Re: Re: Article~The Challenge of Driving With Asperger’s

[Guest guest]

helen_foisy wrote:

> Hi , I read that with a skeptical eye too. I'm not sure that

> Aspergers (or even high functioning autism) in and of itself would be

> a hindrance to becoming a good driver. I tend to think that the

> problems would be related to factors which could be comorbid to AS,

> such as cognitive impairment, severe ADHD, severe anxiety, etc.

>

> I'd love to hear Bill's take on this, since on list and off, in spite

You called? Speaking for myself only, I'm a very, very good driver.

Never had the conditions you mention. If anything, I was bright,

focused and a bit arrogant.

" In the day " I held a California " Class A " license permitting me to

drive *anything* that rolled or crawled and physically fit on a roadway.

And I *used it* to supplement my income both in high-school (oilfield

dynamite truck) and college { " semis " with trailers; ambulances).

> of " evidence " I've tried to offer up and he has refuted in every case

> from the vantage point of his vast clinical background, even what

> some of us refer to as " slower processing " which seems (anecdotally)

> common to AS, if I understand Bill correctly, that is a separate

> issue. Bill?

[ snip ]

Yes, in my opinion. Also my personal experience, and from observing my

family.

I've spoken here and elsewhere of my/the " slow-slow, click! click! "

" slower processing " .

The " slow " isn't slow at all, so much as a very fast internal

decision process, going through a huge number of " things to think about

and understand " before making a response - which can and often does take

measurable time.

One arcane (and over-the-top) example: In my experience of computer

protocols, there was a time when I *just didn't understand* how " TCP/IP "

possibly could work reliably to " address " and connect every computer in

the universe.

Despite 'inhaling' a half-dozen standard references, it was years

before I stumbled on a vital piece of info that just never was mentioned

in the books. All technical refs assume the reader has some level of

*prior* basic knowledge. By chance, all of what I read assumed

something that " everybody knows " - but I didn't. They never mentioned it.

Once I knew that one thing, in *micro-seconds* ALL of that

communication scheme was perfectly clear. ...CLICK! Now I can prattle

on with the best on TCP/IP matters.

The missing piece: All " addressable " hardware bears an

inbuilt-at-the-factory " MAC " number, VERY large and presumably unique

world-wide. I knew about the number, just didn't know how it was used.

> ly I've ridden with some perfectly awful NT drivers, LOL. I'm

> no shrinking violet myself, but my observation is that my purely

> Aspergerish friends are better drivers on the whole.

[ snip ]

Yes. I concur - completely.

>

> I do recall in the distant past that some members of this group

> reported that their AS young adult children remained reticent about

> learning to drive until they were much older than their peers. That

Interesting; not my own observation.

Might it have been a recognition of the oft-cited " clumsiness " we

are believed to display? *I* was *really* clumsy in early grades - the

absolute *bane* of the tennis coach.

But by high-school I had no trouble maintaining at least 'third' on

the tennis ladder, even 'second' for my whole last year. No more clumsy

there.

Of course also I'd become a superior vehicle driver.

> may have been some wisdom on the young Aspie's part. Given some of

> the spectacular accidents some young people are in, it seems to me

> that some of them (here I am talking about NT youth) have not

> developed all the global skills needed, but may feel pressured to

> perform beyond their skill level so as to impress their peers.

> Spectrum kids (and adults) don't feel the same pressure to impress.

Concur again. Any impressing I and my peers tried centered on *best

practices " which kept us out of trouble and far better demonstrated our

high skills and automotive savvy.

> Helen

>

>

>>> The Challenge of Driving With Asperger’s NY Times

>

>>

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/27/the-challenge-of-driving-with-aspergers\

/

- Bill ...AS, and " older " clinical/research geneticist

WD " Bill " Loughman - Berkeley, California USA

http://home.earthlink.net/~wdloughman/wdl.htm

[Guest guest]

You called? Speaking for myself only, I'm a very, very good driver. Never had the conditions you mention. If anything, I was bright, focused and a bit arrogant.

