Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 40 total)
  • Deja vu or autism?
  • mcmoonter
    Free Member

    So, I was watching the Deer Hunter and I get this overwhelming Deja vu feeling. The scene where the guys leave the wedding and head off into the mountains to go to the cabin in the mountains. The guys goof around at the roadside. In the background are snow covered mountains, there’s a bend in the road and a bridge crossing a Jade coloured piece of water.

    I have this weird almost autistic ability to remember places I have only seen once. Curious, I googled the locations and indeed I was right. It was a bridge crossing over Diablo Lake in Washington state I rode over last year. Spooky eh?

    https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=1n&page_id=305810&v=C0

    http://www.filminglocationsdetectives.com/films/Deer_Hunter_page3.htm

    colournoise
    Full Member

    Don’t have it with places, but get it with music. Hear a track and more often than not remember where I was and what I was doing the last/first time I heard it.

    gears_suck
    Free Member

    Why you’d consider being able to remember somewhere you visited only a year ago autistic like, is beyond me.
    A poor choice of description.

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    bencooper
    Free Member

    Savant-like, more than autistic, maybe.

    mcmoonter
    Free Member

    I can remember locations from massive road trips since I was a child.

    As a five year old I set off with my four year old sister and three year old brother on a what must have been a three or four mile walk across Edinburgh. I’d only seen the route a couple of times from a car. I lived Nottingham at the time.

    The curious thing in the film is that the previous scene was set over on the east coast. I always assumed the rest of the film was too. I rode the road only once.

    esselgruntfuttock
    Free Member

    How’s that weird?

    I drove up the west coast of Scotland years ago, like 1975-76 & stayed in a b&b in Scourie, also filled up with petrol at the filling station there.
    In around 1996-7 I had a petrol station of my own & a guy from a company selling car wash gear showed me some photo’s of some sites they’d put jet washes in. I took a look at one of them & said ‘that’s at Scourie in Sutherland’ He was REALLY surprised that I knew

    Good memory is all it is. Don’t think it’s unusual Mac.

    bencooper
    Free Member

    Yup, memory works in an odd way. I can’t remember faces or names, I’m totally useless at it – which gets embarrassing when customers wander into the shop and look expectantly at me, and I don’t have a clue who they are 😉

    On the other hand, I can remember obscure technical details about bike stuff I briefly saw decades ago.

    mcmoonter
    Free Member

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savant_syndrome

    I’m not sure if I fall completely into the above description. Perhaps it’s just a mild form and a good sense of place.

    iolo
    Free Member

    If you were there last year its hardly a good memory.

    jivehoneyjive
    Free Member

    Seems to me the strangest form of memory is smells~ sometimes you can go several years without smelling a smell, and then a wafting aroma can initially puzzle you before the memory kicks in.

    Places/landscapes with any degree of majesty generally do have both a lasting effect on the memory and sufficiently unique features to be recognized, so I wouldn’t say you were autistic, unless you can draw/paint it perfectly from memory alone.

    popstar
    Free Member

    Short term memory is something with very common name, that you didn’t really have to push yourself to learn or remember. Thats the one you have to work hardest on to call it out.

    Long term memory will be something you struggle and force yourself to discover about, and it will be enough to see it once … it will stay for long time with you.

    So thats technicality of it. Thats how I’ve been explained by a tutor who is excellent with mind tricks.

    kevj
    Free Member

    gears_suck – Member
    Why you’d consider being able to remember somewhere you visited only a year ago autistic like, is beyond me.
    A poor choice of description.

    This.

    I generally have a high regard for your posts but this makes me question whether you have had any real life dealings with an autistic person. Poor form.

    Nobeerinthefridge
    Free Member

    The offended bus has parked up.

    gears_suck
    Free Member

    kevj – Member
    gears_suck – Member
    Why you’d consider being able to remember somewhere you visited only a year ago autistic like, is beyond me.
    A poor choice of description.
    This.

    I generally have a high regard for your posts but this makes me question whether you have had any real life dealings with an autistic person. Poor form.

    I have two nephews here in the UK. One is aspergers cyndrome and the other is severely autistic. I’d say I have first hand experience in the subject. It’s pretty clear that as children we will remember the things which have a deep impact on us, such as family holidays and unusual people or places. Then, as adults we remember the things that interest us most, like obscure bike part specifications, as above. This does not mean we are on the autistic scale.
    A touchy subject for me I guess. No offence intended.

    slackalice
    Free Member

    I tend towards thinking that we are all autistic to lesser or greater degree’s and each of us somewhere on the autistic spectrum. Which is why, we can all exhibit autistic type behaviours from mild to severe.

    bearnecessities
    Full Member

    I’m off to the pound shop.

    thegreatape
    Free Member

    gs I think kevj was agreeing with you

    crankboy
    Free Member

    We have Just got back from holiday with a friend who works with autistic children . We were observing the “autistic” behavior of crankbrat who obsessively touches wheelie bin wheels and arranges toy cars in lines etc. Her explanation was essentially that we all go through a developmental phase that is autistic but some children stick there.

