someone tell me I am not alone!

It's not an Aspie thing. My thoroughly NT husband cannot read a map. He has navigated us a hundred miles off course in the past. I usually do the driving because he has some minor vision problems, and he is supposed to be the "navigator" when we are in unfamiliar places. Ha! I have learned the hard way to read and memorize the map myself, and satellite GPS assist from car is wonderful.

 

[Mary Terry]

I read somewhere that one's sense of direction is somehow encompassed in a tiny bone at the tip of our noses. My hubby's main problem seems to be difficulty with the compass directions - north, south, east, west - and where we are in relation to intersections that require a decision as to which direction to go.

 

[Divrom]

It's not an Aspie thing. My thoroughly NT husband cannot read a map. He has navigated us a hundred miles off course in the past. I usually do the driving because he has some minor vision problems, and he is supposed to be the "navigator" when we are in unfamiliar places. Ha! I have learned the hard way to read and memorize the map myself, and satellite GPS assist from car is wonderful.

I disagree. For me, I think it is an aspie thing.

The fact that some NTs might share characteristics that some aspies have does not mean that - for the aspies - the characteristics are not part of their asperger's.

For me, the difficulties I have with maps are a familiar feeling.

 

[Mary Terry]

It's not limited to autistics. It crosses all neurological boundaries. Many NTs cannot read a map.

 

[Divrom]

It's not limited to autistics. It crosses all neurological boundaries. Many NTs cannot read a map.

There is hardly an autistic behaviour that cannot be seen in NTs. As I said, that does not mean it is not an aspie behaviour when performed by aspies.

The reasons why NTs cannot read maps could be completely different.

 

[MrSpock]

I'm good with maps. I can't say for sure if it's because of my autism or in spite of it, but for sure I'm better with maps than most NTs. Not just driving on holidays good, armoured reconnaissance soldier good.

 

[kay]

I love maps, used to have a huge collection and kept a road atlas in every room. Love google maps, too.

Bus and train schedules are extremely confusing, though. Last year I had to take a bus twice a day everyday for weeks. Learned my bus and that was it. Fortunately with trains I've never been on a tight enough schedule when riding that I couldn't just hop on the first one going the direction I wanted. Saint Louis and Dallas are the only places I've rode trains and both are pretty simple. Doubt my system would work in Chicago.

 

[Mary Terry]

Mr. S - my LFA nephew is a genius at maps, local maps, world maps, driving directions, recalls the highway exit numbers for every highway and road off main highways for every place he has ever been, etc. He blows my mind with his comprehension and memory of maps. Maps are one of his special interests. When I take him places, I just tell him to tell me when and where to turn (he can't drive). He is never wrong but occasionally forgets to tell me when to turn. We have a good laugh over it and correct our course.

 

[Mary Terry]

There is hardly an autistic behaviour that cannot be seen in NTs. As I said, that does not mean it is not an aspie behaviour when performed by aspies.

The reasons why NTs cannot read maps could be completely different.

That's very true.

 

[vangelis]

I have always loved timetables and maps, both of which could be termed special interests such are my voluminous collections of both. Could tell anyone who was interested [not many of those!] bus route numbers that ran in my area before they and I were even born. Never use a satnav though but plan a route and options to an unfamiliar destination way in advance in case something goes wrong.

For balance, my mum who was an NT could not really understand timetables or maps and even managed to get lost in a circular shopping centre

 

[the_tortoise]

I can do maps....I'm good with maps.

I need maps to avoid getting lost when I go somewhere new, and my brain creates mental maps of the places I've been. (I'm hopeless with verbal directions -- when it's possible I ask people to draw me a map with an arrow-line showing the path I'm supposed to take.)