autism, Asperger's and ticklishness

[Grant]

I understand people with autism, Asperger's Syndrome etc. can be "touch defensive" and find firm rather than light touch more comforting. Light touch is said to be highly unpleasant.

Does this translate into ticklishness?

Also, would someone who doesn't do empathy make a more or less cruel tickler?

Grant

 

[NavelTickler75]

I do have Asperger's and the slighest touch can drive me wild.

 

[GirlWhoLikes2Laugh]

I have Asperger's too Navel. We have something in common! As for me, I REALLY love being tickled, it feels very good to me.

 

[NavelTickler75]

I have Asperger's too Navel. We have something in common! As for me, I REALLY love being tickled, it feels very good to me.

LOL so cool. Nice to know there are others like me out there. And people with Aspergers have been proven to be highly intellient, way cool! Who says its a disability?

Okay there are things I do, holding onto odd routines that even get me down, but its not that bad

 

[GirlWhoLikes2Laugh]

LOL so cool. Nice to know there are others like me out there. And people with Aspergers have been proven to be highly intellient, way cool! Who says its a disability?

Okay there are things I do, holding onto odd routines that even get me down, but its not that bad

I really agree but the reason that Asperger Syndrome is a disability is because there are people who have it on the higher end of the spectrum like me. There are also people who have it on the lower end of the spectrum. Some are very intelligent but some are more academically challenged.

 

[GirlWhoLikes2Laugh]

I want to also put in here that many people with Asperger Syndrome have trouble reading non-verbal communication. That's why I like to refer to it as a social skills learning disability.

 

[Toerificdude]

I want to also put in here that many people with Asperger Syndrome have trouble reading non-verbal communication. That's why I like to refer to it as a social skills learning disability.

This is a very interesting topic. To be honest I was unaware of this condition. TJ, is there a specific way you can see if someone has it? Is this condition usually popular among ticklees and ticklers?

 

[WorkInProgress]

Ah, this brings back memories. Some years back someone I know suggested to me that I might have Asperger's, at which time I had never before heard of the phenomenon. I did some reading and some web-surfing and for a while was posting on an Asperger's community message board. Presently I reached the conclusions that I didn't have it, at least not to any highly appreciable extent, though I have certainly had my struggles where social skills were concerned. (Maybe what's really going on is that I have a mild form but have learned to compensate so well that I don't notice it any more.)

And now I have a question, at the risk of getting this thread moved to the General board (since, to be sure, I don't have anything to offer here related to tickling). I know the phrase "lack of empathy" is commonly used among the symptoms, but is that phrase really applicable, or would "experiences and expresses empathy differently from others" be more accurate? I'm interested in the responses of Ticklejen, NavalTickler, and anyone else who would like to weigh in here.

 

[NavelTickler75]

I want to also put in here that many people with Asperger Syndrome have trouble reading non-verbal communication. That's why I like to refer to it as a social skills learning disability.

Good point I have some of that myself.

 

[NavelTickler75]

Ah, this brings back memories. Some years back someone I know suggested to me that I might have Asperger's, at which time I had never before heard of the phenomenon. I did some reading and some web-surfing and for a while was posting on an Asperger's community message board. Presently I reached the conclusions that I didn't have it, at least not to any highly appreciable extent, though I have certainly had my struggles where social skills were concerned. (Maybe what's really going on is that I have a mild form but have learned to compensate so well that I don't notice it any more.)

And now I have a question, at the risk of getting this thread moved to the General board (since, to be sure, I don't have anything to offer here related to tickling). I know the phrase "lack of empathy" is commonly used among the symptoms, but is that phrase really applicable, or would "experiences and expresses empathy differently from others" be more accurate? I'm interested in the responses of Ticklejen, NavalTickler, and anyone else who would like to weigh in here.

There is a bit of me that is empathetic, and then a bit that seems lacking in it. not sure if it has anything to do with Aspberger's.

 

[GirlWhoLikes2Laugh]

Ah, this brings back memories. Some years back someone I know suggested to me that I might have Asperger's, at which time I had never before heard of the phenomenon. I did some reading and some web-surfing and for a while was posting on an Asperger's community message board. Presently I reached the conclusions that I didn't have it, at least not to any highly appreciable extent, though I have certainly had my struggles where social skills were concerned. (Maybe what's really going on is that I have a mild form but have learned to compensate so well that I don't notice it any more.)

