Reply #17: This is very Aspie from what I've read [View All]

[TrogL]

Ank (my partner) noted earlier this evening that one good way to have a conversation with me (if you can call it that) is to steer me towards one of my obsessions and let me rattle on for awhile.

I have great difficulty in most conversations because I get confused when there's a change in topic. A typical weather -> wife and kids -> how about them Knicks conversation baffles me.

My boss considered it a breakthrough when I successfully negotiated the "how are you" script without delving into medical jargon and remembering to ask after his health.

Previous to this, he would say "how are you?" and I'd get stuck because I don't have any idea how I feel most of the time.

It's not that I don't care about other people. It's that I can't make the connection between caring feelings and the spoken vocabulary to deliver it. I'm also afraid of screwing it up (like I have in the past) and making matters worse.

I'm very fortunate that people understand this in my workplace. They're perfectly happy (as far as I can tell) to shout "hello, TrogL" as they go past my cubicle and not get a coherent response. One strategy I've used is to make a big joke out of the whole thing. When I come to their cubicles I knock as if there's a door there or do a silly wave. Maybe they just think I'm wierd or they're used to dealing with geeks as there's plenty of them underfoot.