Long winded introduction from an ITNJ with High-function Autism

**admittedheretic** · 05-19-2009, 05:36 PM

Hello everyone,

I am a 23 year old male INTJ (20,80,10,10) with some form of high-functioning autism.

I've poked around here for a couple for a days and I was pleasantly surprised to find that a few people have noticed the similarities between Autism in the form of Asperger's syndrome and the INTJ personality type. Autism like everything else has duality manifested within it and there are many traits that I have strengths in where respectively a person with Asperger's has deficits. I have been attending weekly meetings with individuals with Asperger's and at first everyone general consensus was that I was Asperger's in denial. They seemed to have thought I was avoiding being labeled when in reality I was ecstatic to find others who I could presumably relate to. After a couple of weeks there wasn't much of a mystery that I wasn't Asperger's, but still very autistic like.

Individuals with Asperger's often have a deficit in empathy, but I would argue that I have hyper empathy when compared with neurotically individuals. I believe my hyper emapthy comes from my mother who has some severity of Williams syndrome in which emotional behavior is seemingly the opposite of that in observed in autism. Asperger's seems to have a deficit in theory of mind which is the concept that everyone has their own personal and independent being. I would argue that I have superior theory of mind compared to most people as a splinter skill this would be considered mind reading. Like many INTJs, I would have to say that I am often more aware of other people's behaviors than they are themselves most of the time. Asperger's have deficits in understanding metaphors where I would argue I have a strength in developing and understanding metaphors. The list goes on..

I do not even know where to begin to describe why and how I am autistic so I will continue with the monologue. Socially I am just an extreme INTJ, but I have social phobias that have resulted from hyper self-consciousness. I often avoid making eye or face contact because I do not understand them. The Booba and Kiki experiment fools me in the sense that the answer doesn't come instinctively to me. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Booba-Kiki.svg) It is amazing how simple illusions can accurately predict neurological workings of the brain and even genetic components. These simple illusions have everything to do with a concept called synesthesia and I've noticed a few individuals here interested in it.

I adhere to OCD like rituals that are typical of Autism and have some symptoms that manifest them in my motor system through tics and body postures. These are less profound and less interesting. I also have forms of ADD/ADHD

What I feel is the most interesting part of my autism is how it effects my communication through language. I have hyperlexia which is the neurological opposite of dyslexia. Hyperlexia is actually a gift if it can be properly nurtured. What it means is that I read differently than most people. Most people read a word and their auditory part of the brain changes the symbols into auditory cues, after which the cues are paired with abstract meaning. In my case, I have a delay between going from auditory to abstract so I learned to read by going straight from symbols to abstract meaning. This gives me the ability is speed read to myself, but If I was to read out loud at an acceptable tempo, my comprehension would be rather poor. I also have what is called developmental Gerstmann's syndrome (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerstmann%27s_syndrome) which has four distinct features. Dysgraphia which is difficulty writing that is not associated with a difficulty to read or intellectual impairment. Dyscalculia which is trouble basic arithmetic. It maybe be note worthy that I excelled through Calculus, Differentiation equations, Calculus based physics, but struggled with maths such as statistics and linear algebra because I need a calculator to do basic arithmetic accurately and consistently. A third component is finger agnosia which can best be explained by a particular past experiences. I remember in high school I would sometimes interlock my fingers between each other and I noticed that I would try to move a certain finger, I would actually move the finger on my opposite hand. The fourth component of Gerstamann's syndrome is mixing up left-right as simple as this sounds, I do it frequently. It isn't just that I mix up left and right, it is that I am usually totally unaware I am doing it so I am not able to self correct.

Autism and Schizophrenia where once confused by even the majority of professionals, but recent technological advances have broadened the fine narrow line that separates the two conditions. I do experience auditory and visual hallucinations and if I go without sleep long enough, they can cause delusions. I use to think these where normal things that happened to everyone else and eventually I figured out that these hallucinations where merely products of my unconscious and that I could control them (by making them go away.) Functional MRI scans have proved that certain illusions possess 100% clinical diagnosis of Schizophrenia (The Hallow Mask Illusion) and this illusion fools me like it fools the majority of other people so I am confident that I do not have Schizophrenia because of such test. If I had a deficit in empathy I would most likely qualify as a schizoid personality disorder, but I think everyone here knows that disorder really means a statistical outlier.

