I communicate better with learning disabled people

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14 Dec 2008, 1:25 am

Does anyone else here think they tend to get along more easily with learning disabled people? I mean, obviously I think two aspies are more likely to get along than an aspie and an NT because they'll understand each other's poor communication better.

But I also mean people with learning disabilities other than Autistic ones. I know it's a generalisation but from my own experience as a general rule some people who are classed "learning disabled" are easier to get along with because they are usually either very shy and modest and hence not overbearing or are very straightforward and unassuming and take the pressure off when socialising because they are less judgmental and socially demanding.



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14 Dec 2008, 1:44 am

I get along better with non-neurotypicals (who are not necc all Aspies)...I don't really come into contact very often with anyone who I could concider classifiably "learning disabled"...or at least any more than I am. I have one friend who is more severly dyslexic than I am, but I don't really get along with him, because his Narcicisstic Personality Disorder drives me bonkers to the extent that thoguh I have known him for a number of years, I can barely speak to him.....But most of my neuro-eccentric crew tends to be of above average intelligence...to the extent that I could be seen as the dim bulb of the group at times.



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14 Dec 2008, 4:38 am

I have met some so-called "learning disabled" people. I just think that they learned differently, but were out of equilibrium with the classroom learning environment. Perhaps they had learning differences or different learning operating systems in their minds.

I often had the feeling that these people weren't stupid at all, but just hadn't quite figured out how to learn certain things in a manner in-line with their own personal learning styles yet.

Often the teachers and other students wouldn't give them a chance or would look down on them because their learning styles didn't fit the "normal" pattern.

I've often met "learning disabled" people and been completely oblivious to any negative labels they received. I often just thought that they were nice, unassuming and reasonable people. Some of them were very interesting characters. It was only when others took me to the side and asked:

"Did you know that so and so has____?"

That I was even aware of any motor/learning difficulties that my friends had. I just helped them if they needed help. It felt like the natural and right thing to do at the time. Up until that point I was just assumed that my friends were nice, creative and interesting people who just hadn't been given a chance to prove themselves yet.

I don't know if you could call this naivety or social blindness on my part. There is disability in my family, so maybe I just see that as "normal" and it doesn't bother me so much because I'm so used to it.

I often scratch my head and wonder why others avoid so-called "disabled" people. Is it out of fear? They're missing out. Disabled people have characters as diverse and interesting as so called "normal" people. They have hopes, fears and dreams and can contribute. They're human.

I have also met very popular social people, who were good at academics, who were nice and understanding too though. They usually met me and initiated the conversation though. Nice, caring and unassuming NT people do exist.



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14 Dec 2008, 4:55 am

I've generally gotten along fine with other people who are also odd. And all my friends have been either had mental illnesses or been neurodiverse, or at the very least eccentric.

It's not universal, though, that I'll like somebody who's odd in some way. Sometimes it's hard to understand each other. I have particular problems with people who have speech impediments, because I have auditory processing problems and it's hard to communicate. No problems if we write to each other, obviously. And sometimes there simply won't be common interests; or they won't like me or I won't like them, just personality-wise.

Maybe it's that people who are different from others have had to figure out how to communicate with people different from them, and so are more skilled at connecting with people who are different, and thus more likely to connect with me.

I've never had a long-term friendship with a neurotypical person. I have nothing against them; they're nice to talk to, but the connection just never seems to develop. That might change someday, of course. Most likely it'll happen with an NT who is particularly good at communicating with people unlike himself.


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14 Dec 2008, 5:15 am

Yes. As a teen I felt more at ease around those who were in the spec. ed. classes than those who were in my classes. My father was very similar at school.



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14 Dec 2008, 5:39 am

I also find myself gravitating towards and helping shy/nice people from other cultures or for whom English is a second language.

It happens naturally. I hardly realise that I'm helping someone until another person comes up to me and says:

"Oh I see you're helping so and so."

Up until that point, I seem completely oblivious to the fact that I'm being friendly and helping the other person. I notice cultural differences, but I work with them and it kind of becomes transparent.

It kind of just happens. I just find myself wanting to share knowledge with a broad variety of people.



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14 Dec 2008, 6:00 am

AmberEyes wrote:
I also find myself gravitating towards and helping shy/nice people from other cultures or for whom English is a second language.


That reminds me of school when there was a new girl struggling to understand the questions (which were not in her 1st language). At first the entire class were helping her and she was very popular.

Later they became tired of her constant questioning. So she would constantly ask me to explain what the questions were asking. Would do this instead of my own work and the teacher did not care... just commented how I was doing her job for her! I did find interacting with the girl fine cos it only revolved around subjects like mathematics and her repetitive questioning relaxed me.



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14 Dec 2008, 7:00 am

I work with several LD kids (=definition here is kids with low IQ mostly and/or sometimes developmental delays).

They're perfectly easy to understand. I think they are perfectly normal too.

They're definitely not shy though, but very outgoing, emotional, impulsive, empathic. Somehow, we get along perfectly fine though despite this.

Might be because I'm impulsive and outgoing too! Just not empathic and emotional hihi

I'm however having problems with one MR kid with lacking language. I just can't understand that kid. I lack the empathy needed...


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14 Dec 2008, 8:18 am

I was also the same way, in school. They didn't judge me the same way that the other students did.


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14 Dec 2008, 12:55 pm

I seem to get on more with learning disabled people, they are easier to talk to and we can understand each other better.


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14 Dec 2008, 3:16 pm

I find that many people who have a learning disability are more open minded and sensitive to the needs' of others.. and that is probably because they were picked on as kids like we were. Funny thing is, come to think of it, most of my non-autistic friends do have some kind of learning disability. And they are my friends for a reason..


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14 Dec 2008, 3:31 pm

*Shrug* I'm just more likely to get along with the "odd"/"weird" people in general.
Out of my three friends: all three have/have been depression/been depressed. One has dyslexia pretty badly (I usally end up being her human spell-checker, lol.). One is on the spectrum, himself. Ect.


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14 Dec 2008, 3:39 pm

the person i get along best with is my 13 year old brother who literally has about half a brain.



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14 Dec 2008, 4:06 pm

I tend to gravitate towards people who are non-judgemental. I think I can spot them pretty well. they usually turn out to be either eccentric, gay or just general outcasts.

I also had a great time communicating with a group of people from former Jugoslavia who all had serious PTSDs- weird huh?


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26 Dec 2008, 10:26 pm

I'm considered of having Aspergers, but I'm not sure if it's true. Me, I can't get along with Special Ed people unless they're the normal ones. The normal kids who are in Special are usually really popular and cool. I was actually in an Aspergers class in 9th grade(Last year) and I seriously hated it. I didn't get along with the kids in it. I didn't along with the teachers. We went on a dumb walk and when we got outside, some other of the more non-normal special ed kids were out there, I asked the teacher if I could go to the nurse and what he replied back was "Oh, you're just nervous. It'll be okay.", so I got really pissed and decided to go to the nurse anyways. I went home sick later, and the next day, I had a temp of of 102. So I was laughing saying "Oh, yep, I was REALLY nervous!" The guy was so dumb. H thought I was this really special kid, but I was always telling him that he was stupid for talking to me that way. I can't count how many times I walked out of that class. Oh yea, I was forced to be in that class.