Can autistic people be artistic, musical and mathematic?

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liveandletdie
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16 Sep 2010, 1:30 am

Might be a dumb question...
According to Temple Grandin there are three types of Aspergers...

Pictures
Historical
Musical/Mathematic

Can someone be autistic and possess the following skill set:

Good at math.
Musical, though mostly good at repitious music on the piano.
Good at drawing realistic images or abstract- only black and white though.
Good at writing including poetry, essays, or anything.

I guess does the autistic mind have to be specifically one of the three Grandin seems to split it up into?

I don't believe the autistic minds that are higher functioning have to be specifially one of the three..but thought I'd ask for some opinions.


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DandelionFireworks
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16 Sep 2010, 1:43 am

Yes, of course you can. Temple Grandin is vastly oversimplifying, and may even be wrong. Why do you ask? Is this your skill-set? If so, it's a good one.


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lostD
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16 Sep 2010, 1:56 am

This person seem to be created stereotypes...



SaxNerd
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16 Sep 2010, 3:01 am

liveandletdie wrote:
Might be a dumb question...

Can someone be autistic and possess the following skill set:

Good at math.
Musical, though mostly good at repitious music on the piano.
Good at drawing realistic images or abstract- only black and white though.
Good at writing including poetry, essays, or anything.



As far as I know, most definitely. Actually this describes me pretty well. Except that I'm more musical than mathematical. There are some people around (not necessarily autistic) that have an odd combination of strengths. For example, I am good at both maths and english, but am horrible at art, yet I'm very musically talented. Weird, I know.

In my opinion, talents and abilities vary in different people, and it is not really possible to classify them in such a manner.


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mysassyself
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16 Sep 2010, 3:30 am

Yeh I think they can.

I have the same skill set :)


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one-A-N
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16 Sep 2010, 5:40 am

I'm both maths and historical. Just not that good at mental pictures.

I cannot work out whether I'm a humanities person (history, language) or a tech person (maths, computers). But I am only a mediocre designer, painter, etc. I enjoy music and can sing tolerably, I guess, but I am no musician.



Pistonhead
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16 Sep 2010, 6:03 am

Sounds plausible to me. I myself have been told I'm artistic and I always dispute it based on the fact that most of my "art" is just engineering. I have a hard time understanding anything theoretical and am a kinesthetic learner.


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glider18
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16 Sep 2010, 7:02 am

I don't see any reason why we with AS/autism can't be like the way the OP stated. Even though we may be autistic, we are still individuals with individual strengths and interests. As we have heard, "You've met one person with autism, and you've met one person with autism." So, even among us with autism, we are all different.


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mysassyself
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16 Sep 2010, 8:02 am

glider18 wrote:
I don't see any reason why we with AS/autism can't be like the way the OP stated. Even though we may be autistic, we are still individuals with individual strengths and interests. As we have heard, "You've met one person with autism, and you've met one person with autism." So, even among us with autism, we are all different.

:D

Actually, I hadn't heard that one before, glider18, so am glad too.

And, actually.. my piano skills might be a little different to the OPs. I'm not a technical player! I have my own way of learning, with most things. I am very musical (players are usually one or the other; 'technical' or 'musical').

It's all good.


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liveandletdie
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16 Sep 2010, 11:21 am

DandelionFireworks wrote:
Yes, of course you can. Temple Grandin is vastly oversimplifying, and may even be wrong. Why do you ask? Is this your skill-set? If so, it's a good one.


ya that would be my skill set- hasn't worked fully to my advantage yet...but hopefully in time.


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liveandletdie
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16 Sep 2010, 11:25 am

mysassyself wrote:
glider18 wrote:
I don't see any reason why we with AS/autism can't be like the way the OP stated. Even though we may be autistic, we are still individuals with individual strengths and interests. As we have heard, "You've met one person with autism, and you've met one person with autism." So, even among us with autism, we are all different.

:D

Actually, I hadn't heard that one before, glider18, so am glad too.

And, actually.. my piano skills might be a little different to the OPs. I'm not a technical player! I have my own way of learning, with most things. I am very musical (players are usually one or the other; 'technical' or 'musical').

It's all good.


What is your strategy when you go on the piano?

I'm not great...used be alot better when I was a kid- mostly I go on the piano and just make little songs. Hardly ever read sheet music but if it's something difficult I will have to play it over and over again until i can get it right- can't usually play it good the first time unless it's not that difficult or I have perfected it before.


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AnnePande
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16 Sep 2010, 12:31 pm

Is it supposed to mean that you need to be musical and mathematic at the same time? It doesn't have to be so.
I have perfect pitch, but suck at maths.



bee33
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16 Sep 2010, 1:40 pm

I don't think Temple Grandin meant to pigeonhole autistic people. I think she was saying there is a breadth of various talents among autisitcs, and not just the stereotypical math genius/engineer/computer geek.

I am skilled at art and to a lesser extent at writing. I am very bad at music and average at math.



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16 Sep 2010, 1:45 pm

I know there is some NTs like that, so I guess it may be possible for autists; I don't see anything to think they can't.


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16 Sep 2010, 2:18 pm

Of course it's possible. Temple Grandin is often rather confused about things. That system is something she only created because she finally realized we don't all think in pictures, so she made up new categories for the rest of us. Frankly I don't fit into any of her categories and neither do most autistic people I've known. Which is a lot of autistic people. She's too simplistic about things like this, and doesn't have any particularly greater insight into autism than most of us have. She's just more famous than nearly any other autistic person, so people assume she knows more. I don't know why, but people have odd ideas like that about famous people. Just being well-known doesn't convey knowledge, experience, or comprehension.


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PHISHA51
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16 Sep 2010, 2:27 pm

I can draw, play music, and I chose math over science in my senior year. So that makes me one of those Aspies in that category. :lol: Although other Aspies or NTs can be really good at those things, Most are good with other interesting areas.


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