Can NTs be conditioned with Aspie traits?

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nicurn
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16 Jan 2008, 8:49 am

I'm fairly certain my dad is an Aspie, although I'm just as certain that he has no interest in exploring that possibility.

I am quite NT, and scored very low on the two tests I've taken, but I act and feel Aspie much of the time. All my life, I've been told that I'm "just like my Dad" and since he's such a fabulous person I've tried my best to emulate him.

I think it's given me a lot of Aspie traits. So, do you think it's possible to acquire the traits and behaviors without actually having the syndrome?

I've seen several joke threads discussing this topic, but now I'm wondering...was I parented out of NT and into Aspieness?



bobert
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16 Jan 2008, 9:14 am

I definitely think that some of the social deficits, of aspies, can be passed down through parents. One of my, very aspy, relatives has an adopted daughter that has emulated his poor social skills.
I think we fail to realize how much nurturing parents can help our social adjustment.



TrueDave
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16 Jan 2008, 9:21 am

I have the hardest time believeing in heridity. I see too much learned behavior.

It's only fitting I should be diagnosed and get the chance to see how wrong I was.

The problem is theres no visable cause and effect with genetics.



sartresue
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16 Jan 2008, 9:54 am

Would this be a Neuroatypical topic :?: 8O

This seemed an interesting train of thought, so I thought I would hop aboard for the ride.

Now my parents were NTs, also quite dysfunctional, and I did not inheret their beliefs or behaviours, thankfully so, because I live on the Autistic Spectrum.

However, NTs apparently have what is termed working Mirror Neurons, and because of this, could perhaps mirror some of the more prominent/visible Aspergian behaviours. I know my only sister, NT to the core, copied my stims. My brother has Tourettes but oddly enough, is NT. My sister again tried to mimic some of his tics, though not out of malice, as far as I can recall. However, neither sibling copied my non social behaviour. They readily emulated my very social mother, and also, eventually, my father's alcoholism,heredity or not.

I can only conclude that at least in my situation, NT children can mimic certain behaviours. (It is also possible Bobert's adopted relative could be living on the Autistic Spectrum.) That being said, I suppose behaviour modification is alive and well outside of Skinner's box.


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OregonBecky
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16 Jan 2008, 12:28 pm

Somebody told me of an article she read which I can site because it was an informal conversation a few years ago. It said that people who have had lives where they had reason to feel threatened as kids, would likely grow up to have aspy traits. A hyper awareness and stimmy energy.


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16 Jan 2008, 3:24 pm

Depends on how much of a monster you want to be during the conditioning. You can condition the responses that Aspies usually have (using enough pain), but that's all they are. Responses. If the pain isn't reenforced, eventually, they'll return to NT.

Amazing what you pick up when you minored in psychological warfare. I've been looking for a place to use some of those techniques. Of course, most of them are against the law, but some days.......never mind. See also an experiment that was done at Stanford in the 60s. It was so mind destroying that the researcher's wife threatened to leave him if he didn't stop the experiments.

btdt



anbuend
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16 Jan 2008, 4:55 pm

bobert wrote:
I definitely think that some of the social deficits, of aspies, can be passed down through parents. One of my, very aspy, relatives has an adopted daughter that has emulated his poor social skills.
I think we fail to realize how much nurturing parents can help our social adjustment.


Being a nurturing parent and having good social skills are separate things.


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aguales
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16 Jan 2008, 5:19 pm

I do agree that an NT child raised by an aspie parent or two may absorb some of the cognitive "ambience" of his/her aspie parent(s). It also wouldn't surprise me if psychologically-damaged NTs exhibit similar post-traumatic mannerisms of struggling aspies.

Quote:
Being a nurturing parent and having good social skills are separate things.


I agree. A parent with poor social skills can have a nurturing heart to those few s/he cares about. On the other hand, a child can experience damaging neglect under a social butterfly parent. I suppose ideally, a parent would have strengths in both nurturing and socialization, but not every child has these circumstances. Children try their best with what's given to them before they give up and try to raise themselves under less than ideal circumstances.



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17 Jan 2008, 1:05 am

NTs learn behavior and reactions from parents. It is mirroring, as mentioned above.

As an example, you are a little kid and fall down and go boom. If your parent freaks out and checks you over to see if you are hurt or scolds you, you cry. If the parent laughs and make a joke of it (clearly when you are not bleeding) and says “whoopsie, that was fun, lets get back up”, you giggle.

A lot of NT is learned; most is innate and can take any direction based on environment.

Yes, you can mirror your father and have his traits (he is a rolemodel) but still have NT reactions and actions.

Think of how children of alcoholics mimic their parents behaviors and coping skills even if they have never had a drink.


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SirLogiC
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17 Jan 2008, 5:35 am

I guess NTs can pick up aspie traits. But it is different to how aspies get them. Aspies are just that way. Any social ability is hard learned, they usually get stuck on rules and how things should be done. The quicker they pick up on this socialising thing the more they can learn.

Now an NT isnt like that by default. However when growing up they absorb a lot of information from around them, generally how your parents acted around you is how you turned out as an adult. I read 90% of people in prisons have a rough childhood in their history, which somewhat proves that. So I guess when an NT acts aspie its behaviour learned from others and not something they taught themselves.



AngelUndercover
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17 Jan 2008, 6:29 am

NTs can pick up some Aspie traits, just like Aspies can pick up some NT traits.



Phagocyte
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17 Jan 2008, 6:40 am

Keep in mind that some people may have Aspergian tendencies as personality traits, it doesn't necessarily means that they are on the autism spectrum. How broad is the autism spectrum, and at one point does a personality trait become a symptom? And in the really borderline cases, does it really matter?



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17 Jan 2008, 8:01 am

TrueDave wrote:
I have the hardest time believeing in heridity. I see too much learned behavior.

It's only fitting I should be diagnosed and get the chance to see how wrong I was.

The problem is theres no visable cause and effect with genetics.


i have no idea what you mean by this


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Sedaka
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17 Jan 2008, 8:03 am

most aspie traits are normal human traits! is why you have to demonstrate a certain number of them to get a DX. of course people on both sides are have some of the same behvaviors


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cataspie
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17 Jan 2008, 8:31 am

Im not sure if my son is NT or not he has many aspergers traits.He flaps his hands alot especially when he just gets home from school.He flaps at the washing machine if he watches his clothes in it,hes flapped at the kettle boiling and he does it often if hes waiting for something he finds exciting to happen.I have noticed most flapping is excitement.His skills at school put him to top of the class and the teachers see genius in him.When i was at school i was in special needs part for a while.My son is very sociable so im not sure hes on the spectrum i think he has inherited traits.