There is a high degree of variability on the spectrum. I am also a

good driver. So was my late father (also diagnosed on the

spectrum).

Unfortunately, I am also a NYC driver. Folks here in the Kansas

City area drive much too slow for me.

---

Mark A. , Ph.D., sociology of religion, theory, and clinical

sociology

Portal: www.markfoster.net * Critical realism:

www.structurization.com

Two books: www.bahaifaith.info * Clinical: www.fosterservices.com

[Guest guest]

My comments below the rather long snip:

> helen_foisy wrote:

>> Hi , I read that with a skeptical eye too. I'm not sure that

>> Aspergers (or even high functioning autism) in and of itself would be

>> a hindrance to becoming a good driver. I tend to think that the

>> problems would be related to factors which could be comorbid to AS,

>> such as cognitive impairment, severe ADHD, severe anxiety, etc.

>>

>> I'd love to hear Bill's take on this, since on list and off, in spite

>

> You called? Speaking for myself only, I'm a very, very good driver.

> Never had the conditions you mention. If anything, I was bright,

> focused and a bit arrogant.

> " In the day " I held a California " Class A " license permitting me to

> drive *anything* that rolled or crawled and physically fit on a roadway.

> And I *used it* to supplement my income both in high-school (oilfield

> dynamite truck) and college { " semis " with trailers; ambulances).

>

>> of " evidence " I've tried to offer up and he has refuted in every case

>> from the vantage point of his vast clinical background, even what

>> some of us refer to as " slower processing " which seems (anecdotally)

>> common to AS, if I understand Bill correctly, that is a separate

>> issue. Bill?

I learned to drive in California in the 1970s.

Driver Education was mandatory in high school. One of the gadgets in class was

able to test reaction time, another tested depth perception. My reaction time is

slower than average (possibly AS linked), and I have no depth perception (not AS

related at all).

I am a slow physical learner ... I didn't get my license until I was 24. But I

am quite a good driver, with no moving violations and only 2 accidents in the 31

years I've been driving. I understand my limits and weaknesses, and compensate

for them. I don't tailgate, or drive unpredictably. I am the dictator in the

car, even when my kids were toddlers, they knew when Mom said " Quiet! I need

quiet to drive safely here! " they had to stop making noise.

I am a better driver than many NTs.

--Liz

[Guest guest]

Same here, Mark.  I'm a good driver, albeit a lead-footed one.  In

40 years of driving, I've never been in an accident.

Am an impatient NYC driver too...  definitely not shy about using my

horn to goose drivers along who tend to fall asleep at stop signs

and traffic lights.  I've very little patience with people who

daydream behind the wheel and can't seem to find their gas pedal.

Unlike some Aspie drivers, I'm not a Rule Nazi.  I probably violate

the vehicle code just as often as I obey it.  My favorite indulgence

is the carpool lane.

Best,

~CJ

On 3/28/2012 5:19 PM,

WD Loughman wrote:

You called? Speaking for myself only, I'm a very, very good driver. Never had the conditions you mention. If anything, I was bright, focused and a bit arrogant.

There is a high degree of variability on the spectrum. I am also

a good driver. So was my late father (also diagnosed on the

spectrum).

Unfortunately, I am also a NYC driver. Folks here in the Kansas

City area drive much too slow for me.

---

Mark A. , Ph.D., sociology of religion, theory, and

clinical sociology

Portal: www.markfoster.net *

Critical realism: www.structurization.com

Two books: www.bahaifaith.info *

Clinical: www.fosterservices.com

[Guest guest]

> I am a better driver than many NTs.

Haha! Yes, I'm sure you are, but I can't help ridiculing this line

because what driver ever said anything other than

[THEIR QUOTE] I'm a better driver than the others on the road [/THEIR QUOTE]

You know what??? I'm a better driver than all the others too!!

HAHAHA [big grin]

And you know what?? I'm serious!