Things you are not good at?

[ezcare]

swimming &

Me too. Even though I have had lessons from professionals I had enough bad experiences in water that to this day I would rather free fall in space than tread water.

 

[DCA]

Although I have managed to overcome my social issues, I still have a hard time remembering people's names. Yes I have tried using association techniques but my ability to associate totally unrelated objects is also weak--especially if the objects have no logical connection. I also have difficulty using formal titles like "Aunt Olivia and Uncle Dillon" or "Grandpa Jim" Have no idea why this is so but it has never gone away. There seems to be something in my brain that rejects familial links.

I have issues with names too. So I've learned to "fake" it until I can figure it out via context. But there are literally weeks that go by where I talk to someone I've met daily (like at work) & don't know their name at all...!

 

[Shamar]

i know everyone has something they can’t do to accomplish it completely but I always wonder if the autism part affects of what you can and can’t do.

I seem to always have a problem when it relates to motor coordination. I have a problem with the simple things such as folding clothes the proper way, always had that difficulty since forever. I kind of suck when it comes with a pen writing like an elementary kid but that’s only in print; when I write in cursive it’s totally different like how it’s suppose to be. I do mainly write in cursive with pen so maybe it’s from doing that for so long or maybe something else.
I can’t blow a bubble with bubble gum no matter how flat I get it on my tounge.

Processing things is sometimes a real bummer. There are times when say someone says something and I’m suppose to relay it to someone else the problem is I tend to leave parts out or twist what The other person says. It’s usually when a person says something in multiple steps all at once that I have trouble remember some pieces.

Also like many others here making friends and being social are two things I’m not good with sometimes but the social part has been better.

What can you not absolutely do and have somethings you could not do before improved?

Athletic ineptitude despite good motor skills seems to be a common denominator here. I think it was one of the things that got Dr. Asperger started, so that was not unexpected. Besides being an abject failure at every sport except sailboat racing, things have a bad habit of leaping out of my hands and throwing themselves against the floor. The more delicate/expensive they are, the more they tend to do this.

Social activities are a confusing piece of nonsense in my mind. One time I started learning ballroom dancing to try to learn social skills (this was before I was diagnosed). I acquired a bunch of awards and trophies, but no social skills.

I seem to have no language skills. Despite many attempts, I am unable to learn a foreign language beyond a few basic words. Sometimes I wonder how I managed to learn English. On the other hand, maybe I didn't. Very often when someone tells me something, despite agreeing on the definitions of all the words, the message I receive is very different than the message transmitted.

 

[Dillon]

Athletic ineptitude despite good motor skills seems to be a common denominator here. I think it was one of the things that got Dr. Asperger started, so that was not unexpected. Besides being an abject failure at every sport except sailboat racing, things have a bad habit of leaping out of my hands and throwing themselves against the floor. The more delicate/expensive they are, the more they tend to do this.

Social activities are a confusing piece of nonsense in my mind. One time I started learning ballroom dancing to try to learn social skills (this was before I was diagnosed). I acquired a bunch of awards and trophies, but no social skills.

I seem to have no language skills. Despite many attempts, I am unable to learn a foreign language beyond a few basic words. Sometimes I wonder how I managed to learn English. On the other hand, maybe I didn't. Very often when someone tells me something, despite agreeing on the definitions of all the words, the message I receive is very different than the message transmitted.

I was never that good at sports nor did I join any sport teams while in school. I wasn’t interested in being all athletic anyway.

 

[DCA]

I was never athletic or interested in sports either. Makes socializing a bit more difficult when male peers ask me what my favorite team is, & I have to say I have NO interest in sports whatsoever. Didn't help either when I was a kid & didn't have that to share with my peers. Also meant I was one of the last kids picked for teams in gym class...

 

[Shamar]

I was never that good at sports nor did I join any sport teams while in school. I wasn’t interested in being all athletic anyway.

Yes. Another part of the problem is that they assume you know the rules and how to play the game.

 

[Dillon]

I was never athletic or interested in sports either. Makes socializing a bit more difficult when male peers ask me what my favorite team is, & I have to say I have NO interest in sports whatsoever. Didn't help either when I was a kid & didn't have that to share with my peers. Also meant I was one of the last kids picked for teams in gym class...