I believe the cause of Autism is nothing more than the result of evolution of hybrid species. This is known as the Neanderthal theory (http://www.rdos.net/eng/asperger.htm) and I believe this proves the genetic component of personalities. Personality and autism are genetic predispositions which means that environment/nurture also play a role in development.

I've been obsessively researching anything related to Autism for several months now and I hope I can provoke and contribute to discussions relevant the relationship between genetic conditions and the INTJ personality type.

**ssrprotege** · 05-19-2009, 05:39 PM

Wow. Looks like you have done quite a bit of research by yourself. (I just skimmed)

Welcome, admittedheretic.

If you're sticking around, you can check out the rules here, and a great thread about using all the neat forum features is here.

Please, enjoy!

P.S. Sorry Rudy, I too much enjoy using your catch-phrase in the Intro forum.

**Bobert** · 05-19-2009, 05:41 PM

Welcome to here!

**Sakari** · 05-19-2009, 05:43 PM

You're very thorough in your research.

Welcome to the forum.

**Night Runner** · 05-19-2009, 07:06 PM

Great intro post, Heretic! :thumsbup: Here's hoping you'll stick around and add your considerable intelligence to the collective.

**floramacivor** · 05-19-2009, 07:15 PM

How very interesting. A couple of years ago I suspected I might be borderline autistic or something, but now I think I was confusing social anxiety and some strong INTJ traits for some of the symptoms exhibited with autism. I've wondered if there might be some link between the two.

**Stratego** · 05-19-2009, 07:20 PM

Hello, admittedheretic :D

**Jonathan Brewer** · 05-19-2009, 07:39 PM

Wow admittedheretic, you sound like every other lunatic here. Welcome aboard.

**Dave C C** · 05-19-2009, 07:51 PM

Wecome, from an INTJ who reads only the first and last sentence, and fills in the rest from his imagination.

Storm · 05-19-2009, 08:52 PM

Welcome. So what else is there to know about you besides your various mental conditions?

**rwyatt365** · 05-20-2009, 04:55 AM

Welcome heretic. While I find your research and self-knowledge impressive, I find it interesting (for myself) that every quirk of human behavior is so easily and readily categorized as a "disease", or "syndrome". Before long, we'll have "designer diseases" (Yes, George, I have Rwyatt365 Syndrome. But don't worry, I'm not contagious.).

**Tobias** · 05-20-2009, 04:57 AM

Hi

	Originally Posted by floramacivor
	How very interesting. A couple of years ago I suspected I might be borderline autistic or something, but now I think I was confusing social anxiety and some strong INTJ traits for some of the symptoms exhibited with autism. I've wondered if there might be some link between the two.

Same here. My mum thought I was autistic because I was very happy in my own company as a child, was socially inept and liked doing repetative things (I used to flick ants for hours on end, hmm...sadistic. ). I can relate to the hyper-subconsiousness too with avoiding eye contact as well as misreading many communication signals. I would say that many common INTJ traits can be compared to autism.

**doublejava** · 05-20-2009, 11:39 AM

	Originally Posted by rwyatt365
	(Yes, George, I have Rwyatt365 Syndrome. But don't worry, I'm not contagious.)

Whoa, that's weird! I too have Rwyatt365 Syndrome. Symptoms include mostly gas and premature wrinkles.

Welcome, heretic. I sure hope you don't catch what I have.

**rwyatt365** · 05-20-2009, 11:49 AM

He wouldn't if you'd stop spilling biologicals all over the place!

**vern** · 05-20-2009, 01:17 PM

did enjoy your post,

my nieces son who is only yet seven is among other things apparently autistic,

however when i met him it soon became glaringly obvious the child is simply one of us,
its a good thing...a very good thing!

