Does anyone NOT have trouble reading social clues?

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I feel like I have, to some degree, almost every AS trait. But one trait that I most definitely do not have is the inability to read social cues/body language/voice inflection. I have absolutely no problem with that. The only thing about NTs that I do have trouble understanding is their obsession with relationships - I'm not asexual, even though I've never been in a relationship, but I absolutely do not understand the need for girls my age to obsess about guys constantly or to put so much stress or drama into relationships. It's something I completely don't care about - if I had a relationship, it would be private. I hate romance in books and movies, too, unless its done in a really non sappy way. But other than that, I totally understand all other behaviors and emotions and cues etc. I feel like because I have no problem with this, I don't have AS. I feel very aware of how I'm supposed to and not supposed to behave - it's not that I just don't know how to interact and therefore say awkward things or whatever, I just kind of don't feel like acting normal some of the time. It's more of an effort for me to be social, and to be interested in certain things, or to hide my obsessions or ticks - but I'm very aware of all these things, not socially unaware. Is this common with people with AS?

I find it very easy to read social cues.

Tim

Thank you for this thread. Thank you thank you thank you.

I find it very simple to read all kinds of social cues - facial expressions, body language, tone of voice, etc. I've been able to do that pretty much all my life, and it's one of the many things I can do despite (apparently) having AS.

It's much easier to understand and interact with people that way, and to pass off as neurotypical if necessary, because it's generally perceived as an Aspie trait to do just the opposite: not being able to tell an angry face from a brick wall is what frustrates many with AS.

And as for the relationships thing, I am just as focused on human affection as most NTs, and again, being able to understand social cues makes it all the more easy to connect with people.

You're welcome lol. Yes, I can also pass for NT very easily. I mean, people who spend a lot of time with me might notice something's a bit off, but I think they might think I'm a little odd, never that I actually have a problem. But I did great in college interviews, interacting with customers where I worked, etc. I can fake normalcy very well, just not all the time.

I can undeerstand NT body language nearly perfectly but NT's cant undrstand my body language or voice at all despite me making it really obvious for them.

What pisses me off is when they cant tell im being sarcastic. And I even exaggerate my voice to a ridiculous degree and they still dont get it.

Lucky people! I can't understand body language to the point where you usually have to say everything. To NT's, I probably pass off as normal, but "one freaky chick" with unusual habits. But I hate it when they look at me as if I'm some sort of weirdo freak from another planet. The only time I recognise tone is when it's loud and I know that the person is usually angry. That's my cue to run and hide.

I agree on the relationships thing. I wasn't interested in guys at all until two years ago and even now I still don't know what the big deal is about not having a bf/gf. I DEFINATELY try to keep things private because I just think it's not something that you should broadcast to the whole planet. Besides, I just HATE it when people come up to me and ask if I'm going out with whoever and saying that we make such a cute couple. Annoying, huh?

I agree with you quirky, it is an effort to act normal. I know how I'm supposed to behave, I just don't always do it. I say, "So what if you catch me hopping accros the room to get to my seat in Latin class? So what if you catch me thinking out loud accidently again? Forget you, you dumb NT, at least ignore me instead of making fun of me or calling me crazy!" I feel for you, quirky, I feel for you.

-PowerGirl

I understand social cues fairly easy but i find it hard to react to them

LOL. . .

I can pass as NT, but I could never pass as normal.

This is very interesting to me- social ineptness is diagnostic criteria for AS, but some of us with much less of that (I read people and social situations unusually well. . .) still seem to have a lot of other things in common with aspies.

I wonder if there will ever be an official description of us.

I'm so glad to see this thread. That tells me just because I have NT traits doesn't mean I'm an NT. Just like just because an NT has aspie symptoms doesn't mean they have AS.
I have troubles picking up on cues. I don't even notice it until I am told and things are poitined out to me about someone and I am like "Why didn't I notice that" and "So that's why he/she was doing that."

I pass as normal all the time even though people see I am a little quirky even though that's not how they describe me. They describe me as; very open, very smart, very honest, straightforward, have an accent, gets obsessed with stuff, very loud, sensitive hearing, not shy, little shy, bashful.

I used all the words that have been said to me about myself from people.

What is it like to have theory of mind, anyway? Whenever I'm talking to a person, while I could logically determine a few potential reasons for their actions, talking to them is like trying to interact with a cardboard cut-out of a person. There is nothing there that I can perceive differently from some blank, inanimate object.

As for social cues, if it's a blatant expression, I can see it, or through someone's prior actions, I can determine if they're lying or not. However, how does one develop the ability to read them? I've tried every method I can find to use analytical methods (including the FBI profiling method SNAP), but mot of the peopel I run into are deliberately lying to either patronize me, or lead me into a trap.

How can you tell when someone is lying when you don't have a lengthy history to go off of?

I am inthe 50/50 category,- some clueI read quite easily in some situations, other times not at all.

I don't know what you mean by social cue.

I don't know what you mean by social cue.

Not too well. I've been known to say the wrong thing to women, and I hardly ever pick up on when people are trying to make a point.

I join those who are glad to find this topic I was always unsure whether it's possible for me to have AS because of the fact I can read social clues (even I'd say, better than an average person because I perceive things from a very logical, analytical point of view - there's simply a set of stable rules, like in dance or learning a language; you simply must follow them because they don't change and everything's ok this way) while I read everywhere a person with AS lacks this ability. I know how people are expected to behave but when I try to follow such a rule I fail (I guess, mostly because of the fact I have a limited number of facial gestures, generally gestures as such and flat voice). When I was younger, I had a bit more problems with it.

It was few years ago when I realized people REALLY can communicate via body language and that's possible to read their feelings that are more complicated than simply happiness, sadness or anger from their faces; I used to read that things like that are possible but I think that I never consciously pondered it nor even REALLY believed in that. Now I learned how to read those nonverbal cues but I don't think it's very natural for me, for example I can't judge too much only observing somebody's behaviour that person is lying. I'm going to learn about reading body language and facial expressions by heart from some books.