Why so many aspies are mistaken for being younger

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Jediyoda
Deinonychus
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30 Jul 2011, 4:04 am

I also dont act my age and I also dont dress someone my age either. My room looks like a teenagers room with posters on the wall of different movies, funny posters, science fiction, band posters, lava lamps, gaming consoles and transformers, computer game, star wars figurines and yoda backpack and I still sleep in a single bed.



2ukenkerl
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30 Jul 2011, 7:29 am

Ai_Ling wrote:
Theres a ton of threads talking about how aspies are mistaken for being younger then their actual age. And I realized that this has a lot to do with us dressing and acting younger other then strictly physical apperance. I just started a new job working at the market and I think my coworkers and customers think Im still in highschool and Im 22. I do find it somewhat complementary that I always get mistaken for younger but I realized its largely because of the way I act and dress. I come across to adults like a highschooler and I dress like a 15/16 yr old.


NOT in MY case! I have NEVER dressed younger than I am. Today, I often dress like everyone else. I have never ACTED young either, and have been told that.

BESIDES, HOW does a 35 yo act or dress younger than a 50 year old anyway?

Steve



livingsunset
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30 Jul 2011, 10:58 pm

I'm 26 but people think I'm 19 at the most.

I've been told I have a baby-face, but I suppose I dress younger too. I wear all Hollister Co. clothing.



livingsunset
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30 Jul 2011, 11:05 pm

undefineable wrote:
Isn't it obviously cos the brain of an autistic is less active than that of an NT over the course of a lifetime - I mean isn't the brain supposed to use up 90% of the body's energy?!


I'm pretty sure my brain is more active than the average person since I see, hear, taste and feel more.



GHB
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31 Jul 2011, 3:07 am

Well one thing is i have never told someone my age without some sort of doubt (im 25). I liked being 18 and pretty much continue to live like i am for the most part. I have never smoked or had an alcoholic beverage and when i look at some of the people i went to school with you can kind of see its effect on their skin. I also really like wearing khaki shorts and a t shirt with tennis shoes when the weather is right ALL the time. Another clothes fact is i never really spend much money on clothes so this might also make me look less mature. I'd love to wear a suit or dress up when i go out on the weekends but i just don't feel like i could really pull it off without some effort that i don't want to exert.

Now on the other hand im pretty goal driven and everything i do is pre planned. Alot of people my age get themselves into responsibilities they just can't deal with. I live my life a different way than most with mostly positive outcomes and im proud of this, i occasionally make this known. I can also have pretty deep conversations with some people that they usually see as very mature. Another thing if i don't keep my hair really short you can notice a decent amount of grey hair.

So it really depends on how i interact with people.



OneStepBeyond
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31 Jul 2011, 11:10 am

i reckon it's more to do with how i act than how i look. i'm very shy/awkward/nervous/quiet which i guess comes across as juvenile and gives the impression of a awkward teenager rather than an adult.

lookwise i think being uncurvy and having wide eyes/fat cheeks contributes.



ScientistOfSound
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31 Jul 2011, 11:24 am

Because we're quite naive.



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31 Jul 2011, 11:28 am

Sectumsempra wrote:
I think it's to do with behaviour and the way we dress. I've been told people think I'm about 12 years old because
1. I look at everything with 'childish wonder' as if it's all new to me.
2. I like things that are usually aimed at entertaining children.
3. I barely look at anyone, or speak to anyone.
4. I wear boot style slippers instead of shoes and apparently don't dress like other people my age.
5. I like to sit on floors and in corners. I'm safer that way.


Pretty much me in a nutshell



2ukenkerl
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31 Jul 2011, 4:17 pm

livingsunset wrote:
undefineable wrote:
Isn't it obviously cos the brain of an autistic is less active than that of an NT over the course of a lifetime - I mean isn't the brain supposed to use up 90% of the body's energy?!


I'm pretty sure my brain is more active than the average person since I see, hear, taste and feel more.


SAME HERE! Heck, I have typically done things I am good at at least 3 times as fast as others. Sometimess I am carrying what a TEAM was supposed to do. I understand more about the subjects, etc... If my brain is less active than average, then others must be INCREDIBLY stupid! I mean WHAT? Are they like an intel4004 compared to me being an intel i7? I mean SERIOUSLY! You could use all the ability of a 4004, and never touch an i7. The 4004 is like the first one intel made, and the i7 is practically the last one. GRANTED, I consider myself AS, but that is STILL autism. I also learned to speak and read english about twice as fast as the average student. It's too bad that that trend didn't continue to my current age!



undefineable
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31 Jul 2011, 4:47 pm

livingsunset wrote:
undefineable wrote:
Isn't it obviously cos the brain of an autistic is less active than that of an NT over the course of a lifetime - I mean isn't the brain supposed to use up 90% of the body's energy?!


I'm pretty sure my brain is more active than the average person since I see, hear, taste and feel more.


Consciously, yes; subconsciously and unconciously NTs have to do a lot more processing in order to reach the pattern of final perceptions and active responses (many of both also being semi-conscious if not subconscious) that separate them from us. There's a hidden positive for us in my argument, as it makes NTs more mechanical/animal and less deliberate than us.