Rudy · 05-20-2009, 05:06 PM

Since ssr stole my catch phrase, I'll just say welcome, and I'll look forward to your contributions.

**ntwady** · 05-20-2009, 05:22 PM

admittedheretic, have you ever had a traumatic brain injury? Some of the symptoms you listed, especially for Gerstmann's syndrome, are consistent with TBI symptomology.

Similarly, I think it may be unlikely that your mother has Williams syndrome, as they are often diagnosable as MR (mentally retarded). Individuals with Williams syndrome are characterized as gregarious & affable, but they tend to lack social fear and social savvy. "Lost on them are many meanings, machinations, ideas and intentions that most of us infer from facial expression, body language, context and stock phrasings. If you’re talking with someone with Williams syndrome and look at your watch and say: 'Oh, my, look at the time! Well it’s been awfully nice talking with you . . . ,' your conversational partner may well smile brightly, agree that 'this is nice' and ask if you’ve ever gone to Disney World." Individuals exhibiting Williams like hallmarks would likely score poorly on Theory of Mind tasks as well (along with autistic spectrum disorders), because their understanding of social situations are relatively superficial despite their innate desire to connect with other people. Therefore, it may be unlikely that you inherited empathy from your mother (as a consequence/byproduct of her Williams like behavior). Here is an excellent article with a video describing the syndrome. It is truly fascinating.

Oh, and HFA and AS are among my specialties/interests. In fact, I completed a year long research methods experiment on AS and TOM (Theory of Mind) remediation training.

Anyways, welcome.

**admittedheretic** · 05-20-2009, 08:06 PM

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone. I'm interested in just about anything and everything science, but lately I have been consumed with how our minds work.

A great resource of mine has been the video lectures available from the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute. They are leading their field in many ways. You will find that learning about autism or any form of mental illness is the secret to understanding how a healthy mind works.

Ntwadumela, You seem very knowledge and I think we will enjoy each others company. The professionals I deal with autism have never heard of williams syndrome before when I had brought it up. Likewise they never heard of Gerstamnn's syndrome too.

As far as gerstamann's syndrome there isn't much documentation on the developmental version. I recall it being discussed on a few articles and I don't know how much truth to it. That being said, I'm unaware of any traumatic injury.

You are correct that my mother does not literally have Willaims syndrome, but I have some traits that I'm trying to determine where they came from. I don't have a solid case for what my mother would have, but see if you can't see the big picture I'm blindly trying to create. My mother gets great anxiety when she is alone as opposed to me getting anxiety when I'm not alone. She has a unique talent where she can play music by ear because she has perfect pitch. This ability has been prevalent in people with WS. Interesting enough my youngest brother has this ability as well and he can't even read written music.

Here is the real basis for my suspicion. I have the phenotypes associated with Williams syndrome and some even from Fragile X. They are rather unannounced, but when you compare how I look to my three brothers, the differences are noticeable. Such differences include how my teeth are spaced, a shorter stature, slouched shoulders, being left eye dominate (father), broader forehead, smaller chin (from mother), wider mouth, fuller cheeks, full upper lip, and even my iris pattern. My youngest brother who is also ADD/hyperlexic blond and blue eyes has an entirely different iris pattern than I. I also have bowel/bladder issues and joint laxity issues. I went through puberty before anyone else in my class. I may also have hyperacusis, but my loss of hearing as always been blamed on too loud of volumes of music. What do you make of that?

I wish I had access the information of Willaims syndrome comorbid with Autism, but there are all hosted on journal sites.

**Monte314** · 05-20-2009, 08:10 PM

Welcome.

Now that we know all about what you are, it would be nice to hear about who you are...

**WratSpa** · 05-20-2009, 08:16 PM

	Originally Posted by ssrprotege
	If you're sticking around, you can check out the rules here, and a great thread about using all the neat forum features is here. Please, enjoy! P.S. Sorry Rudy, I too much enjoy using your catch-phrase in the Intro forum.