My favorite team would be whoever I come up with in my head then I just pretend like I’m listening to the person who all wants to talk about football for 30 minutes saying “yeah” “ uhh uhh” or something else like that.

And me too I always get picked last for almost everything.

Yes. Another part of the problem is that they assume you know the rules and how to play the game.

And that’s why in my opinion athletes are the most favored and praised individuals than any other people who are not athletes at all, like nobodies.

 

[Chris field]

I have horrible spacial awareness. I’ve always had very poor awareness of my body and the things around me. I always walk into people or not know when I’m having soMe sort of wardrobe malfunction

 

[LadyBird84]

- Driving.
- Organizing chaos, for instance when the house is a mess or at work when the children (or coworkers ) have made a 'mess' of things. It takes me a very long time and I never know where to start. (I should add that my tolerance for 'mess' is low, things are easily a mess to me while they are not to others.)

 

[albinoblanke]

I am not good with making phone calls. Before I make a call, I often have to write out what I am going to ask and how I start the conversation. I still don't know how to end a phone call and often end the conversation abruptly.
I also have trouble understanding money. I know how much things cost and how I can pay and how much I have to pay for things but I have a hard time handling money. Like a lot of people with autism, it is difficult for me to focus on things outside my own interests, thus money.
There are of course more things I am not good at or not capable of doing or having but I will leave those out, for now.

 

[Catalyst]

Park in small spaces or go through a drive through. I trust myself driving fairly well, and have an idea of the space around me while driving, but small spaces in my car I don't trust myself. Strangely, I have gone through the car wash, but usually when it's wide.

Learning things which disinterest me. If it's something I'm interested in, I can read about it and comprehend it fairly well. But if it's something I'm disinterested in, it's not just a chore to try and learn it, it just seems like it doesn't soak into my brain.

Most sports. One time I made three baskets in a row in basket ball. That was a miracle for me. Most of the time I miss all together. I cannot kick a soccer ball right to save my life. And volleyball seems like a nightmare. I didn't do too bad in flag or tag football, however.

I've slowly gotten better at figurative speech. I still visualize things that a person says in the most literal form, but figurative speech that is familiar to me I can understand. Other times I just don't get the reference (even though it seems obvious to other people) and I have to ask what it means.

This goes for most riddles, too. My favorite one that was part of an RP I was in, was a spirit told us "Bacon-flavored ice cream tastes better in the desert." Meaning something unwanted may become desperately wanted in an absence of things like it. Or something like that. When one of my packmates figured it out and told me, I kinda saw how that made sense. But I could not figure it out on my own. Jokes also tend to fall in this category.

Getting better at recognizing sarcasm. If something seems obviously the opposite of something else, I can get it now. But more subtle sarcasm I don't get, or it takes me a few minutes to get. Sometimes something completely opposite I still believe for a moment or two.

This goes for subtle teasing as well, which always embarrasses me when it's pointed out they were teasing me with falsehoods. I told someone I was watching the show Lie to Me, and he responded with "The ceiling is purple." And of course I looked up in curiosity. Doesn't matter that the ceiling wasn't and never has been purple, I looked anyway. As a kid I believed everything I was told until it was proven wrong. Sooo many things I believed.

Staying still too long. I rock, sway, or fidget most of the time. I have a fidget cube, but the problem is my favorite part of it is the switch, and that makes noise. I like the noise, but others don't, so I've had to give up on it.

Reading people's faces and body language. Some things I've learned to recognize certain emotions, or I've been told, seen on TV, or read about. Smiling for happiness, tears for sadness. I've read and seen on TV that a closed posture, where someone is crossing their arms, is usually a sign they're feeling defensive. Though, I cross my arms a bit and I don't think I was feeling defensive. I just needed something to do with my arms. So I don't really trust that as a definitive sign. The show Lie to Me has pointed out some things that I remember, like "scorn" or "deep shame" in the first episode.

 

[Mr Allen]

I was never that good at sports nor did I join any sport teams while in school. I wasn’t interested in being all athletic anyway.

Me neither, in fact I sucked at Rounders (the English version of Baseball), my hand to eye coordination was so bad I could never swing and hit the ball.

