Fastidiousness and autism

Post Reply New Topic

Some people (I am among them) have special needs very particular. They need a special type of croissant al breakfast, beds with very special pillows, a tablecloth with squares when they have their meal, clothes of cotton, or flax or some other particular tissue. They are called fastidious and I think their problems have something to do with ASD. In fact, their attitude is motivated by focusing their life on some form of special hedonism because they lack any plenitude of enjoyment distributed on a wide gamut of pleasures in a casual, instinctive and haphazard way. Deprivation implies extreme specialization in consumption and being fussy. Am I wrong, what are your experiences in this field?

I wouldn't call it hedonism. I would argue that being particular about those types of things probably stems either from a need for routine (i.e. that is what they are used to, so that is what they need to have) or from sensory problems (for example, maybe non-cotton clothes irritate their skin). Anyway, Aspies may experience some deprivation in the area of social interaction (for those who want friends but have trouble making them for example), but they usually derive great joy and satisfaction from their special interests. I certainly wouldn't characterize Aspies as "deprived." I also don't get your logic here:

Could you explain? This statement doesn't make any sense to me. How does deprivation "imply" fussiness? However, I see that you are from Italy, so perhaps English is not your first language? Some of your wording seemed a little peculiar, so please correct me if I misunderstood your post.

I agree on the importance of routine which leads to fussiness. But being fastidious implies also quality. For two days I have gone everywhere in my city to find nuts of the new crop which I like particularly. These nuts have an extraordinary importance for me. If I could have had with some success a friendly exchange with someone, the nuts would have slipped in the background. It's not only a problem of nuts, at 12.07 am, but of good nuts. Same holds for kinds of wine and foods.

yes being fastidious in your example implies quality...for you.

you want the good nuts and have spent 2 days finding them.

this is an AS feature but also an OCD..obsessive compulsive trait as well.

i do prefer certain routines and types of presentation too but 2 days for soem nuts does sound more than just AS going on here, in my opinion.

Fastidious can be commonly associated with being super clean and/or tidy-or the broader definition you're using. Which way it's meant depends on the culture & the individual.
I'm not great about cleaning or being tidy-however, I fit in broader category: of being exacting, rigorous, excruciatingly particular, and intricately detail-oriented & focused-a la "the princess and the pea".

Neither gourmand nor connoisseur of food, yet have very narrow & specific preference/tolerance-range of foods I can stand, let alone enjoy. Some are cheap, some are pricey (am highly selective-not because I want to be, but because I really do loathe most foods)-my choices are motivated purely by their perceived sensory qualities, to my idiosyncratic tastes.

For example: To me, it's pretty much "white wine, red wine-and that's about it". To oenophiles, there's huge range of complexity between these simplistic examples of "red" and "white" (the smell, the year, the climate, etc.). To some folks, a can of Pringles is always the same over time. However, I notice variations & inconsistency from can to can-they aren't the same every time at all. Neither of us is right or wrong, we each possess/embody varied thresholds of perception-genuinely experiencing same thing with totally different reactions.

I notice minute, miniscule, and significant differences & variation in certain items, where others perceive/sense none (or at least none worthy of note). I lump items together, that are considered very dissimilar to other people, as being in single indistinguishable category. So it's not necessarily that I'm more "sensitive" than others-but that others' arenas of noticing these differences don't overlap with my areas of heightened sensitivity.

Thus, as in my examples: To my perceptions, most wine is pretty similar but Pringles range widely. To most other people, Pringles are the consistent, reliable item-and wine is what varies widely in its sensory features.

This is the beginning of the season of artichokes. I normally eat one or two raw artichokes a day with olive oil. They cost very little, I live very near a huge open market so I can find them when I want (ten for five Euros,I think). Olive must be of excellent quality and very tasty. These qualities come from particular regions (Umbria). They are costly and you can find them only in a few shops, becasue in this city they prefer tasteless oil. I would go on eating bread and olive oil and nothing else for supper; Anyway one liter bottle (15 Euros) lasts some two months, so it's nor really a great expence) This is not being a gourmet, but my pleasures are focused on a few particular articles. Wines only white (in summer) or red in winter, of some quality but I don't know anything about years. I never go to a restarant, because to interact with waiters is an ordeal for me.
I don't spend days in my shopping, but as I have anyway to walk the little dog, I profit from my wanderings with the dog. Moreover the little dog is known and loved in the whole downtown, so I profit of some reflex in sympathy, trickling down for me.

The relationship between ASD and shopping and eating is worthwhile exploring anyhow.