Ha! Why didn't I think of that!?

Hello, admittedheretic.

**ntwady** · 05-20-2009, 09:06 PM

	Originally Posted by admittedheretic
	You will find that learning about autism or any form of mental illness is the secret to understanding how a healthy mind works.

Clive Wearing, Daniel Tammet, Alonzo Clemons, Stephen Wiltshire, Kim Peek, the list goes on and on. Amazing.

	Originally Posted by admittedheretic
	Here is the real basis for my suspicion. I have the phenotypes associated with Williams syndrome and some even from Fragile X.

Maybe, at some point, if you are comfortable, you could post a picture, so we can throw our two cents in.

	Originally Posted by admittedheretic
	I wish I had access the information of Willaims syndrome comorbid with Autism, but there are all hosted on journal sites.

I found one scholarly article, but I won't have access to it until I go back to school in the fall. If anyone else has a subscription through their library, with full-text access, maybe they will be kind enough to get the results for you. Here is the citation:

Childhood autism and associated comorbidities
Zafeiriou, D.I., Ververi, A. Vargiami (2007). Brain & Development 29, 5, 257-272.

	Originally Posted by admittedheretic
	I may also have hyperacusis, but my loss of hearing as always been blamed on too loud of volumes of music. What do you make of that?

I'm a bit confused, as hyperacusis and hearing loss are two separate conditions. Maybe Green Eyes (who I hear is going into speech/language pathology) may be able to elucidate this topic further.

From your self-report, it appears you exhibit many stereotypical autistic behaviors (hyperacusis being one of them), but that is clearly not sufficient evidence for a diagnosis, especially over the internet.

**PeterIMC** · 05-20-2009, 09:27 PM

My first simple and quick opinion on what you´re describing is that you know you´re different from the average and you´re trying to search for a cause. You come to the conclusion that it must be some kind of deficiency.

But to me you´re pretty normal, you just have a personality type that's not common. Actually from your INTJ number (20 80 10 10), the only thing that's extreme is your iNtuition. You´re not a super introvert, which would explain why you consider so many options as real posibilities, and you´re J isn't very strong either which makes you more of a theorist than a stronger J. (I'm generalizing a lot here, but this still is a very simple and quick opinion.)

But seriously, Try to consider the option that you´re pretty normal and just like to understand yourself better and why you´re different from the average. Reading all about the MBTI may help.

**admittedheretic** · 05-21-2009, 09:57 AM

I don't understand why some people are all uptight with the sort of stuff. Lots of people like the old blank slate idea still and like to think that they chose their personality. I'm not saying you can't change, but the genetic predispositions would make it very unlikely that you would change. That and the only real changes will be during development as a child. INTJ isn't just a personality type, it is sort of its own species in many ways.

Savants are amazing. People always go nuts when I tell them Kim Peek reads two pages at once by having each eye look at a single page! And that he recalls 90% of what he reads. And that he's memorized over 9,000 books... Insane!

I don't know anyone at the moment who would have access, but I hope to find someone.

I understand hyperacusis is totatlly different than hearing loss from stress. All I know is that my hearing has really taken a down fall these last 5 years. My father (more of an apsie) can not understand what is being said if the bass isn't turn offed. I found back in high school I could watch TV without it being too loud by maxing out the treble.

I'm now seeking a real diagnosis, but I am scared they will slap the schizophrenia label on me or just PDD-NOS. The internet is the best source I have right now because like I said, the professionals I've been talking to don't know what to think of me either. I will tell you this, I'm definitively an odd ball when in weekly meetings with Aspies. They will have trouble expressing their feelings, but I could just motor mouth all day. I have so much to say in such little time I can't help feel annoyed when we get in a 15 minute discussion about "trains." Also, any time someone dares give out a statistic they are likely to be corrected. I sometimes have troubles with finding the right word so I constantly make sure of metaphors and analogies that they do not understanding. That, and they'll tell me the technical definition of any word I used and why I used it wrong even though I tried to tell them the terms would be used loosely in a metaphor. Very smart and great people, but so different than me. On the other hand, many people try to convince me I'm just normal, but I'm so not. I know there is probably nothing wrong with me and that it isn't a disease and that I am just a statistical outlier like every other INTJ..It's just my way of being is not compatible with Western society's social constructs.

