> As an aspie, you're probably pretty damned good at actively learning the traits that seem to come naturally for other people.
Makes me wonder how much of "neuro-diversity" is actually just "neuro-plasticity". Maybe many aspies are actually just "neuro-typicals" who were bullied and lost faith in social interactions, and thus spent much of their early life on geeky interests instead, developing better technical skills but neglecting social skills.
But as they get older many realize that social skills are important and pick them up anyway, just a little later than most.
Aspergers is not about a disinterest in social interaction, it is a "blindness" to the unspoken "rules" of social interaction. Most kids will given just a bit of time pick up the indications in body language etc that means one has hogged the ball and should pass it around. And aspie will not, at least not in the instinctual way that most humans do.
No, it's not just lost faith. It's about as true as saying somebody that can't run a mile under 5 mins or bench press 300+ pounds just "lost their faith in running and bench pressing" and that's the only reason ever.
Some things are just hard for some people. Or impossible. Some of them can be improved with training and practice, but not instantly and with a lot of effort. Some will forever take much more effort than for other people and leave one exhausted. Some may be just plain impossible. Some may be possible, but people may decide, rightly or wrongly, that they are so hard that the effort is just not worth it.
Makes me wonder how much of "neuro-diversity" is actually just "neuro-plasticity". Maybe many aspies are actually just "neuro-typicals" who were bullied and lost faith in social interactions, and thus spent much of their early life on geeky interests instead, developing better technical skills but neglecting social skills.
But as they get older many realize that social skills are important and pick them up anyway, just a little later than most.