    I have a strong visual memory for places but am hopeless with names .

    zippykona
    Full Member

    If you’re all so wonderful,where’s my keys then?

    bencooper
    Free Member

    Yes, I don’t think remembering obscure bike parts puts me on the autistic spectrum – but having to brush my teeth in exactly the sae way and being very uncomfortable in social situations did get me diagnosed as a child. I guess that’s why it’s called a spectrum – there’s no solid line where being a bit odd turns into autism or Aspergers.

    I see quite a few autistic kids in the shop, and have nothing but admiration for their parents – it’s not like Rain Man at all.

    kevj
    Free Member

    Gears suck, sorry, I agreed with you. It was the OP I then commented on poor form. Re-reading my post I noticed it wasn’t clear.

    kevj
    Free Member

    And to clarify, my son has aspergers syndrome, so I do know a little bit about the subject.

    gears_suck
    Free Member

    It’s a fascinating subject and I agree we all display obsessive compulsive tendencies to some degree. The spectrum is indeed difficult to define. I’m more of the opinion that we are all just people.

    slackalice
    Free Member

    And autism is in fact human nature perhaps?

    colournoise
    Full Member

    Saw an interesting idea about that (I think on TED). Theory proposed that recent recorded increase in incidences of autism is an ‘evolutionary’response to the increasing amount of information we are exposed to. No idea whether the science behind that holds up though.

    http://www.ted.com/conversations/11849/is_autism_or_some_types_of_au.html

    mcmoonter
    Free Member

    This.

    I generally have a high regard for your posts but this makes me question whether you have had any real life dealings with an autistic person. Poor form.

    I’m sorry if this has offended you. My cousin has a form of autism which he uses creatively. He’s a composer and concert pianist. He plays hugely complex pieces, lasting up to a hour with no sheet music.

    I visited a museum and art gallery last week, a big Victorian echoey building. There were only two of us there. Through the galleries I heard this loud one sided conversation. It was a teenage boy with Tourettes Syndrome. As he stood in front of each picture, he shouted to himself. I MUST NOT TOUCH THE PAINTING. He then described everything he saw in each picture, the subject, the colour and the medium. He clearly loved the experience but it tormented him. It touched me.

    My experience is nowhere on that scale, but here’s another mild example of how it works for me. I was driving past my gallery, and briefly glanced towards it. I recognised Orkney from the colour in a painting in the window, before I realised the painting was mine. Maybe it is simply deja vu.

    It’s a matter of degree, as has been said above.

    gonefishin
    Free Member

    Theory proposed that recent recorded increase in incidences of autism is an ‘evolutionary’response to the increasing amount of information we are exposed to. No idea whether the science behind that holds up though.

    That sounds dubious to me as there haven’t been sufficient generations for any notable evolutions to actually happen. From the end of WWII when the computer was invented, there has only been three generations of people born (assuming 30 years per generation). A more likely explanation is that there is better diagnosis of the condition.

    konabunny
    Free Member

    I tend towards thinking that we are all autistic to lesser or greater degree’s and each of us somewhere on the autistic spectrum.

    It’s a matter of degree, as has been said above.

    This would just mean the spectrum would become meaningless as a diagnostic tool (and it’s tricky enough as it is). It’s also a bit like saying “everyone gets hungry so we’re all malnourished” or “everyone’s growing to a different degree so really we’ve all got cancer”. It’s just restating/reheating the idea that “odd” and “autistic” are synonyms.

    Didn’t the last DSM remove Asperger Syndrome from the Spectrum anyway?

    gordimhor
    Full Member

    My daughter has aspergers .She is now working and lives without any paid support. She struggles ti cope with social situations . She can describe how she feels sound sometimes rather than hearing it as you or I do.
    Rainman is a decent film but that’s all.

    slackalice
    Free Member

    This would just mean the spectrum would become meaningless as a diagnostic tool

    I’m not with you there, of course the spectrum would remain as a means with which to assess and measure, especially for those who are consistent in their behaviours.

    The complication’s arise from those currently defined as ‘not autistic’ who are inconsistent in behaviour from one day to the next. For example (possibly being too specific, but for the purpose of the example), I am sure we can all relate to experiencing more than usual awkwardness in some social situations on occasion, where, on any other day, we would ‘normally’ cope well with the same situation. A kind of multiple personality order.

    Giving human behaviours a more positive view.

    Unfortunately, the autistic label, or tag, has developed certain negative connotations and as a society, we tend towards regarding those labelled as victims, whereas, there are many who have consistent autistic behaviours who are nothing but and make incredible positive contributions.

    Are we not all “odd” in our own ways?

    One last point regarding the difference between Aspergers and Autism, I understand to be (and I am more than happy to be corrected on this one), with Autism, we are essentially born with or develop very early in life, whereas we develop Aspergers during our later childhood (generally around puberty I think). As far as I know, there is little to distinguish between the two in terms of behaviour types. Clearly my understanding has been somewhat floored if it’s been decided that Aspergers is somehow not measurable!

    fervouredimage
    Free Member

    I generally have a high regard for your posts but this makes me question whether you have had any real life dealings with an autistic person. Poor form.

