Who has an Asperger's Diagnosis and is an Autodidact?

[Peter Jansen]

I am researching for a writing project of mine and I am seeking accounts of Asperger's people who know what autodidactism is & would self-describe as one. I want to network and compare notes with other forum users.

Thank you!

 

[Misery]

Wow. It's super rare that I hear a word that I dont know, but you got me with that one.

But yeah, looking up the definition, I definitely fit that category.

Always been self-taught. Heck, when I talk about my school days, I always say the same thing: The only 2 things I learned from 12 years of school is how to read/write, and how to type.

Aside from video games, my main talent has always been with computers. Wasnt taught. Learned them by myself, as a kid. And this was in the days of DOS, before Windows even existed. No user-friendly UI there. Heck if I remember HOW I did this, I just plain did it. I learn most things entirely on my own. On occaision I may look up a tutorial on Youtube if something is just too bloody confusing but that's rare.

Of course the problem with being self-taught, at least for me, is the lack of what I guess I'd call a "professional approach" to the subject at hand. Like, I can fix computer problems if I need to, but as I recently said in another thread, it's not the precise protocols used by educated professionals, instead it's like the equivilant of duct-taping a car back together. Heck, I had one time where a friend asked me to fix his machine, which was acting up and generally being a technological snot. So I went in, got somewhere deep into the bios or whatever, and frankly, found myself looking at totally new things. Had no bloody clue what I was doing, though I didnt tell him that. I poked around in it and looked at stuff and messed with it and basically did whatever seemed like a good idea at the time, hoping that nothing exploded as a result. And you know what, it worked. And I learned from it, despite that shaky and messy approach. That's how it usually goes.

 

[FreeDiver]

Always been an Autodidact my whole life.

 

[Tom]

I think many autistic's special interests might qualify as being autodidact. For example I've studied history (but not spelling) on my own consistently and collected certain things since about age 10-11. When you remain focused for so long you can become very knowledgable. But I haven't sought a diagnosis.

 

[GadAbout]

I'm both formally educated and self-educated. I actually value both. There are problems with being an autodidact. You don't necessarily get the fundamentals of a topic, and you may not get good breadth. You may not be aware of the gaps in your knowledge. But there is nothing like learning purely for your own enjoyment.

 

[Crossbreed]

But I haven't sought a diagnosis.

Autodidactism isn't a symptom; it is a learning style.

Learning styles - Wikipedia

 

[Bolletje]

I’m an autodidact on many subjects, but I also followed academic training.

 

[Progster]

I have taught myself languages up to a high level.

 

[Thinx]

Yes I benefit from learning in a solitary way, but I may or may not hit upon the best resources, the Internet has massively improved my chances of doing so. My sketchy executive function issues can also lessen the ease of solitary learning, if a large academic library resource isn't available, trying to get organised, find resources, even ask enough questions can be tricky.

 

[onlything]

I mostly teach myself things, but if it's because of my learning style or the fact that I can't seem to get along with my tutors and/or stay interested in things I'm told to learn, I cannot say. Which means that yes, I prefer dabbling in things on my own and in my own time, but I cannot say if I truly learn better in this way or if I simply can't be anything but nervous or frustrated around people and so I choose solitude.

 

[Tom]

I mostly teach myself things, but if it's because of my learning style or the fact that I can't seem to get along with my tutors and/or stay interested in things I'm told to learn, I cannot say. Which means that yes, I prefer dabbling in things on my own and in my own time, but I cannot say if I truly learn better in this way or if I simply can't be anything but nervous or frustrated around people and so I choose solitude.

There is a line of thought that letting a person study what interests them deeply, rather then cover many subjects in survey fashion can have just as good if not better education results.

 

[Crossbreed]

There is a line of thought that letting a person study what interests them deeply, rather then cover many subjects in survey fashion can have just as good if not better education results.

At least, let them scope out as much as they can and fill in the gaps later. They own the first and have a place to attach the second.

 

[Rich Gray]

The best way for me to learn is to break the thing down, and build it up. I do so in a word processer. Most things in a work environment are not written down as a procedure, and if they are they are not well written.

Most people do not learn like I (we?) do. I need notes. I need to write things down.

In America we do not start keeping notes or really using writing in class until 3rd grade (~8-years-old). As a result I was behind in class, and did not start catching up until 3rd grade (I was caught up around 5th or 6th grade, and was reading at age 14 as if I was in college/university age 19+).

Basically if I want to learn, then I likely need to do it on my own. At least to a greater extent that average. Having text, an expert, and/or a teacher involved in the process is helpful.

My two children are similar. Slow to learn before note taking is used. One also very likely has Asperger's.