Storm · 05-21-2009, 10:24 AM

Admitted, I haven't met you so I have no idea if you really are suffering from various ailments, or if you're normal (as the word is used medically, not that you aren't special).

But I will say this, take a deep breadth. It's okay.

**Monte314** · 05-21-2009, 10:29 AM

So, ah... again... WHO ARE YOU?

05-19-2009, 05:36 PM	#1
admittedheretic Veteran Member [69%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 2,794	Hello everyone, I am a 23 year old male INTJ (20,80,10,10) with some form of high-functioning autism. I've poked around here for a couple for a days and I was pleasantly surprised to find that a few people have noticed the similarities between Autism in the form of Asperger's syndrome and the INTJ personality type. Autism like everything else has duality manifested within it and there are many traits that I have strengths in where respectively a person with Asperger's has deficits. I have been attending weekly meetings with individuals with Asperger's and at first everyone general consensus was that I was Asperger's in denial. They seemed to have thought I was avoiding being labeled when in reality I was ecstatic to find others who I could presumably relate to. After a couple of weeks there wasn't much of a mystery that I wasn't Asperger's, but still very autistic like. Individuals with Asperger's often have a deficit in empathy, but I would argue that I have hyper empathy when compared with neurotically individuals. I believe my hyper emapthy comes from my mother who has some severity of Williams syndrome in which emotional behavior is seemingly the opposite of that in observed in autism. Asperger's seems to have a deficit in theory of mind which is the concept that everyone has their own personal and independent being. I would argue that I have superior theory of mind compared to most people as a splinter skill this would be considered mind reading. Like many INTJs, I would have to say that I am often more aware of other people's behaviors than they are themselves most of the time. Asperger's have deficits in understanding metaphors where I would argue I have a strength in developing and understanding metaphors. The list goes on.. I do not even know where to begin to describe why and how I am autistic so I will continue with the monologue. Socially I am just an extreme INTJ, but I have social phobias that have resulted from hyper self-consciousness. I often avoid making eye or face contact because I do not understand them. The Booba and Kiki experiment fools me in the sense that the answer doesn't come instinctively to me. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Booba-Kiki.svg) It is amazing how simple illusions can accurately predict neurological workings of the brain and even genetic components. These simple illusions have everything to do with a concept called synesthesia and I've noticed a few individuals here interested in it. I adhere to OCD like rituals that are typical of Autism and have some symptoms that manifest them in my motor system through tics and body postures. These are less profound and less interesting. I also have forms of ADD/ADHD What I feel is the most interesting part of my autism is how it effects my communication through language. I have hyperlexia which is the neurological opposite of dyslexia. Hyperlexia is actually a gift if it can be properly nurtured. What it means is that I read differently than most people. Most people read a word and their auditory part of the brain changes the symbols into auditory cues, after which the cues are paired with abstract meaning. In my case, I have a delay between going from auditory to abstract so I learned to read by going straight from symbols to abstract meaning. This gives me the ability is speed read to myself, but If I was to read out loud at an acceptable tempo, my comprehension would be rather poor. I also have what is called developmental Gerstmann's syndrome (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerstmann%27s_syndrome) which has four distinct features. Dysgraphia which is difficulty writing that is not associated with a difficulty to read or intellectual impairment. Dyscalculia which is trouble basic arithmetic. It maybe be note worthy that I excelled through Calculus, Differentiation equations, Calculus based physics, but struggled with maths such as statistics and linear algebra because I need a calculator to do basic arithmetic accurately and consistently. A third component is finger agnosia which can best be explained by a particular past experiences. I remember in high school I would sometimes interlock my fingers between each other and I noticed that I would try to move a certain finger, I would actually move the finger on my opposite hand. The fourth component of Gerstamann's syndrome is mixing up left-right as simple as this sounds, I do it frequently. It isn't just that I mix up left and right, it is that I am usually totally unaware I am doing it so I am not able to self correct. Autism and Schizophrenia where once confused by even the majority of professionals, but recent technological advances have broadened the fine narrow line that separates the two conditions. I do experience auditory and visual hallucinations and if I go without sleep long enough, they can cause delusions. I use to think these where normal things that happened to everyone else and eventually I figured out that these hallucinations where merely products of my unconscious and that I could control them (by making them go away.) Functional MRI scans have proved that certain illusions possess 100% clinical diagnosis of Schizophrenia (The Hallow Mask Illusion) and this illusion fools me like it fools the majority of other people so I am confident that I do not have Schizophrenia because of such test. If I had a deficit in empathy I would most likely qualify as a schizoid personality disorder, but I think everyone here knows that disorder really means a statistical outlier. I believe the cause of Autism is nothing more than the result of evolution of hybrid species. This is known as the Neanderthal theory (http://www.rdos.net/eng/asperger.htm) and I believe this proves the genetic component of personalities. Personality and autism are genetic predispositions which means that environment/nurture also play a role in development. I've been obsessively researching anything related to Autism for several months now and I hope I can provoke and contribute to discussions relevant the relationship between genetic conditions and the INTJ personality type.
admittedheretic is offline post a comment