    My wife has Aspergers. Thankfully she has devised lots of very successful coping mechanisms to make life a little easier, particularly in social situations which she finds the most challenging. Thankfully for her she understands that many, if not most people, haven’t had much ‘real life’ experience of people with autism or Aspergers so doesn’t get herself into a rage if someone says something about the condition that isn’t 100% accurate. It reduces the chances of misplaced offence.

    barnsleymitch
    Free Member

    I have a little lad with developmental delay / learning disability. He’s 8 now, and even though he’s statemented, we still have no diagnosis. I have a very strong feeling that he has ADHD, but this is only my opinion. I have to say that LD services here have been bloody useless, and to be frank, we’ve just been left on our own to cope. And now, rant over, at the end of the day, he’s our little lad and we love him, so for now, I suppose that’s enough. With regard to the OP, no offence taken at all. Even with my own experience, I still struggle with understanding all the possible nuances of the autistic spectrum. And no, it’s not like bloody rain man! 🙂

    konabunny
    Free Member

    Clearly my understanding has been somewhat floored if it’s been decided that Aspergers is somehow not measurable!

    No, that’s not what I am saying – my understanding (based on the last convo I had with the person in my life who has a real life interest in this stuff, and therefore chooses not to bicker about it online in their spare time) was that whereas previously the DSM had classed Aspergers as a disorder on the autism spectrum, the last revision of the DSM (is it V or VI?) had classed Aspergers as a completely separate kettle of fish.

    The complication’s arise from those currently defined as ‘not autistic’ who are inconsistent in behaviour from one day to the next.

    Who is that a complication for? Diagnosis relies on a basket of consistent behaviours. Feeling a bit awkward at a party one day doesn’t make you “a bit autistic” just like feeling a bit funny up the Eiffel Tower doesn’t mean you have vertigo.

    gordimhor
    Full Member

    Slackalice I can’t say for certain whether you’re right or wrong about autism and aspergers developing at different times. In my daughters case it was certainly present from birth. Prompt action from a health visitor who first met my daughter at age 18 month’s and support from a speech and language therapist were invaluable. It took 3 more years to get a diagnosis of autism(I know that is quick compared to some), , and10 years after that for a reassessment of her disability as aspergers. Aspergers was then still considered part of the autistic spectrum. Getting a diagnosis was of enormous practical benefit as we could apply for specific funding. Prior to diagnosis my daughter was labelled speech and language handicapped with autistic tendencies. ..no support was available for her under that’label’.

    Spin
    Free Member

    Almost every week there is a new piece of Autism research reported in the New Scientist magazine. It’s a large and growing field and of course as more people are diagnosed there will be even more research as there will be more money in it.

    My feeling is that in the not too distant future there will be a scientific explanation of the causes but that it will not be a simple one. This could lead to quicker diagnosis. Whether it will lead to treatments and if treatment is even desirable is a whole other can of worms.

    irc
    Full Member

    McMoonter – I got better weather than you when I crossed those passes in 2009. Blue skies, sunshine, 100f. A hard, hard day in the heat though.

    On remembering places. I arrived at a small town in Kansas in 2011 I’d been in 2 years before. I needed to get directions for the town park. But on the other hand on the way there I remembered which side street the off sales was in!

    1-shed
    Free Member

    posts like this do get me a bit twitchy, as I have a son who is classically autistic. Read a copy of George and Sam by Charlotte Moore to give a little insight. Cheers 1 shed.

    mcmoonter
    Free Member

    Irc, the cold I could cope with on the climb, the descents were another thing entirely. That day as a climb in the heat would have been a lot harder for me.

    theotherjonv
    Full Member

    I don’t know anything about aspergers or autism, but memory fascinates me. My cousin was in a road crash some years back and had a serious head injury. After about 72 hours unconscious, he came round and thankfully seemed OK, but we quickly discovered his short term memory was screwed up. You could visit mid-morning and he could remember what he’d had for dinner the day before, but not a clue what he’d had for breakfast. The doctors used an analogy that your memory is like a filing cabinet. One drawer is for short term use, and all the others are for long term. He couldn’t access the short term. But they also said that the others are essentially infinite capacity, and everything you ‘remember’ – facts, sounds, smells, visual, etc. gets filed for future reference. The trouble is that the filing system is shit, so trying to find stuff that you don’t look for often, and hence know what drawer it’s in, becomes very hard. But that’s where these memory triggers come from, they’re sort of the filing reference system that takes you immediately to a particular file in a particular drawer of these infinite drawers.

    buzz-lightyear
    Free Member

    I also have a good memory for recognising scenes. Normal isn’t it? Apparently not because it gives me what some other people regard as an uncanny ability to navigate. But it seems quite normal to me!

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