And now I have a question, at the risk of getting this thread moved to the General board (since, to be sure, I don't have anything to offer here related to tickling). I know the phrase "lack of empathy" is commonly used among the symptoms, but is that phrase really applicable, or would "experiences and expresses empathy differently from others" be more accurate? I'm interested in the responses of Ticklejen, NavalTickler, and anyone else who would like to weigh in here.

I would say that most Asperger people do have trouble with empathy. Sometimes I have had trouble with it and sometimes I do have empathy but since I have been diagnosed I have been getting better at it.

 

[GirlWhoLikes2Laugh]

This is a very interesting topic. To be honest I was unaware of this condition. TJ, is there a specific way you can see if someone has it? Is this condition usually popular among ticklees and ticklers?

I am glad that you're interested. Well I do mention in one of my threads that I was diagnosed with this condition last year. It's a long story but I have changed a lot since I was diagnosed. I don't think there's a direct way of thinking that someone has it. Although accorrding to the books I've read, the way parents can usually tell if their children have it (usually at a young age) if they have trouble making friends I mean more trouble than most kids. That USUALLY means they have Asperger Syndrome or it could be. Also, they could have trouble with social skills such as reading body language, eye contact and maybe other social skills. If you want, you can look it up and do a search on Google.

 

[GirlWhoLikes2Laugh]

As for whether it's a popular condition with ticklers and ticklees, I am sure it's can affect someone like that but I doubt the condition is a POPULAR with ticklers or ticklees. That's my opinion and I am sticking to it.

 

[WorkInProgress]

I would say that most Asperger people do have trouble with empathy. Sometimes I have had trouble with it and sometimes I do have empathy but since I have been diagnosed I have been getting better at it.

I'd say that's true of me too, except that with me there was never any diagnosis, only an exploration, and a kind of general self-discovery and therapy phase of which the Asperger's exploration was just one component--and it's still ambiguous whether I'm diagnosable or not, but I know I've got a general repertoire of ways I'm different, and a general repertoire of compensatory behaviors to function in a professional adult world--things I'm so used to by now that I go days at a time scarcely thinking to give them a name. But the challenge area does include feeling and expressing empathy.

 

[tkrexx]

I hate to rain on this, but I am 90% not ticklish, and have an oversized amount of empathy (Enough for any 3 "regular" folks). My main probs are with reading body language and other subtle communications, and certain learning stiffness; not with everything, some things seem to come natural to me, while others, tho easy to some, are completely foreign to me. But once learned these tasks and solutions stay with me for years after I stop needing them. And I hoard things. People who I'm comfortable with can touch me, light or hard, no problem, but someone I don't know (Or don't like) touches me and I take it as aggressive and respond in kind. My IQ was measured at 125 some 20 years ago, so that also somewhat dims the highly intelligent theory. There is actually no proof that those with Asberger's are any more or less intelligent than anyone else. Most are quite thick in some areas while appearing like savants in others. Many have as many talents as they do quirks. It's suspected that some of the school shooters have been Asberger's sufferers, but since the vast majority of them are dead, it's nigh impossible to prove. Asberger's has long been called a mild form of Autism, but that is also still debated. Bottom line, Asberger's, like most disorders, affects evreyone a little differently. Same basic symptoms, differing levels of severity.

 

[NavelTickler75]

Also, they could have trouble with social skills such as reading body language, eye contact and maybe other social skills.

Very true, I am asked many times by people, “Are you looking at me, or off to the side?” I have trouble reading body language, and many other social skills are lacking. Possible why I am so naïve in streetsmarts and what not. I can remember watching a special on Autism on Nickelodeon, and one child talking about how he’ll space out, and talk to himself or “relieve” past conversasions, as well as not realizing something is behind him, like a truck or a car.

I was never officially diagnosed either. But after reading about it, it’s obviously what I have. As I have not come across an autism that matches anything else that I have.

 

[Iluv2Btickled]

Working at a summer camp, there was a camper I had the opportunity to interact w/ a couple times. Once was at the pool the second was indoors during a bad storm and we had them all take cover.

At the pool, a few of my fellow counselors were chatting and she'd wade over to us and randomly start quoting movies and tv shows. They would tell her "why dont you quote those to the campers down on the beach ( 5 mins walk away) so in other words "get away from us we dont care". While I will admit, I felt slightly awkward and tried to engage in convo w/ her, I didnt know what else to do and she would not simply "go away". Knowing what I know now, I still dont know how I would've handled the situation. But I hope I did my best. I also know very few counselors wanted to "deal with her".