I was also (and still am) crap at Football (Soccer to the Americans).

 

[DCA]

Wondering how many people on the spectrum have difficulty with managing money? Is this a common thing, or is it like any other NTs in that some will be good at it or bad? I guess my question is, is there a greater incidence of poor money skills for people on the spectrum than in the general population?

 

[ezcare]

I was never athletic or interested in sports either. Makes socializing a bit more difficult when male peers ask me what my favorite team is, & I have to say I have NO interest in sports whatsoever. Didn't help either when I was a kid & didn't have that to share with my peers. Also meant I was one of the last kids picked for teams in gym class...

ME TOO! And to complicate my situation even more, I had contracted Rheumatic Fever at age 6 when the only known treatment was vitamins and bed rest. Bed rest meant "confined to bed 24/7 with as little activity as possible." This lasted 6 months. Even when my body was strong enough to fight off the infection, the doctor warned my mother that any exercise that required a sudden surge in energy could trigger a relapse that might affect my heart. So no sports, or hard play for 8 years after that. My High School PE teacher was also the basketball coach so most of our "PE" consisted of unofficial practice for the BB team. He did not believe in exempting anyone from PE so every week his star players would choose up teams to skirmish against. I was always the last picked. For years after that I hated sports and any kind of formal exercise.

 

[ezcare]

Getting better at recognizing sarcasm. If something seems obviously the opposite of something else, I can get it now. But more subtle sarcasm I don't get, or it takes me a few minutes to get.

This is another one of those Aspie double edged swords. At some point you will master sarcasm and may use it to defend your dignity. Your response to put-downs will cut like a sharp surgical knife and go right for the jugular with no opening for rebuttal. Avoid this if you can! Keep in mind that your opponent may be fighting battles much worse than yours and turn your anger into compassion.

 

[ezcare]

As a kid I believed everything I was told until it was proven wrong. Sooo many things I believed.

I think this is a unique Aspie trait or mental exercise. I call it "reconciling" In my case there are two voices in my brain that need to agree before I accept anything as fact. One voice represents the fact or detail I need to accept. The other presents all the pro/con facts that I have stored in my memory related to the question at hand. In some situations this can be lifesaver. But in most daily activities such as following politicians or ordering a meal at a restaurant, it can be a nightmare. Say I want to order a Salmon dinner. First I will recall the seasonings that complement the taste of Salmon vs those that diminish the taste. Then I will look for vegetable that are most often served with Salmon. [may have remembered this from one of those cooking show I watched five years ago] By the time I reconcile all of this, my wife is giving me the evil eye and the waiter has wondered to another table. But if I just give in and order something I did not reconcile, I will hate it and wish I had cooked at home.

 

[Mr Allen]

Wondering how many people on the spectrum have difficulty with managing money? Is this a common thing, or is it like any other NTs in that some will be good at it or bad? I guess my question is, is there a greater incidence of poor money skills for people on the spectrum than in the general population?

I can spend money like it's literally going out of fashion, but saving? No chance, my benefits get paid alternate Tuesdays, and most times I can guarantee the money will last about the first week if that.

I've had an expensive week this week, but I'm hoping the Housing Association's annual trip to the East Coast doesn't get cancelled again like it did last year, as I bought 15 quid's worth of advance Train tickets last night, and the site doesn't do refunds.

 

[Crossbreed]

I guess my question is, is there a greater incidence of poor money skills for people on the spectrum than in the general population?

I'm good at it. Math is my gig. It helps that I am a programmer. (That does all of the heavy lifting.)

 

[eulimk]

I'm not good at dealing with people in a personal way. All my relationships are polite and superficial.

Other things I'm not good at - anything creative. And paying attention.

 

[Progster]

Wondering how many people on the spectrum have difficulty with managing money? Is this a common thing, or is it like any other NTs in that some will be good at it or bad? I guess my question is, is there a greater incidence of poor money skills for people on the spectrum than in the general population?

This is one thing that I'm actually very good at - to the point of being obsessive, I save money wherever I can and spend a long time researching and analysing prices, bargains, offers, etc. I often get accused of being mean and tight-fisted, though, when I'm not - I just want value for money and if I can save a few bucks, then I will. That doesn't make me mean.