Autism Corner: Personality Types in Asperger's:
The diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome may sometimes be a misinterpretation of a personality type of ISTP or INTP, according to researcher Robert G.
What are the Symptoms of Asperger's Syndrome? Children with Asperger's Syndrome exhibit poor social interactions, obsessions, odd speech patterns, limited facial expressions and other peculiar mannerisms. They might engage in obsessive routines and show an unusual sensitivity to sensory stimuli.
We deviate most on two of the traits; we are more introverted on average (low extraversion), and we are more neurotic (high neuroticism). There are two things to note about the scores: Autistics who camouflage score higher on extraversion and neuroticism, and lower on conscientiousness.
One phrase that is often associated with ASD is “high-functioning,” which refers to an individual who experiences the social and emotional difficulties and stereotyped behaviors or interests that are associated with autism, but does not have any significant delay in intellectual or verbal development.
People with Asperger profiles absolutely do have feelings, although they may have difficulty identifying and discussing them. In fact, many feelings – such as fear, anger and joy – seem to be experienced more intensely by those with Asperger profiles than by average people.
Those with Asperger's syndrome, in contrast, must by definition have suffered no cognitive delay during their first 3 years of life. This means that they will usually have at least a “normal” IQ. In some cases, their IQ may be very high, even in the genius range. There are, however, different kinds of smarts.
Research has indicated that individuals with high emotional reactivity (high neuroticism) and introverted tendencies (low extroversion) are more likely to experience anxiety than other personality types [101].
A recent review of findings on ADHD and FFM personality suggests that, in general, ADHD has associations with the FFM traits of Neuroticism (positive), Agreeableness (negative) and Conscientiousness (negative).
INFJ is the rarest personality type across the population, occurring in just 2% of the population. It is also the rarest personality type among men. INFJ stands for Introversion, Intuition, Feeling, and Judging. This unique combination is hard to find in most people.
Verbally expressing love
You may find your partner with Asperger's doesn't say “I love you,” or express their emotions, as often as you need them to. Mendes says this may be because, to your partner, the love between you two has already been established. They might see no need to vocalize emotions any further.
Asperger's in adults typically causes issues with communication, emotion regulation and interpretation, social interactions, and behavior. People who have Asperger's may also experience other conditions, such as depression, anxiety, or OCD.
The Asperger's mind enjoys and focuses on details, while the normal mind is more skilled at assembling whole concepts from details. Some people with Asperger's are visual thinkers and others are math, music, or number thinkers, but all think in specifics.
It should be noted that though kids with Asperger's don't usually have language deficits-they can be very talkative, in fact-many on the autism spectrum do have difficulty communicating verbally, which is partly why new diagnostic criteria will stress social communication deficits and restricted interests.
While people with level 1 ASD are often considered high-functioning, difficulties with social communication and restrictive or repetitive behaviors can cause significant interference in day-to-day functioning.
These may include hyperfocus, resilience, creativity, conversational skills, spontaneity, and abundant energy. Many people view these benefits as “superpowers” because those with ADHD can hone them to their advantage.
People with ADHD have a hard time staying in the moment, predicting the outcomes of their current actions, and learning from past experiences. Their impulsive behavior often makes them risk without thinking. Their hyperactive minds keep switching from one task to another.
Individuals with certain personality traits such as perfectionism, the need for control, and impulsivity are predisposed to eating disorders however these certain personality traits along with many others have been shown to help individuals recover from anorexia nervosa, binge eating, and bulimia nervosa.
INFJs are highly sensitive to the words and deeds of those close to them. INFJ is regarded as the most sensitive personality type. Some estimates suggest that 80 to 90% of people who test as INFJs also test as highly sensitive people, because the traits of the two overlap so much.
INFP: Taking things personally
An INFPs most toxic trait is taking things personally. They can be highly sensitive to criticism and easily offended. They may also hold grudges and dwell on past slights. As emotional people, INFPs have a tendency to overthink things and let their feelings get the best of them.
The introverted (I) intuitive (N) types (“INs”)—INFJ, INFP, INTJ and INTP—are among the most “sensitive” of the personality types. This is especially true of those who are more turbulent than assertive.
About 70% of children with ASD have a non-verbal IQ below 70. Of these, 50% have a non-verbal IQ below 50. Overall, up to 50% of people with "severe learning difficulties" have an ASD. Read more about the symptoms of ASD.
Over the years, researchers have fre- quently noted that many individuals with exceptional gifts manifest autistic-like behaviors. Further, an increasing number of individuals with autism or Asperger's are identified as being gifted. These twice-exceptional learners are in good company.
Nevertheless, one clinical study with slightly more precise information on IQ in ASD reported that 23% of the participants had an IQ < 85, while 45% had an average IQ, and 32% had an IQ above average (10).