As for the storm incident, I never even thought to tickle her. I tickled a lot of my campers ( and they tickled back ) but tickling her never crossed my mind. I guess I felt wrong about touching her because of her diagnosis, or I was afraid of how she'd react. I feel bad about that now. I was judging her sensitivity by her "condition".



I was just reminded and how I feel bad about that.


btw, she was a band major and played the flute and was one of the top players there

 

[TheChameleon]

hmmm... interesting.

I've found that i have a lack of emotion, most of the time.

People call me 'Eeyore' at work, because i don't show any appreciative amount of emotion.

Oh well, i call them all idiots. I'm probably A sociopath, because, I never feel down about anybody or anything.

But I can act all crazy happy on teh internets! ^_^ HAPPY FACE! *Dance*

 

[TNT]

Asperger's... from the professional side

Many thanks to King of Swing for telling me about this thread... I usually hang around the same general threads, so never would've found this on my own. I'm a clinical social worker and one of my specialties is working with children/teens who have Autistic Spectrum diagnoses, like Asperger's. Some have noted in here that Asperger's is often referred to as "high functioning Autism", but that is really a misnomer. People with Asperger's don't have the early lack of, or reversal in, language development. As many of you have noted here, those with this diagnosis have difficulty interpreting social cues and may even have difficulty expressing non-verbal communication themselves. That's why there is another category that has developed, called Non-Verbal Learning Disability. It's like the part of the brain that is able to understand social interaction works differently than others. Same thing with reading and Dyslexia.

I would like to say that people with Asperger's do not necessarily have a lack of empathy. That's called being a sociopath, like Tony Soprano. It can appear that a person with Asperger's has low empathy, simply because they have difficulty connecting with others or displaying the kinds of non-verbal signals that show others they are listening, engaging, and fully participating in an interaction (things like eye contact, body posture, tone of voice). In addition, it is quite true that people on this spectrum in general can be either over-sensitive or under-sensitive with things like touch, sight, smell, sound, and taste. It just depends on the person!

If you'd like to look into the actual process of diagnosing this or any other emotional/mental health difficulty, please seek out a qualified mental health professional (licensed, experienced, etc) to help you. Diagnosis is not an easy process and many people get mislabeled because of inexperienced or uncaring clinicians, or people who simply aren't qualified to make a diagnosis.

So I don't know about whether those with Asperger's are more or less ticklish than others. But we certainly shouldn't deny anyone the opportunity to tickle or be tickled because they are a little different. If you're a true sociopath, though, I might think twice before letting you tie me down and tickle me. I don't wanna end up buried next to a river in Jersey...

 

[NavelTickler75]

Working at a summer camp, there was a camper I had the opportunity to interact w/ a couple times. Once was at the pool the second was indoors during a bad storm and we had them all take cover.

At the pool, a few of my fellow counselors were chatting and she'd wade over to us and randomly start quoting movies and tv shows. They would tell her "why dont you quote those to the campers down on the beach ( 5 mins walk away) so in other words "get away from us we dont care". While I will admit, I felt slightly awkward and tried to engage in convo w/ her, I didnt know what else to do and she would not simply "go away". Knowing what I know now, I still dont know how I would've handled the situation. But I hope I did my best. I also know very few counselors wanted to "deal with her".


As for the storm incident, I never even thought to tickle her. I tickled a lot of my campers ( and they tickled back ) but tickling her never crossed my mind. I guess I felt wrong about touching her because of her diagnosis, or I was afraid of how she'd react. I feel bad about that now. I was judging her sensitivity by her "condition".



I was just reminded and how I feel bad about that.


btw, she was a band major and played the flute and was one of the top players there

I am sorry to hear about that 2B. I know I collect a lot of info too some consider "useless" and can quote it perfectly. Never understood why until I started to read up on Aspergers.

Those flute players, top notch (And one time, at band camp LOl sorry had to do it.).

Speaking of movie stuff I have to admit, 2B's signy by Mimi looks a lot like Cheryle Burke maybe we do have a celebrity here after all? LOL

http://www.strictlycheryl.com/ see for yourself!

 

[Iluv2Btickled]

Aww..thnx NT.