05-19-2009, 05:39 PM	#2
ssrprotege Core Member [113%] MBTI: xxxx Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 4,541	Wow. Looks like you have done quite a bit of research by yourself. (I just skimmed) Welcome, admittedheretic. If you're sticking around, you can check out the rules here, and a great thread about using all the neat forum features is here. Please, enjoy! P.S. Sorry Rudy, I too much enjoy using your catch-phrase in the Intro forum.
ssrprotege is offline post a comment

05-19-2009, 05:41 PM	#3
Bobert Member [41%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 1,671	Welcome to here!
Bobert is offline post a comment

05-19-2009, 05:43 PM	#4
Sakari Member [32%] MBTI: ENFP Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 1,306	You're very thorough in your research. Welcome to the forum.
Sakari is offline post a comment

05-19-2009, 07:06 PM	#5
Night Runner Core Member [148%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 5,931	Great intro post, Heretic! :thumsbup: Here's hoping you'll stick around and add your considerable intelligence to the collective.
Night Runner is offline post a comment

05-19-2009, 07:15 PM	#6
floramacivor Member [42%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 1,714	How very interesting. A couple of years ago I suspected I might be borderline autistic or something, but now I think I was confusing social anxiety and some strong INTJ traits for some of the symptoms exhibited with autism. I've wondered if there might be some link between the two.
floramacivor is offline post a comment

05-19-2009, 07:20 PM	#7
Stratego Veteran Member [57%] MBTI: InTJ Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 2,283	Hello, admittedheretic :D
Stratego is offline post a comment

05-19-2009, 07:39 PM	#8
Jonathan Brewer Core Member [135%] MBTI: xxxx Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 5,411	Wow admittedheretic, you sound like every other lunatic here. Welcome aboard.
Jonathan Brewer is offline post a comment

05-19-2009, 07:51 PM	#9
Dave C C Member [10%] MBTI: INTP Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 430	Wecome, from an INTJ who reads only the first and last sentence, and fills in the rest from his imagination.
Dave C C is offline post a comment

05-19-2009, 08:52 PM	#10
Storm Administrator MBTI: xxxx Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 14,681	Welcome. So what else is there to know about you besides your various mental conditions?
Storm is offline post a comment

05-20-2009, 04:55 AM	#11
rwyatt365 Core Member [261%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 10,466	Welcome heretic. While I find your research and self-knowledge impressive, I find it interesting (for myself) that every quirk of human behavior is so easily and readily categorized as a "disease", or "syndrome". Before long, we'll have "designer diseases" (Yes, George, I have Rwyatt365 Syndrome. But don't worry, I'm not contagious.).
rwyatt365 is offline post a comment