I assure you I am not Cherlye Burke. I know I cant prove that because I'm not willing to show my face (yet) and there's been some talk about celebrities on the board, but I've never even heard of this woman. My siggy is like me as far as hair cut goes ( altho tomorrow I'm getting it cut off..all of it, but not shaved), and if I were a bit smaller, that's how I'd dress. That is my kind of style of clothing, but my eyes are not green. They are light brown. hope that gives you a better visual.

 

[NavelTickler75]

Aww..thnx NT.

I assure you I am not Cherlye Burke. I know I cant prove that because I'm not willing to show my face (yet) and there's been some talk about celebrities on the board, but I've never even heard of this woman. My siggy is like me as far as hair cut goes ( altho tomorrow I'm getting it cut off..all of it, but not shaved), and if I were a bit smaller, that's how I'd dress. That is my kind of style of clothing, but my eyes are not green. They are light brown. hope that gives you a better visual.

LOl your welcome. Too bad your getting it cut, its a cute hairstyle.

 

[crydun]

I'll ring in here...

I have Aspergers Syndrome also. I was almost 30 by the time we figured it out. I have trouble expressing myself verbally and non-verbally but only as far as emotions go. I can write you a beautiful poem that tells you everything I feel. As far as me telling it to your face, forget it.

Also, I have trouble in crowds. I can't stand crowds of people. One of the reasons I don't go to gatherings like NEST and the like where there are tons of people and noise.

I can't stand the noise a vacumn, blender, food processor or a siren makes. I can't stand band music either. it hurts my ears, literally.

When I was a child, I couldn't stand to be touched, period. Now that I'm older, I've kind of flipped to the other side of the coin(love it as long as I know and trust you)

It's a spectrum disorder and that means there's a lot of gray area in the way that this disorder plays out.

As far as ticklishness, you won't find anyone more so than me. You really won't. I'm not sure whether that's related to the Aspergers or not.

Just 10 cents from someone else who has this disorder....

 

[NavelTickler75]

I'll ring in here...

I have Aspergers Syndrome also. I was almost 30 by the time we figured it out. I have trouble expressing myself verbally and non-verbally but only as far as emotions go. I can write you a beautiful poem that tells you everything I feel. As far as me telling it to your face, forget it.

Also, I have trouble in crowds. I can't stand crowds of people. One of the reasons I don't go to gatherings like NEST and the like where there are tons of people and noise.

I can't stand the noise a vacumn, blender, food processor or a siren makes. I can't stand band music either. it hurts my ears, literally.

When I was a child, I couldn't stand to be touched, period. Now that I'm older, I've kind of flipped to the other side of the coin(love it as long as I know and trust you)

It's a spectrum disorder and that means there's a lot of gray area in the way that this disorder plays out.

As far as ticklishness, you won't find anyone more so than me. You really won't. I'm not sure whether that's related to the Aspergers or not.

Just 10 cents from someone else who has this disorder....

Thanks for sharing, as I've read what others have or go through, I can see it through myself too.

I always thought I was shy. I like girls, and I flirt on line, but the idea of flirting off line, I am not sure I can do. Just can't open my mouth. I also hate crowds too, and wondered what that was until just now. If I know I'm going to be touched, im okay, but if not, I am very goosy. I dont get bothered by noises much.

 

[indivision]

I didn't really know what Asperger's Syndrome was until a few years ago. I sometimes wonder if I have it, because I do seem to display some of the common traits.

Mainly, I have always been exceptionally introverted. I can go hours without saying a word--and I often do. I also tend to not show much emotion. In reality, I "am" emotional in that I can empathize with other people and I feel things like sadness, happiness, and so on as is necessary. But I am one of those people who tends to get branded as bland and unemotional. I'm not one of those guys who'll look at you, act really excited, and shout, "HEY!!! HOW'S IT GOIN?'" That's just not me. I'll probably nod and say something like, "Hi." or "Hey." But nothing excessively expressive or emotional. Just not me. In fact, one evening roughly a week before my high school graduation, I was in Wal-Mart buying some dog food. I went through a checkout line that was being operated by a woman my family used to go to church with. As she rang me up, she asked if I was excited about graduating. I said that I was, and then she said, "Well, about as excited as you get," with a grin on her face.

As far as tickling goes, I have had a fixation with that for as long as I can remember. I can honestly remember thinking about tickling when I was in second grade. As for ticklishness, well, I am quite ticklish.