05-20-2009, 11:49 AM	#14
rwyatt365 Core Member [261%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 10,466	He wouldn't if you'd stop spilling biologicals all over the place!
rwyatt365 is offline post a comment

05-20-2009, 01:17 PM	#15
vern Member [41%] MBTI: XXXX Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 1,654	did enjoy your post, my nieces son who is only yet seven is among other things apparently autistic, however when i met him it soon became glaringly obvious the child is simply one of us, its a good thing...a very good thing!
vern is offline post a comment

05-20-2009, 05:06 PM	#16
Rudy Administrator MBTI: INfJ Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 21,722	Since ssr stole my catch phrase, I'll just say welcome, and I'll look forward to your contributions.
Rudy is offline post a comment

05-20-2009, 05:22 PM	#17
ntwady Core Member [100%] MBTI: INFP Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 4,025	admittedheretic, have you ever had a traumatic brain injury? Some of the symptoms you listed, especially for Gerstmann's syndrome, are consistent with TBI symptomology. Similarly, I think it may be unlikely that your mother has Williams syndrome, as they are often diagnosable as MR (mentally retarded). Individuals with Williams syndrome are characterized as gregarious & affable, but they tend to lack social fear and social savvy. "Lost on them are many meanings, machinations, ideas and intentions that most of us infer from facial expression, body language, context and stock phrasings. If you’re talking with someone with Williams syndrome and look at your watch and say: 'Oh, my, look at the time! Well it’s been awfully nice talking with you . . . ,' your conversational partner may well smile brightly, agree that 'this is nice' and ask if you’ve ever gone to Disney World." Individuals exhibiting Williams like hallmarks would likely score poorly on Theory of Mind tasks as well (along with autistic spectrum disorders), because their understanding of social situations are relatively superficial despite their innate desire to connect with other people. Therefore, it may be unlikely that you inherited empathy from your mother (as a consequence/byproduct of her Williams like behavior). Here is an excellent article with a video describing the syndrome. It is truly fascinating. Oh, and HFA and AS are among my specialties/interests. In fact, I completed a year long research methods experiment on AS and TOM (Theory of Mind) remediation training. Anyways, welcome. Last edited by ntwady; 05-20-2009 at 09:40 PM.
ntwady is offline post a comment

05-20-2009, 08:06 PM	#18
admittedheretic Veteran Member [69%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 2,794	Thanks for the warm welcome everyone. I'm interested in just about anything and everything science, but lately I have been consumed with how our minds work. A great resource of mine has been the video lectures available from the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute. They are leading their field in many ways. You will find that learning about autism or any form of mental illness is the secret to understanding how a healthy mind works. Ntwadumela, You seem very knowledge and I think we will enjoy each others company. The professionals I deal with autism have never heard of williams syndrome before when I had brought it up. Likewise they never heard of Gerstamnn's syndrome too. As far as gerstamann's syndrome there isn't much documentation on the developmental version. I recall it being discussed on a few articles and I don't know how much truth to it. That being said, I'm unaware of any traumatic injury. You are correct that my mother does not literally have Willaims syndrome, but I have some traits that I'm trying to determine where they came from. I don't have a solid case for what my mother would have, but see if you can't see the big picture I'm blindly trying to create. My mother gets great anxiety when she is alone as opposed to me getting anxiety when I'm not alone. She has a unique talent where she can play music by ear because she has perfect pitch. This ability has been prevalent in people with WS. Interesting enough my youngest brother has this ability as well and he can't even read written music. Here is the real basis for my suspicion. I have the phenotypes associated with Williams syndrome and some even from Fragile X. They are rather unannounced, but when you compare how I look to my three brothers, the differences are noticeable. Such differences include how my teeth are spaced, a shorter stature, slouched shoulders, being left eye dominate (father), broader forehead, smaller chin (from mother), wider mouth, fuller cheeks, full upper lip, and even my iris pattern. My youngest brother who is also ADD/hyperlexic blond and blue eyes has an entirely different iris pattern than I. I also have bowel/bladder issues and joint laxity issues. I went through puberty before anyone else in my class. I may also have hyperacusis, but my loss of hearing as always been blamed on too loud of volumes of music. What do you make of that? I wish I had access the information of Willaims syndrome comorbid with Autism, but there are all hosted on journal sites.
admittedheretic is offline post a comment

05-20-2009, 08:10 PM	#19
Monte314 Core Member [407%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 16,311	Welcome. Now that we know all about what you are, it would be nice to hear about who you are...
Monte314 is offline post a comment

05-20-2009, 09:27 PM	#22
PeterIMC Member [20%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 808	My first simple and quick opinion on what you´re describing is that you know you´re different from the average and you´re trying to search for a cause. You come to the conclusion that it must be some kind of deficiency. But to me you´re pretty normal, you just have a personality type that's not common. Actually from your INTJ number (20 80 10 10), the only thing that's extreme is your iNtuition. You´re not a super introvert, which would explain why you consider so many options as real posibilities, and you´re J isn't very strong either which makes you more of a theorist than a stronger J. (I'm generalizing a lot here, but this still is a very simple and quick opinion.) But seriously, Try to consider the option that you´re pretty normal and just like to understand yourself better and why you´re different from the average. Reading all about the MBTI may help.
PeterIMC is offline post a comment

05-21-2009, 09:57 AM	#23
admittedheretic Veteran Member [69%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 2,794	I don't understand why some people are all uptight with the sort of stuff. Lots of people like the old blank slate idea still and like to think that they chose their personality. I'm not saying you can't change, but the genetic predispositions would make it very unlikely that you would change. That and the only real changes will be during development as a child. INTJ isn't just a personality type, it is sort of its own species in many ways. Savants are amazing. People always go nuts when I tell them Kim Peek reads two pages at once by having each eye look at a single page! And that he recalls 90% of what he reads. And that he's memorized over 9,000 books... Insane! I don't know anyone at the moment who would have access, but I hope to find someone. I understand hyperacusis is totatlly different than hearing loss from stress. All I know is that my hearing has really taken a down fall these last 5 years. My father (more of an apsie) can not understand what is being said if the bass isn't turn offed. I found back in high school I could watch TV without it being too loud by maxing out the treble. I'm now seeking a real diagnosis, but I am scared they will slap the schizophrenia label on me or just PDD-NOS. The internet is the best source I have right now because like I said, the professionals I've been talking to don't know what to think of me either. I will tell you this, I'm definitively an odd ball when in weekly meetings with Aspies. They will have trouble expressing their feelings, but I could just motor mouth all day. I have so much to say in such little time I can't help feel annoyed when we get in a 15 minute discussion about "trains." Also, any time someone dares give out a statistic they are likely to be corrected. I sometimes have troubles with finding the right word so I constantly make sure of metaphors and analogies that they do not understanding. That, and they'll tell me the technical definition of any word I used and why I used it wrong even though I tried to tell them the terms would be used loosely in a metaphor. Very smart and great people, but so different than me. On the other hand, many people try to convince me I'm just normal, but I'm so not. I know there is probably nothing wrong with me and that it isn't a disease and that I am just a statistical outlier like every other INTJ..It's just my way of being is not compatible with Western society's social constructs.
admittedheretic is offline post a comment

05-21-2009, 10:24 AM	#24
Storm Administrator MBTI: xxxx Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 14,681	Admitted, I haven't met you so I have no idea if you really are suffering from various ailments, or if you're normal (as the word is used medically, not that you aren't special). But I will say this, take a deep breadth. It's okay.
Storm is offline post a comment

05-21-2009, 10:29 AM	#25
Monte314 Core Member [407%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 16,311	So, ah... again... WHO ARE YOU?
Monte314 is offline post a comment